Osa2 Sample Exam

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ITIL® Intermediate Capability Stream: OPERATIONAL SUPPORT AND ANALYSIS (OSA) CERTIFICATE Sample Paper 1, version 5.1

Gradient Style, Complex Multiple Choice SCENARIO BOOKLET This booklet contains the scenarios upon which the 8 examination questions will be based. All questions are contained within the Question Booklet and each question will clearly state the scenario to which the question relates. In order to answer each of the 8 questions, you will need to read the related scenario carefully. On the basis of the information provided in the scenario, you will be required to select which of the four answer options provided (A, B, C or D) you believe to be the optimum answer. You may choose ONE answer only, and the Gradient Scoring system works as follows:

• If you select the CORRECT answer, you will be awarded 5 marks for the question • If you select the SECOND BEST answer, you will be awarded 3 marks for the question • If you select the THIRD BEST answer, you will be awarded 1 mark for the question • If you select the DISTRACTER (the incorrect answer), you will receive no marks for the

question In order to pass this examination, you must achieve a total of 28 marks or more out of a maximum of 40 marks (70%).

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Scenario One A large travel agency has several locations delivering travel services which include flights, accommodation, and special package deals. In addition to visiting the agency branch locations, customers can book travel online or by telephone. Both branch and call centre staff rely on IT services for booking flights and accommodation, and printing tickets, itineraries and invoices. The head office deals with corporate and administrative activities. A year ago, in an attempt to improve IT services, the IT department introduced ITIL service management processes and practices. Most of the service management processes have been in place for six months and there have been some perceived improvements in the level of service. During the last two months, however, some complaints have been received regarding poor levels of service from the service desk. These include telephone calls not being answered quickly enough and service desk agents taking too long to provide first-line support. The number of complaints seems to increase whenever a new release of the main booking system, TravelBook, is deployed. A major release of TravelBook is planned for next month. The service desk manager is working with the release and deployment manager to improve the support from the service desk during this deployment. In order to plan this support, the release and deployment manager has suggested that the service desk manager review reports of the relevant metrics used by the service desk.




Scenario Two

In an effort to reduce costs and avoid having to expand its corporate headquarters, a large company has made the decision to launch a telecommuting programme. Participants in this programme will work at home using corporate laptops and will access corporate systems via the Internet. Participants will commute to the corporate headquarters no more than once a month and will utilize designated work areas which will be reserved in advance, much like a hotel room. An initial pilot of the programme is in the planning stage and will involve 100 senior employees. No more than five employees per department may participate in the programme and participants must have at least five years of service with the company. It is expected that, in time, the programme will be expanded considerably and may grow to include thousands of employees. The corporate headquarters comprises three large buildings. Open work areas are available in each of these buildings. Optimally, telecommuters will reserve a work area in the building where the telecommuter’s supervisor and team members reside. At times, however, telecommuters may have to walk from one building to another to attend meetings, participate in training classes, and other activities. Telecommuters will scan their corporate badge to gain access to the buildings. They will proceed to the reserved cubicle and “check-in” using an online reservation system called “TOffice.” You represent the service desk and are participating on a team that is determining what changes must be made to the access management process to accommodate this new programme. The access management process is working well and is based on ITIL best practices. The organization adopted ITIL more than ten years ago and its IT service management practices are, in general, quite mature. The team working on this project includes representatives from human resources, information security management, and all of the service operation functions. Following a revision of the new information security policy and an initial brainstorming session, the team is preparing to present a recommendation to management.




Scenario Three During a weekly staff meeting, members of the service desk mention that they have recently noticed an increase in the number of incidents affecting laptops used by the sales team. The sales team has an expensive marketing campaign underway and complaints have found their way to senior management. You are the problem manager and have been asked to join the meeting. You ask the analysts to participate in a quick brainstorming session so that you can better understand the problem. The analysts agree that the problem seems to be hardware-related as the incidents include hard drive and memory failures, and broken fans. The analysts also notice that, in some cases, the PCs are repaired only to fail again. The analysts speculate that the hard drive and memory failures are the most frequently recurring issues. You agree to raise a problem record and leave the meeting to begin assembling a problem-solving group to investigate and diagnose the root cause.




Scenario Four

A service desk manager has advised the operations support management team that a feasibility study on replacing the current service desk software is being conducted. The aim is to replace the current software with a newer, more sophisticated tool. The service desk manager is looking to establish the team’s requirements and is asking for your input. The service desk operates on weekdays from 08:00 through to 18:00, although the actual business hours of the administration centre are 09:00 to 17:00 Monday to Friday. When the service desk is closed, the service desk telephones divert to the data centre operations staff. You are the data centre manager and your team actively monitors the entire infrastructure, batch scheduling, tape handling requirements, storage capacity and availability levels. You have some software tools in place but all of the systems are fragmented and there is no centralized database holding this information to enable trends to be established against the patterns of business activity.




Scenario Five A successful company has grown through a series of acquisitions and now consists of several business units worldwide, each with its own IT organization. The company has made the decision to consolidate its IT organizations into a single, shared services unit and adopt ITIL best practices. Each IT organization handles incidents and service requests through a series of loosely defined procedures. Change management procedures are enforced only for significant changes and existing service management tools range from simple, in-house-developed databases to, in the case of one IT organization, a commercially-developed incident tracking system. Most of the organizations have some form of configuration management database (CMDB) and a shared knowledgebase, and both are working well within some of the IT organizations. A decision has been made to eliminate all in-house-developed systems. The team using the commercially-developed system believes its tool will work enterprise-wide if it is upgraded to the current release and customized with some additional capacity. Management has made it clear that whichever tool is selected, it must enable:

• Process integration and automation capabilities • Implementation of a configuration management system (CMS) • Self-help for users.

Several managers have seen other commercial tools that will also meet the organization’s needs. As there is a long holiday weekend in two month's time, there is growing pressure to make a decision quickly and use the forthcoming holiday weekend to deploy the new system. You have been asked to lead the IT service management programme. During a staff meeting with service operation managers, you are asked to recommend the best way to proceed with selecting a service management tool.




Scenario Six

IT services offered by an organization’s IT department are designed, developed and operated internally by a team of IT professionals with various skill sets and skill levels. Some specialized services were designed by external vendors that still provide second and third-level support. The IT department is currently organized into application and technical management silos, with little interaction between teams. A recent baseline assessment uncovered the following issues:

• New systems are being commissioned but without adequate training to support either personnel or users

• Some senior technical staff are performing entry level tasks while expensive contractors, who lack the business knowledge, are hired to work on the design of technical architecture and performance standards for new services, or to perform applications-sizing and modelling activities

• Application error codes are not always traceable to the correct errors and some application error messages are not clearly worded

• System and user documentation are out of date • Ineffective performance and availability reporting due to inaccurate data • There is confusion within IT regarding who is responsible for managing the technical vendors.

A recent customer satisfaction survey highlighted similar training errors and documentation-related issues. As a result of the assessment, management decided that an improvement programme needs to be launched to streamline its IT operations, reduce costs and improve its IT resource utilization.




Scenario Seven

Four years ago, a new chief executive officer (CEO) joined a company with the goal of continuing and improving its reputation and financial achievement. The CEO realizes that a resilient, integrated IT infrastructure is required to support IT services and enable the business processes of performing customer orders, supply chain management, product manufacturing and delivery. The IT manager has convinced the CEO of the need to use ITIL as a means of continually improving the quality of IT services. The IT manager has successfully implemented incident, problem, change and availability management. The IT manager now wants to introduce a request fulfilment process and has listed the following as objectives to be met:

• To provide a channel for users to request and receive standard services for which a pre-defined authorization and qualification process exists

• To provide information to users and customers about the availability of services and the procedure for obtaining access to them

• To source and deliver the components of requested standard services • To assist with general information, complaints and comments.




Scenario Eight

A computer games retailer has had a very aggressive business growth pattern. This growth has been achieved by opening many new outlets and, most significantly, by purchasing three other companies in the computer games market. It has also expanded its head office premises where a number of administrative and support services will be centralized. The IT systems that the original company used were basic and were not managed or supported by clearly defined processes. The three new companies are similar, although one specializes in internet sales which have now become a significant part of overall business revenue. The IT director (an employee for many years) has decided that the quality of IT service delivery is essential in ensuring IT services support the business’s ambitious plans for further growth. The internet sales company has some expertise in ITIL and the IT director is now convinced that ITIL is a trusted framework which will enable the company to achieve its goals. An external assessment has concluded that the current incident management process is lacking maturity and that a good starting point would be to review the service desk function and ensure commonality across the organization.


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Gradient Style, Complex Multiple Choice QUESTION BOOKLET Gradient Style Multiple Choice 90 minute paper 8 questions, Closed Book Instructions

1. All 8 questions should be attempted. 2. You should refer to the accompanying Scenario Booklet to answer each question. 3. All answers are to be marked on the answer grid provided. 4. You have 90 minutes to complete this paper. 5. You must achieve 28 or more out of a possible 40 marks (70%) to pass this examination.

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Question One Refer to Scenario One Which one of the following sets of metrics can BEST be used to determine the cause of poor support levels and plan improvements? A. Metric Description of usage • Percentage of changes responded to within

the target time. To identify which requests take the longest to handle, particularly TravelBook.

• Incident first-line support fix rate per IT service.

To identify whether service desk agents have appropriate technical knowledge.

• Breakdown of telephone calls by travel type, e.g. flight, accommodation, package.

To identify which systems cause the most problems.

• Number of voicemail messages received. To identify if user training is required for voicemail usage.

B. Metric Description of usage • Volume of telephone calls per IT service, per

hour of the day, by day. To identify patterns in call volume, staff numbers and shift patterns.

• Average duration of telephone calls broken down by IT service and service desk agent.

To indicate time spent on each call, possibly indicating weak areas.

• Number of incidents logged by IT service, type and by user department.

To identify trends by incident type and source of call to establish issues with TravelBook.

• Incident first-line support fix rate per IT service.

To identify whether service desk agents have appropriate technical knowledge and information.

C. Metric Description of usage • Number of telephone calls to the service

desk. To indicate if target number of calls is achieved.

• Number of incidents closed. To indicate trends in call closure. • Number of changes raised. To identify which requests take longest to handle. • Number of telephone calls not answered. This may indicate errors in the telephone system.

D. Metric Description of usage • Percentage of telephone calls answered

within target time. This may indicate staff or shift pattern problems.

• Percentage of changes responded to within target time.

To identify which requests take longest to handle, particularly TravelBook

• Number of TravelBook calls as a percentage of all calls by day.

To identify increases in TravelBook calls during deployment.

• Number of telephone calls received within service desk hours compared with calls received outside service desk hours.

To identify if service desk hours are well-known, or if longer support hours are required.




Question Two Refer to Scenario Two Which one of the following options is the BEST set of access management-related activities that must be undertaken to accommodate the telecommuter programme? A. • Create a service request model for use in authorizing or revoking telecommuter status

• Identify managers authorized to grant telecommuter access requests • Identify any potential role conflicts and determine how they will be resolved • Establish access monitoring and control to ensure rights are being properly used • Work with incident management to resolve incidents caused by incorrect telecommuter access

settings

B. • Update the information security policy to include programme rules and regulations • Add the telecommuter programme to the service catalogue and create service level agreements • Create a user profile for each employee participating in the telecommuter pilot • Use a request for change to grant pilot participants access to the TOffice application • Ensure building security is notified immediately when a telecommuter’s employment is

terminated

C. • Create a service request model for use in authorizing or revoking telecommuter status • Create a telecommuter group and reflect associated rights in the directory of services • Establish access monitoring and control to ensure rights are being properly used • Measure telecommuter access requests, instances of access granted, and related incidents • Work with incident management to resolve incidents caused by incorrect telecommuter access

settings

D. • Create a service request model for use in authorizing or revoking telecommuter status • Identify any potential role conflicts and determine how they will be resolved • Use a request for change to grant pilot participants access to the TOffice application • Use the directory of services to grant and manage TOffice access and rights • Revoke access immediately when a telecommuter’s employment is terminated




Question Three Refer to Scenario Three Which one of the following options BEST reflects how ITIL best practices and problem management can be used to resolve this problem? A. Log the problem and record the results of the brainstorming session in the description field.

Categorize the problem using the problem management coding system. Work with the desktop support team to recreate the problem in the lab and establish all possible causes. Verify that only the hard drive and memory failures recur, and conduct tests to determine whether the fan is the most probable cause. Use the configuration management system (CMS) to identify all affected PCs and initiate a project to proactively replace the fans. Raise a known error record with step-by-step procedures on how to replace the fan.

B. Log the problem and cross-reference it to related incidents. Record all available details including the

results of the brainstorming session. Categorize the problem in the same way as the incidents. Raise a known error record for information purposes. Use the CMS to understand fully how extensive the problem is and assign an appropriate priority. Engage the desktop support team and proceed to define and describe the problem, establish all possible causes, and begin testing the most probable cause.

C. Record and publish the minutes of your meeting with the service desk team. As senior management

is involved, log a known error and, in it, direct the service desk to assign all desktop incidents a high priority. Meet with the desktop support team and use a Pareto chart to determine the most likely cause of the PC failures. Target the most likely cause first, formulate a plan aimed at proactively repairing the sales team’s laptops, and record that plan in the known error database.

D. Log and categorize the problem and cross-reference it to all related incidents. Assign a high priority to

it. Raise a known error record that provides a diagnostic script for handling similar incidents. Work with the desktop support group to define and describe the problem, including its identity, location, time and scope. Use incident data to determine the specific model of PC which is failing and the cause of those failures. Install that same model in the lab so the failure can be recreated without affecting users, and begin testing the most probable cause.




Question Four Refer to Scenario Four As the data centre manager, which one of the following options BEST describes your requirements of the service desk software? A. The service desk provides coverage for full business hours, so there are no specific data centre

requirements for the service desk tool capability. The only general ongoing requirement linked to the service desk is the requirement to ensure that the tool permits the reporting and management of any infrastructure incidents, as does the current tool today.

B. The service desk provides coverage for full business hours, so there are no specific data centre

requirements for the service desk tool capability. Although it would be good to have an automated link to the new software, it is not essential. The only requirement is to ensure that the tool permits the reporting and management of any infrastructure incidents, as does the current tool today.

C. The data centre’s main requirement from the service desk software is to be able to automate event

management, since often it will relate to ongoing incident management which the data centre is also accountable for. Furthermore, as the data centre team takes the service desk calls after hours, it will need to be able to support the same requirements as the service desk.

D. The data centre’s main requirement from the service desk software is to be able to automate the

operational processes and infrastructure management functions, enabling much-needed reductions in personnel numbers to be made. Since data centre staff provide the service desk after-hours, these savings could be made by offering personnel the chance to remain as second line support, thereby keeping valuable years of experience.




Question Five Refer to Scenario Five Which one of the following approaches is BEST for implementing a new tool that addresses the needs of this organization? A. • To gain buy-in, examine the existing commercially-developed system and determine if it can

support existing procedures enterprise-wide. Decide to either continue using it or prove that it fails to satisfy the requirements of the new shared services unit

• Determine how many additional dedicated licences would be needed to use the existing system and produce a budget for their procurement. Compare that with the cost of acquiring a new system

• Launch an awareness campaign and encourage senior management to show visible support for a common system

• Raise a request for change (RFC) and assess the impact of deploying a common system enterprise wide

B. • Raise an RFC for the change and ensure all stakeholders are involved in assessing its impact

and in scheduling the change • Examine existing procedures and update as needed to reflect ITIL best practices • Create a statement of requirements for an integrated ITSM tool that enables the centralization of

key processes and interfaces with other tools (for example, the existing knowledgebase) • Select the solution, determine how many dedicated licences will be needed to deploy the new

system enterprise-wide, and produce a budget for their procurement

C. • Establish a project. Raise an RFC for the new system and begin promoting awareness of the project

• Use ITIL guidance to examine and formalize each process that the toolset will support and establish a common way of working across all organizations

• Create a statement of requirements for an integrated ITSM toolset that enables the centralization of key processes and interfaces with other tools (for example, the existing knowledgebase)

• Select the solution and create a licensing structure for the new system. Secure funding for its procurement, upgrade, deployment and ongoing maintenance

D. • Raise an RFC and schedule the change for the forthcoming holiday weekend

• Create a statement of requirements for an integrated ITSM toolset which reflects all of the mandatory requirements that the tool must satisfy along with the number of dedicated licences required

• Conduct a capacity check to ensure existing laptops, desktops and the network can handle the new system. Raise additional RFCs as needed

• Ask senior management to communicate the importance of the new system and encourage its use




Question Six Refer to Scenario Six You are an ITIL Expert hired to help with the improvement effort. Based on the issues identified in the scenario which one of the following recommendations BEST addresses the improvement needs at this point in time? A. • Ensure that technical and application management staff are responsible for maintaining system

documentation • Document escalation paths to ensure that failures detected by technical or application

management functions are escalated to IT operations in a timely manner for resolution • Ensure that application management resources are involved in the design and correction of

application-related error messages

B. • Ensure that IT operations resources are actively involved in the definition of problem classification and coding and in the validation and maintenance of the known error database (KEDB)

• Ensure that IT operations is accountable for flaws in the design and testing of new IT services • Ensure that IT operations monitors and manages specialized external vendors

C. • Restructure the IT organization’s technical resources based on their skill set in IT operations in order to optimize resource utilization

• Ensure that technical and application management are involved in the design and support of IT services

• Ensure that the technical and applications management functions design and deliver documentation and user training in a timely manner

D. • Ensure that technical and application management staff are responsible for maintaining system

documentation • Ensure that technical management resources are actively involved in the definition of problem

classification, coding, and in the validation and maintenance of the KEDB • Ensure that IT operations delivers user training in a timely manner




Question Seven Refer to Scenario Seven Which one of the following request examples BEST fits the objectives for a new request fulfilment process? A.

# Request Request Initiator / Authorizer

001 Need new keyboard. User has malfunctioning CAPS and NUM lock keys. User

002 Question: Will there be any service downtime over the weekend? User

003 Where do I find process documentation? Manager

004 Give user access permissions to the human resources (HR) time tracking application. User

B.



002 Communication for service downtime over the weekend. Manager

003 Server reboot tonight at 19:00. Operations

004 Give user access permissions to the HR time tracking application. User

C.



002 Close updated antivirus record. Manager 003 Server reboot. Operations Manager

004 Give user access permissions to the HR time tracking application. Manager

D.


001 Need a new toner cartridge for the shared office printer. User

002 Question: Will there be any service downtime over the weekend? User

003 Where do I find process documentation? Manager

004 Give user access permissions to the HR time tracking application. Manager




Question Eight Refer to Scenario Eight Which one of the following sequences of activities BEST describes what this organization can accomplish in the next four months in support of the business goals? A. • Centralize the service desk in the head office and train staff

• Implement a new service desk tool enabling incidents to be appropriately recorded • Define the incident management process. Although the emphasis is on the incident management process, it is essential that request fulfilment, problem management, event management and change management are fully implemented at the same time, as they all have significant interfaces into incident management.

B. • Centralize the service desk in the head office • Assess the incident management processes • Define a new incident management process based on ITIL. Once the process has been agreed, documented and approved, a tool can be implemented and the staff trained to use the product. Integration with event management, request fulfilment, service level management and problem management can then be implemented so that the interfaces can be fully utilized.

C. • Implement a central service desk in the head office with local service desks at three other locations, all utilizing the same tool

• Share information between the service desks via an integrated configuration management system (CMS)

• Define the incident management process. Once the process has been documented and approved, a tool can be implemented in all locations and staff and customers trained to use the product, as logging of incidents will be possible via the internet. It is intended that the service desk tool and staff will be used for several other processes so this should be planned for, even if everything is not implemented immediately. Processes such as event management, request fulfilment, service level management and problem management will be integrated into the tool.

D. • Centralize the service desk in the head office • Assess the incident management processes • Revise the process based on ITIL and existing processes, tailoring it to fit the four separate

elements of the business. Once the process has been agreed, documented and approved, a tool can be implemented and the staff and customers trained to use the product, as logging of incidents will be possible via the internet. It is intended that the service desk tool and staff will be used for other processes so this should be planned for, even if everything is not implemented immediately. Integration with all other ITIL processes can then be implemented so that all the interfaces can be fully utilized.


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Gradient Style, Complex Multiple Choice

ANSWERS AND RATIONALES

© OGC’s Official Accreditor: - The APM Group Limited 2011 ITIL Intermediate Capability OSASample1 ANSWERSandRATIONALES v5.1.docx



Answer Key:

Scenario Question Correct:

5 Marks 2nd Best:3 Marks

3rd Best: 1 Mark

Distracter: 0 Marks

One 1 B D C A

Two 2 C A D B

Three 3 B A D C

Four 4 C D B A

Five 5 C B A D

Six 6 C A D B

Seven 7 D A C B

Eight 8 D C B A




QUESTION One Scenario One

Question Rationale

This question focuses on the different service desk metrics that may be used to measure its effectiveness.

MOST CORRECT (5) B These are all well-described objective metrics with plausible rationales. They allow the service desk manager to extract the right information to address the complaints of fix time, fix rates and unanswered calls to the service desk.

SECOND BEST (3) D This answer option is missing some obvious metrics which link in with the current complaints, and those that are accurate are not well-described. Also time to respond to changes is not something over which the service desk has control.

THIRD BEST (1) C The metrics are in the right area but are very subjective, that is they are not broken down in a way that allows information to be extracted. Also the rationales are vague and in some cases wrong.

DISTRACTER (0) A Most of these metrics indicate nothing of use to the service desk manager in identifying poor support levels.

Syllabus Unit / Module supported

ITIL SC: OSA07 - Service desk

Blooms Taxonomy Testing Level

Level 3 Applying – Use ideas, principles and theories in new, particular and concrete situations. Behavioural tasks at this level involve both knowing and comprehension and might include choosing appropriate procedures, applying principles, using an approach or identifying the selection of options. Application – The candidate must apply their knowledge of service desk metrics to determine which of them can identify the issues described in the scenario.

Subjects covered • Service desk metrics that can be used to measure its effectiveness and efficiency.

Book Section Refs SO 6.3.5 – Measuring service desk performance Difficulty Moderate




QUESTION Two Scenario Two

Question Rationale

This question assesses the candidate’s understanding of access management activities, concepts and interfaces.

MOST CORRECT (5) C This answer best describes activities that must be undertaken to accommodate the telecommuter programme. Note that a new information security policy is referred to in the scenario and so it is not necessary to refer to it again here. Note also that access management is working well and so there is no need to design or redesign the process. This question looks simply at how to introduce a new service. • Creating a service request model is an appropriate trigger given the

maturity of this organization • As all telecommuters will be granted the same set of access and rights,

adding a group is an effective way to grant and manage these privileges • Monitoring and control mechanisms and measures are both extremely

important • Working with incident management to resolve incidents caused by

incorrect telecommuter access settings ensures those incidents are being tracked and resolved as quickly as possible.

SECOND BEST (3) A This answer is good and each bullet is technically correct. It is not the BEST answer as it does NOT refer to: • Creating a telecommuter group • Using the directory of services to grant and manage access to that group • Producing measures

THIRD BEST (1) D This answer has some merit, however it is missing many important considerations. For example, it does NOT refer to: • Creating a telecommuter group (bullet 4) and granting access to all of the

applications and services telecommuters will need in addition to TOffice. For example, they may need to be granted the right to dial in or use virtual private network (VPN) connections

• Producing measures • Working with incident management to resolve incidents caused by

incorrect telecommuter access settings. Bullet 3 - While it is appropriate to use a request for change as a trigger, particularly for large-scale service introductions, it is unlikely that TOffice is the only application or service telecommuters will need to access. Bullet 5 – While revoking access when a telecommuter’s employment is terminated is important, it is likely, given the maturity of this organization, that all access to any and all services is revoked immediately. There are also other conditions that may warrant revocation of telecommuter status (transfers, promotions, retirement) and so this answer is too specific.

DISTRACTER (0) B This answer is wrong. • Bullet 1 - The scenario indicates the information security policy has been

updated. Furthermore, this activity would not be the responsibility of access management

• Bullet 2 – Access management grants access to services in the service catalogue and so it would already have been updated and SLAs would already be in place. Furthermore, these activities would not be the responsibility of access management

• Bullet 3 - As only existing employees can participate in the programme, a user profile is not needed. Employees would only need to be granted access to the applications and services required by the telecommuter programme

• Bullet 4 - While it is appropriate to use a request for change as a trigger, particularly for large-scale service introductions, it is unlikely that TOffice is the only application or service telecommuters will need to access




• Bullet 5 – This answer recommends only notifying building security and so really has no value. Furthermore, given the maturity of this organization, it is likely that access to any and all services (including building access) is revoked immediately upon termination.


ITIL SC: OSA06 – Access management


Level 3 Applying – Use ideas, principles and theories in new, particular and concrete situations. Behavioural tasks at this level involve both knowing and comprehension and might include choosing appropriate procedures, applying principles, using an approach or identifying the selection of options. Application – The candidate must apply their knowledge of the access management process and in particular the triggers and activities which will create the desired outcome to address the new telecommuter programme.

Subjects covered

Categories Covered: • Access management, triggers, activities

Book Section Refs SO 4.5.5.6 - Service operation processes – Access management – Process activities, methods and techniques – Remove or restrict rights SO 4.5.6 - Service operation processes – Access management – Triggers, Input outputs and interfaces SO 4.5.7.2 - Service operation processes – Access management – Information management – Users, groups, roles and service groups SO 4.5.8 - Service operation processes – Access management – Critical success factors and key performance indicators.

Difficulty Moderate




QUESTION Three Scenario Three

Question Rationale

This question focuses on problem management activities, methods and techniques. It contains a subtle reference to problem management’s relationship with incident and service asset and configuration management (SACM).

MOST CORRECT (5) B This answer correctly reflects problem management best practices including logging the problem, linking it to related incidents and recording the results of the brainstorming session. The best practice of categorizing the problem in the same way as incidents is described, along with using the CMS to determine the impact of the problem and assist in diagnosing it. The reference to assigning an “appropriate” priority is fine, as the fact that senior management is hearing about complaints does not necessarily warrant the immediate assignment of a high priority. The reference to raising a known error record for information purposes is appropriate guidance and the Kepner and Tregoe stages are accurately described.

SECOND BEST (3) A This answer has some merit but incorrectly references using “the problem management coding system.” Best practice states that “problems must be categorized in the same way as incidents.” Prioritizing the problem is not referenced and this answer also fails to reference the first two Kepner and Tregoe stages (define and describe the problem). The references to using the CMS and raising a known error record are both appropriate.

THIRD BEST (1) D This answer is good but the scenario does not provide sufficient information to warrant a high priority. The answer does not mention recording the results of the brainstorming session, nor does it mention using the CMS to determine the impact of the problem and assist in diagnosing it. The reference to raising a known error record that provides a diagnostic script is appropriate guidance and the Kepner and Tregoe stages are accurately described.

DISTRACTER (0) C This answer is wrong. It does not mention logging, categorizing or prioritizing the problem. The scenario does not provide sufficient information to warrant the guidance regarding assigning a high priority to incidents. Other omissions include recording the results of the brainstorming session, using the CMS and the Kepner and Tregoe stages.


ITIL SC: OSA05 – Problem management


Level 3 Applying – Use ideas, principles and theories in new, particular and concrete situations. Behavioural tasks at this level involve both knowing and comprehension and might include choosing appropriate procedures, applying principles, using an approach or identifying the selection of options. Application – The candidate must apply their knowledge of the problem management process flow and activities and identify how this can be best used to resolve the issues described in the scenario.

Subjects covered • Problem management Book Section Refs SO 4.4.5.1 - Service operation processes – Problem management – Process

activities, methods and techniques – Problem detection SO 4.4.5.2 - Service operation processes – Problem management – Process activities, methods and techniques – Problem logging SO 4.4.5.3 - Service operation processes – Problem management – Process activities, methods and techniques – Problem categorization SO 4.4.5.4 - Service operation processes – Problem management – Process activities, methods and techniques – Problem prioritization SO 4.4.5.5 - Service operation processes – Problem management – Process activities, methods and techniques – Problem investigation and diagnosis SO 4.4.5.7 - Service operation processes – Problem management – Process activities, methods and techniques - Raising a known error record

Difficulty Moderate




QUESTION Four Scenario Four

Question Rationale

To be able to understand the importance of event management and to recognize that, although service operations processes will not always be performed by the service desk, the requirements of the process are the same regardless of who is performing the function.

MOST CORRECT (5) C You have recognized that event management is a significant requirement of the data centre operations team and that normal operation events need to be monitored and recorded, as well as exception conditions. Furthermore, you have recognized that the operations team are undertaking the service desk function out of hours, and therefore need to be able to provide the same process responsibilities as the service desk in order to ensure that all business services are maintained.

SECOND BEST (3) D You have recognized that the monitoring tools already in place are valuable and that the functionality needs to continue, to be improved and even replaced if possible. However, you have not looked at all the services that the operations team provide in terms of a pseudo-service desk but have concentrated on cost savings, which may not prove beneficial to the business.

THIRD BEST (1) B You have recognized that the monitoring tools already in place are valuable and that the functionality needs to remain, but you have only looked at the possibility of integrating what is already there rather than replacing or enhancing the functionality as a requirement.

DISTRACTER (0) A It is not appropriate to dismiss the benefits the tool may be able to offer to the operations team, particularly as the operations team provide out-of-hours service desk support. It is also stated that the operations team have some event management tools in place and therefore these requirements should be considered.


ITIL SC: OSA02 - Event management


Level 3 Applying – Use ideas, principles and theories in new, particular and concrete situations. Behavioural tasks at this level involve both knowing and comprehension and might include choosing appropriate procedures, applying principles, using an approach or identifying the selection of options. Level 4 Analysis - The ability to use the practices and concepts in a situation or unprompted use of an abstraction. Can apply what is learned in the classroom in workplace situations. Can separate concepts into component parts to understand structure and can distinguish between facts and inferences. Application – The candidate must apply their knowledge of event management, the service desk function, and the role of the data centre in operational support. The candidate must then distinguish between the specific and general requirements to also use the service desk tool after hours, and the linkage to the software for incident management which the data centre is also accountable for.

Subjects covered • Event management Book Section Refs SO 4.1 – Service operation processes - Event management Difficulty Moderate




QUESTION Five Scenario Five

Question Rationale

This question assesses the candidate’s understanding of best practices relating to technology selection and implementation.

MOST CORRECT (5) C • This answer best addresses both best practice guidance and the needs of this organization.

• Despite the pressure, two months is entirely too short a period of time for implementing a change of this magnitude. What is needed is a formal project that will ensure requirements are determined and that the needs of all stakeholders are considered.

• This is the only answer that stresses examining and formalizing processes (versus. procedures) and touches on establishing a common way of working (a phrase that is used in 8.5.4 multiple times). It also suggests using ITIL guidance to examine and formalize the processes.

• A statement of requirements is a critical first step when evaluating and selecting technology.

• A licensing structure can be used to determine the best combination of licences (dedicated, shared, web) needed to deploy the system in a cost- effective way.

• Funding considers not only procuring the licences but also deployment and ongoing maintenance.

SECOND BEST (3) B • This answer is good but lacks a few specifics. • It fails to recommend using a formal project management approach (as

prescribed in 8.2) and promoting awareness. • While it mentions updating procedures, it fails to address the need to

examine and formalize processes before selecting a tool and establishing a common way of working. It also mentions updating the procedures to reflect ITIL best practice without first examining the procedures to ensure that all best practices are appropriate to the needs of the organization.

• It mentions determining how many dedicated licences are needed, but fails to consider other types of licences (for example, shared, web, etc.) that may enable a more cost-effective solution.

• It also fails to recommend budgeting for deployment and ongoing maintenance activities.

THIRD BEST (1) A • This answer has some merit but is generally off the mark. • Examining the existing system without first determining requirements is a

waste of time and effort. This answer also mentions ensuring the system can support existing procedures rather than more formalized common processes developed using ITIL guidance.

• This answer mentions determining how many dedicated licences are needed but fails to consider other types of licences (for example, shared, web) that may enable a more cost-effective solution. It also fails to recommend budgeting for deployment and ongoing maintenance activities

• Encouraging senior management to show visible support for a common system (as opposed to common processes) is too weak a recommendation for a change of this magnitude. Senior management must communicate policies and expectations regarding process compliance in clear and meaningful ways. While this answer may be viewed as having merit, it is off the mark in terms of its technology-centric approach.

• Launching an awareness campaign and raising an RFC are both valid steps. The answer fails, however, to recommend using a formal project management approach.

DISTRACTER (0) D • This answer is wrong. • It is missing altogether too many of the elements of the 5-mark answer.

For example, it does not mention establishing a project or promoting




awareness of the project. It also does not mention examining processes prior to selecting the tools, nor does it mention establishing a common way of working.

• Regarding scheduling the change for the holiday weekend; despite the pressure, two months is entirely too short a period of time for implementing a change of this magnitude. A formal project management approach is needed to fully understand the magnitude of the change and plan accordingly.

• The reference to a statement of requirements refers only to mandatory requirements and dedicated licences.

• While the capacity check is needed, it is only one of the requirements that must be considered while planning a change of this magnitude. The answer also implies this capacity check is being done before the system is actually selected and so is a bit premature. While this answer may be viewed as having merit, it cannot compensate for the missing elements in this answer.

• Asking senior management to “encourage” use of the system (as opposed to the processes) is too weak a recommendation for a change of this magnitude. Senior management must communicate policies and expectations regarding process compliance in clear and meaningful ways. While this answer may be viewed as having merit, it is off the mark in terms of its technology-centric approach. It also cannot compensate for the other missing elements in this answer.


ITIL SC: OSA09 Technology and implementation considerations


Level 3 Applying – Use ideas, principles and theories in new, particular and concrete situations. Behavioural tasks at this level involve both knowing and comprehension and might include choosing appropriate procedures, applying principles, using an approach or identifying the selection of options. Application – The candidate must apply their knowledge of technology considerations for service operation and the appropriate requirements to address the needs described in the scenario. The candidate must recognize that the magnitude of the change needed will require a formalized approach, and that understanding the requirements fully and planning the effort must not be sacrificed for speed of implementation.

Subjects covered

Categories Covered: • Technology considerations • Implementing service operation

Book Section Refs SD 7.2 – Technology considerations - Service management tools SO 8.1.2 – Implementing service operation - Managing change in service operation - Change assessment SO 8.2 – Implementing service operation - Service operation and project management SO 8.4 – Implementing service operation - Operational staff in service design and transition SO 8.5.1 – Implementing service operation - Planning and implementing service management technologies - Licences SO 8.5.3 – Implementing service operation - Planning and implementing service management technologies - Capacity checks SO 8.5.4 – Implementing service operation - Planning and implementing service management technologies - Timing of technology deployment SO 8.5.5 – Implementing service operation - Planning and implementing service management technologies - Type of introduction

Difficulty Easy




QUESTION Six Scenario Six

Question Rationale

This question assesses the candidate’s understanding of technical and application management’s dual role of custodian of the technical knowledge and expertise, as well as their role in providing resources to support the service lifecycle including service operations.

MOST CORRECT (5) C This answer provides the correct initiatives to address the baseline assessment findings. • The 1st bullet point refers to the need to restructure the IT organization to

ensure the optimization of IT resources. • 2nd bullet point refers to ensuring involvement as early as possible with the

design of services. • 3rd bullet point emphasizes the importance of having technical and

application management staff design and deliver user training. SECOND BEST (3) A Second best answer with only one out of the 3 answers being incorrect.

• The 1st bullet point is correct as it addresses a weakness identified in the scenario as part of the assessment findings and reinforces that it is the responsibility of technical and application management to update system documentation.

• The 2nd bullet point is incorrect as it refers to roles within IT operations management.

• The 3rd bullet point is correct; application management is best positioned to correct the error messages which were identified as an issue in both the baseline assessment and in the customer satisfaction surveys.

THIRD BEST (1) D This option is worth 1 mark. Only one answer in this option is correct. • The 1st bullet point is correct as it addresses a weakness identified in the

scenario as part of the assessment findings and reinforces that it is the responsibility of technical and application management to update system documentation. The 2nd and 3rd bullet points are not targeted to the objectives of the organization and may not necessarily be accurate.

DISTRACTER (0) B This option is incorrect. All answers/bullet points within it are either incorrect or do not support the objectives of the organization.


ITIL SC: OSA08 Common OSA functions


Level 4 Analysis - The ability to use the practices and concepts in a situation or unprompted use of an abstraction. Can apply what is learned in the classroom in workplace situations. Can separate concepts into component parts to understand structure and can distinguish between facts and inferences. Application – The candidate must apply their knowledge of the roles of application and technical management and analyse how to organize these based on the issues identified in the baseline assessment.

Subjects covered

Categories Covered: Functions • Technical management • IT operations management • Application management

Book Section Refs SO 6.4.1 – Organizing for service operation – Technical management – Technical management role SO 6.4.3 – Organizing for service operation – Technical management – Generic technical management activities SO 6.5.1 – Organizing for service operation – IT operations management – IT operations management role SO 6..6.1 – Organizing for service operation – Application management – Application management role SO 6.6.5 – Organizing for service operation – Application management – Generic application management activities




Difficulty Moderate




QUESTION Seven Scenario Seven

Question Rationale

This question focuses on the purpose/ objective of the request fulfilment process and requires the candidate to understand and explain the process.

MOST CORRECT (5) D Each request fits within the objectives of the request fulfilment process and has the right level of authorization.

SECOND BEST (3) A Almost correct except that request 004 is most likely not a preapproved process for a user to request. It is more likely to be requested by a manager. Request 001 should be an incident.

THIRD BEST (1) C Request 001 should be an incident, 002, and 003 are more likely to be change requests and need risk and impact assessments as well as approvals. Request 004 is the most likely to be a candidate for the request fulfilment process.

DISTRACTER (0) B None of these are likely candidates that fit the objectives of the request fulfilment process.


ITIL SC: OSA04 Request fulfilment


Level 3 Applying – Use ideas, principles and theories in new, particular and concrete situations. Behavioural tasks at this level involve both knowing and comprehension and might include choosing appropriate procedures, applying principles, using an approach or identifying the selection of options. Application – The candidate must apply their knowledge of the request fulfilment process and select the correct answer that will address the organization’s objectives.

Subjects covered

Categories Covered: • Request fulfilment

Book Section Refs SO 4.3.1 Service operation processes - Request fulfilment – Purpose and objectives Difficulty Easy




QUESTION Eight Scenario Eight

Question Rationale

This question focuses on the service desk and incident management process as well as implementation.

MOST CORRECT (5) D This is the best solution: a centralized service desk with a good process specifically designed to take into account local requirements. Conducting training and planning the ultimate integration with other processes in the future is also a very good idea.

SECOND BEST (3) C A reasonable solution even though it utilizes multiple service desks. The process seems sound as well.

THIRD BEST (1) B Not too bad an answer but it does not mention customer training and talks about integration with only some of the other processes.

DISTRACTER (0) A The tool is procured before considering the process, and it also states that it is essential that other processes are implemented at the same time. While they will need to be considered, they can be implemented later as the organization maturity is improved.


ITIL SC: OSA03 Incident management ITIL SC: OSA07 Service desk ITIL SC: OSA09 Technology and implementation considerations


Level 3 Applying – Use ideas, principles and theories in new, particular and concrete situations. Behavioural tasks at this level involve both knowing and comprehension and might include choosing appropriate procedures, applying principles, using an approach or identifying the selection of options. Level 4 Analysis - The ability to use the practices and concepts in a situation or unprompted use of an abstraction. Can apply what is learned in the classroom in workplace situations. Can separate concepts into component parts to understand structure and can distinguish between facts and inferences. Application – The candidate must apply their knowledge of the service operation processes relevant to the scenario and analyse which of the answer options correctly sequences the right activities to meet the organization’s objectives as stated.

Subjects covered

• Distinguish and explain the different service desk organizational structures • Show the process activities, methods and techniques for this process and how

they relate to the service lifecycle • Demonstrate the triggers, inputs and outputs, and the process interfaces • Describe the generic requirements for technology on implementing process

capability • Demonstrate how to plan and implement service management technologies

Book Section Refs SO 6.3.3 – Organizing for service operation - Service desk - Service desk organizational structure SO 4.2.5 – Service Operation processes - Incident management - Process activities, methods and techniques SO 4.2.6 – Service Operation processes - Incident management - Triggers, inputs outputs and interfaces SO 7.1 – Technology considerations - Generic requirements SO 8.5 – Implementing service operation - Planning and implementing service management technologies

Difficulty Moderate

Documents

Osa2 Sample Exam