Pass the ITIL ITIL 4 ITIL-4-Foundation Questions and answers with CertsForce

In ITIL 4, the purpose of the relationship management practice is to:

Establish and nurture the links between the organization and its stakeholders

Identify, analyze, monitor, and continually improve relationships with stakeholders at strategic and tactical levels

Option C closely reflects this wording: “Identifying, analyzing, monitoring, and the continual improvement of relationships with stakeholders.” This matches the official purpose description, so C is correct.

The other options actually describe other practices:

A. Creating collaborative relationships with key suppliers… – This aligns with supplier management, which focuses on obtaining value from suppliers and managing supplier relationships.

B. Setting clear business-based targets so that the delivery of a service can be properly assessed – This is the purpose of service level management, not relationship management.

D. Handling all pre-defined, user-initiated service requests in an effective and user-friendly manner – This describes service request management.

Therefore, the option that correctly reflects the purpose of the relationship management practice is C.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

ITIL 4 defines four dimensions of service management that are critical for the effective and efficient co-creation of value:

Organizations and people

Information and technology

Partners and suppliers

Value streams and processes

The “Organizations and people” dimension addresses:

Organizational structure – how the organization is arranged.

Roles and responsibilities – who does what and who is accountable.

Systems of authority and communication – how decisions are made and communicated.

Culture and competencies – behaviors, skills, and capabilities of people involved in service management.

Because this dimension specifically covers roles, responsibilities, and systems of authority, the correct answer is A. Organizations and people.

The other dimensions focus on different aspects:

Information and technology – data, information, and technological solutions used in service management.

Partners and suppliers – relationships and agreements with third parties that support service delivery.

Value streams and processes – how activities and processes are organized to create and deliver value.

Relevant ITIL 4 Foundation references:

The four dimensions of service management chapter.

Detailed description of the “Organizations and people” dimension (structure, roles, responsibilities, authority).

https://assyst.ifs.com/blog/the-7-guiding-principles-of-itil-4-0

Don't over-engineer solutions. Think about what you can do now.

Like focus on value, this principle is heavily focused on the prevention of waste. Waste correlates with complexity. Higher complexity means there are more opportunities for waste to creep into a system.

Focus on delivering the desired outcome, not building the most elegant and elaborate solution. Use the minimum number of steps to deliver that outcome, ensuring you are not over-processing (delivering quality above and beyond what is required).

The ITIL guiding principle ‘keep it simple and practical’ advises organizations to use the minimum number of steps and resources needed to accomplish an objective1. A good way to apply this principle is to adopt a practice which is easy to follow, understand, and communicate2. This helps to avoid unnecessary complexity, bureaucracy, and duplication3. References: ITIL Foundation - ITIL 4 Edition, page 7; ITIL® 4 – A Pocket Guide, page 25; ITIL® 4 Practice Guide: Keep It Simple and Practical, page 9.

The purpose of the service configuration management practice is to ensure that accurate and reliable information about the configuration of IT assets, and the relationships that support them, is available when and where it is needed1. IT assets are any financially valuable components that can contribute to the delivery of an IT product or service2. Configuration items are any component that needs to be managed in order to deliver an IT service3. References: ITIL Foundation - ITIL 4 Edition, page 15; ITIL® 4 – A Pocket Guide, page 36; ITIL® 4 Practice Guide: Service Configuration Management, page 7.

The purpose of the supplier management practice is to ensure that the organization’s suppliers and their performances are managed appropriately to support the seamless provision of quality products and services1. This practice involves creating closer, more collaborative relationships with key suppliers to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and innovation2. References: ITIL Foundation - ITIL 4 Edition, page 16; ITIL® 4 – A Pocket Guide, page 38.

In ITIL 4, the continual improvement practice is focused on aligning the organization’s services, practices, and all elements of the service value system with changing business needs by identifying and making improvements on an ongoing basis.

ITIL 4 explicitly mentions that, to support continual improvement, organizations can use and build competencies in a variety of methods and techniques, such as:

SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats)

Balanced scorecard

Lean, Six Sigma, and other improvement and measurement tools

The guidance explains that such techniques help organizations to evaluate current performance, identify improvement opportunities, and measure progress. This is directly linked to the continual improvement practice.

Why the other options are not correct:

A. Incident managementFocuses on managing incidents and restoring service quickly. While it may use some analysis tools, it is not the practice that explicitly promotes SWOT or balanced scorecards as general organizational competencies.

C. Service request managementManages user requests for services (like access, information, or standard changes). Its focus is on handling requests efficiently, not on strategic improvement techniques.

D. Change enablementEnsures that changes are properly assessed and authorized. It may use risk and impact assessment methods, but the explicit recommendation to develop skills in SWOT and balanced scorecard belongs to continual improvement.

Therefore, B. Continual improvement is the correct option.

References (ITIL 4 Foundation):

ITIL® Foundation: ITIL 4 Edition – Continual improvement practice (purpose, key activities, and methods)

ITIL® Foundation: ITIL 4 Edition – Mention of SWOT analysis, balanced scorecard, and other improvement techniques as supporting tools for continual improvement

In ITIL 4, the continual improvement practice focuses on:

Aligning services and practices with changing business needs

Identifying and prioritizing improvement opportunities

Using appropriate methods and tools to assess and plan improvements

ITIL 4 explicitly notes that organizations should develop skills in assessment and improvement techniques, such as SWOT analysis and balanced scorecard reviews, to support continual improvement. These methods help assess the current state, opportunities, risks, and performance from multiple perspectives, and they feed into the continual improvement model.

Why the others are incorrect:

Incident management concentrates on restoring service after incidents; it does not specifically emphasize methodologies like SWOT or balanced scorecard.

Service request management deals with handling user requests efficiently and effectively, not with improvement analysis techniques.

Change enablement is about controlling and enabling beneficial changes; while it may use some analysis, it is not the practice highlighted for competencies in SWOT and balanced scorecard.

Therefore, the practice that encourages organizations to develop competencies in techniques such as SWOT analysis and balanced scorecard review is continual improvement, making B the correct answer.

In ITIL, there are six activities in the service value chain which represent the steps an organization takes in the creation of value:

Plan

Engage

Design and Transition

Obtain/Build

Deliver and Support

Improve

https://www.bmc.com/blogs/itil-service-value-chain/