ITIL4-DPI ITIL 4 Strategist: Direct, Plan and Improve (DPI) Questions and Answers

Thecontinual improvement modelis applied to evaluate, prioritize, and implement improvements acrossservices, practices, and processes. Here, the focus is thecloud storage service, not just the practice of problem management. Option B reflects the model’s purpose—identify improvement opportunities, assess priorities, and act to prevent recurrence of failures. Options A, C, and D misapply the model to either specific practices or operational recovery, not holistic improvement.

(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "Applying the continual improvement model to services and practices")

DPI’s OCM guidance emphasizesengaging stakeholders earlyand ensuring communication methods aretailored to their needs. By first discussing preferred communication methods with the remote support team (B), the organization ensures their active involvement and reduces the risk of disengagement. Option A is one-way communication. Option C is irrelevant (they don’t make financial decisions). Option D assumes one-size-fits-all, which contradicts DPI’s principle ofstakeholder-specific communication.

(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "OCM – stakeholder engagement and communication planning")

In DPI, sustainable continual improvement requires embedding it into theorganization’s governance structures. Governance ensures accountability, decision-making, and cultural reinforcement that prevents improvements from being short-lived. Option A is part of the continual improvement model but does not ensure sustainability. Option B helps with funding, not culture. Option D is useful for visualization but not long-term adoption. Onlystrong governanceembeds continual improvement as anongoing culture.

(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "Governance and continual improvement culture")

DPI stresses that KPIs should directly measureprogress toward the defined success factor. Here, the success factor isimproved user satisfaction with the service desk. Increasing the number of calls resolvedwithout escalation(Option B) directly contributes to satisfaction: faster resolutions, fewer transfers, and better customer experience. Options A and C measure efficiency but not directly user satisfaction. Option D worsens satisfaction by increasing wait times.

(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "Defining and measuring critical success factors and KPIs")

In DPI,scope of controlrefers to theauthority and influence a manager has over people and activities. It defines how far their decision-making power extends—essential for ensuring clarity in governance and accountability. It is not about risks owned (B), reporting relationships (D), or specific improvement content (A).

(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "Governance structures – scope of control vs. span of control")

In DPI,value stream mappingidentifies bottlenecks, redundancies, and delays. Eliminating repeated activities to save time is an example ofworkflow optimization(Option C). This reflects Lean principles embedded in DPI — improving flow, reducing waste, and enhancing efficiency. Cascading goals (A), effective practices (B), and objectives for assessments (D) are unrelated to workflow waste elimination.

(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "Value stream mapping – optimizing workflow and eliminating waste")

In DPI,alignment is achieved through cascading objectives: breaking down high-level organizational goals into increasingly detailed objectives at each layer of the organization. This ensures thatevery division, team, and activity is aligned to the overall strategic vision. Compliance controls (A) only enforce uniformity, not alignment. Risk prioritization (B) is important but narrower in scope. Collecting feedback (D) helps communication but does not ensure systematic alignment.

(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "Cascading objectives and alignment of organizational layers")

Thecontinual improvement modelin ITIL DPI explicitly requires reviewing data and performance outcomes to determine what is successful and what requires adjustment. This is the essence ofimprovement—using measurement and feedback to guide future action. Direction (A) and vision (D) are long-term guiding elements, while planning (B) organizes work. Onlyimprovementis about data-driven reflection and adaptation.

(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "Continual improvement model – steps to evaluate and adapt")

In ITIL 4 DPI,policiesare the high-level expectations, rules, or guidelines that are defined by the organization’sgoverning body. They establish the framework for decision-making and behaviour.Controls, on the other hand, are management mechanisms used to enforce policies and ensure compliance. Thus, policies come fromgovernance, while controls are implemented bymanagementto enforce those policies.

(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "Policies, controls, and guidelines – governance vs. management responsibilities")