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

DPI highlightsSWOT analysisas a key assessment tool for mergers, acquisitions, or major integrations. SWOT helps organizations understandinternal capabilities (strengths/weaknesses)andexternal market factors (opportunities/threats). This is critical when combining practices and cultures to ensure strengths are leveraged and weaknesses are mitigated. Customer satisfaction (B) and SLA analysis (D) are narrow operational measures. Change readiness (C) is useful but does not fully assess strategic alignment.

(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "Assessment methods – SWOT analysis in organizational change")

DPI explains that a business case must include anevaluation of constraints(financial, technical, cultural, and organizational) that might affect adoption of the solution. This ensures feasibility and realistic planning. Option A (strategy techniques) is irrelevant here. Option B is vendor-focused, not organizational. Option D (guiding principles) supports implementation but is not central to justifying the case.

(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "Business cases – evaluating options and constraints")

DPI defines avalue streamas “a series of steps an organization undertakes to create and deliver products and services to consumers.” It describeshow value is created and flowsthrough the service value chain. Option A directly reflects this definition. Options B, C, and D refer to resources, guidance, or change management, not the definition of value streams.

(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "Value stream mapping – definition and purpose")

SMART KPIs must beSpecific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Option A is specific towi-fi availability, measurable (10% increase), achievable, relevant, and time-bound (by end of Q3). Options B and C measure perceptions (complaints/satisfaction) but are indirect. Option D lacks a measurable percentage or defined metric. DPI stresses that success factors should be measured byclear, objective performance outcomes, not just subjective satisfaction.

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

DPI emphasizesgovernance by defining clear decision-making authority. High-risk or strategic decisions should remain with executives, but less critical decisions must bedelegatedthrough policies to appropriate levels of management. This prevents bottlenecks and ensures accountability while balancing governance oversight. Options A and B may reduce delays but lack structured governance, while D risks insufficient control.

(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "Delegation of decision-making and governance structures")

The DPI guidance emphasizescollaboration and visibilityas essential principles in planning. By ensuringall stakeholders at every level are engaged, the organization promotes shared ownership and transparency. “Focus on value” (A) targets alignment to business outcomes, “Think and work holistically” (B) refers to systems thinking, and “Keep it simple and practical” (D) ensures clarity. The scenario most directly reflectscollaboration and visibility.

(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "Guiding principles – Collaborate and promote visibility")

In DPI,effective communication is critical in organizational change management. For large user bases, the communication plan must:

Engage customers directly in reviews (two-way communication),

Provide clear, proactive messaging to users (email with dates and benefits).

This ensures visibility and minimizes confusion. Options A and D lack adequate two-way engagement, and C provides fragmented communication. Option B reflects DPI’s emphasis ontimely, consistent, and role-appropriate communication.

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

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")

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")