ITIL Updated ITIL-4-Foundation Exam Questions and Answers by hayley

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.

The service request management practice supports the agreed quality of a service by handling all pre-defined, user-initiated service requests in an effective and user-friendly manner1. A service request is a request from a user or a user’s authorized representative that initiates a service action that has been agreed as a normal part of service delivery2. A user wanting to know how to create a report is an example of a service request that can be handled by the service request management practice3. The other statements are not true because:

Incident management: The incident management practice restores normal service operation as quickly as possible after an interruption or reduction in quality of an IT service1. A user wanting to know how to create a report is not an incident, as it does not affect the availability or performance of a service2.

Service level management: The service level management practice sets clear business-based targets for service performance, so that the delivery of a service can be properly assessed, monitored, and managed against these targets1. This practice does not directly handle user requests, but it may define the service level agreements (SLAs) and service level objectives (SLOs) that apply to them2.

Change enablement: The change enablement practice maximizes the number of successful service and product changes by ensuring that risks have been properly assessed, authorized, and managed within a schedule1. A change is the addition, modification, or removal of anything that could have a direct or indirect effect on IT services2. A user wanting to know how to create a report is not a change, as it does not alter the configuration or functionality of a service component2. References: ITIL Foundation - ITIL 4 Edition, page 16; ITIL® 4 – A Pocket Guide, page 37; ITIL® 4 Practice Guide: Service Request Management, page 7.

An outcome is a result for a stakeholder enabled by one or more outputs1. Outputs are tangible or intangible deliverables of an activity1. For example, a service provider may produce a report (output) that helps a customer make a decision (outcome)2. References: ITIL Foundation - ITIL 4 Edition, page 3; ITIL® 4 – A Pocket Guide, page 13.

In order to be aligned to customer outcomes and expectations, SLM requires focus and effort to engage and listen to the requirements, issues, concerns, and daily needs of customers:

Engagement is needed to understand and confirm the actual ongoing needs and requirements of customers, not simply what is interpreted by the service provider or has been agreed several years before. ITIL4 refers to value as being co-created, since it needs the input and validation of customers.

Listening is important as a relationship-building and trust-building activity, to show customers that they are valued and understood. This helps to move the provider away from always being in ‘solution mode’ and to build new, more constructive partnerships. Each customer is unique, and the service provider must not have a one-size-fits-all approach.

The activities of engaging and listening provide a great opportunity to build improved relationships and to focus on what really needs to be delivered. They also give service delivery staff an experience-based understanding of the day-to-day work that is done with their technology, enabling them to deliver a more business-focused service. When the customer is engaged and listened to, they feel valued and their perception of the service and service management activities improves.

https://www.bmc.com/blogs/itil-service-level-management/