Definitions

Question 1

A list of minimum requirements that a service or service component must meet for it to be acceptable to key stakeholders

Answer 1

acceptance criteria

Question 2

An umbrella term for a collection of frameworks and techniques that together enable teams and individuals to work in a way that is typified by collaboration, prioritization, iterative and incremental delivery, and time-boxing. There are several specific methods (or frameworks) such as Scrum, Lean, and Kanban.

Answer 2

Agile

Question 3

The practice of providing an understanding of all the different elements that make up an organization and how those elements relate to one another

Answer 3

architecture management pracitce

Question 4

A database or list of assets, capturing key attributes such as ownership and financial value

Answer 4

asset register

Question 5

The ability of an IT service or other configuration item to perform its agreed function when required

Answer 5

availability

Question 6

The practice of ensuring that services deliver agreed levels of availability to meet the needs of customers and users

Answer 6

availability management practice

Question 7

A report or metric that serves as a starting point against which progress or change can be assessed

Answer 7

baseline

Question 8

A way of working that has been proven to be successful by multiple organizations

Answer 8

best practice

Question 9

The use of very large volumes of structured and unstructured data from a variety of sources to gain new insights

Answer 9

big data

Question 10

The practice of analyzing a business or some element of a business, defining its needs and recommending solutions to address these needs and/or solve a business problem, and create value for stakeholders.

Answer 10

business analysis practice

Question 11

A justification for expenditure of organizational resources, providing information about costs, benefits, options, risks, and issues

Answer 11

business case

Question 12

A key activity in the practice of service continuity management that identifies vital business functions and their dependencies

Answer 12

business impact analysis (BIA)

Question 13

A role responsible for maintaining good relationships with one or more customers

Answer 13

business relationship manager (BRM)

Question 14

An interaction with the service desk. This could result in an incident or a service request being logged

Answer 14

call

Question 15

An organization or business unit that handles large numbers of incoming and outgoing calls and other interactions

Answer 15

call/contact center

Question 16

The ability of an organization, person, process, application, configuration item, or IT service to carry out an activity.

Answer 16

capability

Question 17

The practice of ensuring that services achieve agreed and expected performance levels, satisfying current and future demand in a cost-effective way.

Answer 17

capacity and performance management practice

Question 18

The activity of creating a plan that manages resources to meet demand for services

Answer 18

capacity planning

Question 19

The addition, modification, or removal of anything that could have a direct or indirect effect on services

Answer 19

change

Question 20

A person or group responsible for authorizing a change

Answer 20

change authority

Question 21

The practice of ensuring that risks are properly assessed, authorizing changes to proceed and managing a change schedule to maximize the number of successful IT changes

Answer 21

change control practice

Question 22

A repeatable approach to the management of a particular type of change

Answer 22

change model

Question 23

A calendar that shows planned and historical changes

Answer 23

change schedule

Question 24

The activity that assigns a price for services

Answer 24

charging

Question 25

A model for enabling on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources that can be rapidly provided with minimal management effort of provider interaction

Answer 25

cloud computing

Question 26

The act of ensuring that a standard or set of guidelines is followed or that proper, consistent accounting or other practices are being employed

Answer 26

compliance

Question 27

A security objective that ensures information is not made available or disclosed to unauthorized entities

Answer 27

confidentiality

Question 28

An arrangement of configuration items (CIs) or other resources that work together to deliver a product or service. Can also be used to describe the parameter settings for one or more CIs.

Answer 28

configuration

Question 29

Any component that needs to be managed to deliver an IT service

Answer 29

configuration item (CI)

Question 30

A database used to store configuration records throughout their life-cycle. The CMDB also maintains the relationships between configuration records

Answer 30

configuration management database (CMDB)

Question 31

A set of tools, data, and information that is used to support service configuration management

Answer 31

configuration management system (CMS)

Question 32

A record containing the details of a configuration item (CI). Each configuration record documents the lifecycle of a single CI. Configuration records are stored in a configuration management database.

Answer 32

configuration record

Question 33

The practice of aligning an organization’s practices and services with changing business needs through the ongoing identification and improvement of all elements involved in the effective management of products and services

Answer 33

continual improvement practice

Question 34

An integrated set of practices and tools used to merge developers’ code, build and test the resulting software, and package it so that it is ready for deployment

Answer 34

continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD)

Question 35

The means of managing a risk, ensuring that a business objective is achieved, or that a process is followed.

Answer 35

control

Question 36

The amount of money spent on a specific activity or resource.

Answer 36

cost

Question 37

A business unit or project to which costs are assigned.

Answer 37

cost center

Question 38

A necessary precondition for the achievement of intended results

Answer 38

critical success factor (CSF)

Question 39

A set of values that is shared by a group of people, including expectations about how people should behave, ideas, beliefs, and practices

Answer 39

culture

Question 40

A person who defines the requirements for a service and takes responsibility for the outcomes of service consumption

Answer 40

customer

Question 41

The sum of functional and emotional interactions with a service and service provider as perceived by a service consumer.

Answer 41

customer experience (CX)

Question 42

A real-time graphical representation of data

Answer 42

dashboard

Question 43

The value chain activity that ensures services are delivered and supported according to agreed specifications and stakeholders expectations

Answer 43

deliver and support

Question 44

Input to the service value system based on opportunities and needs from internal and external stakeholders

Answer 44

demand

Question 45

The movement of any service component into any environment

Answer 45

deployment

Question 46

The practice of moving new or changed hardware, software, documentation processes, or any other service component to live environments

Answer 46

deployment management practice

Question 47

The value chain activity that ensures products and services continually meet stakeholder expectations for quality, costs, and time to market

Answer 47

design and transition

Question 48

A practical and human-centered approach used y product and service designers to solve complex problems and find practial and creative solutions that meet the needs of an organization and its customers

Answer 48

design thinking

Question 49

An environment used to create or modify IT services or application

Answer 49

development environment

Question 50

An organizational culture that aims to improve the flow of value to customers. DevOps focuses on culture, automation, lean, measurement, and sharing (CALMS).

Answer 50

DevOps

Question 51

The evolution of traditional business models to meet the needs of highly empowered customers, with technology playing an enabling role.

Answer 51

digital transformation

Question 52

A set of clearly defined plans related to how an organization will recover from a disaster as well as return to a pre-disaster condition, considering the four dimensions of service management

Answer 52

disaster recovery plans

Question 53

Something that influences strategy, objects, or requirements.

Answer 53

driver

Question 54

A measure of whether the objectives of a practice, service or activity have been achieved

Answer 54

effectiveness

Question 55

A measure of whether the right amount of resources have been used by a practice, service, or activity

Answer 55

efficiency

Question 56

A change that must be introduced as soon as possible

Answer 56

emergency change

Question 57

The value chain activity that provides a good understanding of stakeholder needs, transparency, continual engagement, and good relationships with stakeholders

Answer 57

engage

Question 58

A subset of the IT infrastructure that is used for a particular purpose, for example a live environment or test environment. Can also mean the external conditions that influence or affect something

Answer 58

environment

Question 59

A flaw or vulnerability that may cause incidents

Answer 59

error

Question 60

Problem management activities used to manage known errors.

Answer 60

error control

Question 61

The act of sharing awareness or transferring ownership of an issue or work item.

Answer 61

escalation

Question 62

Any change of state that has significance for the management of a service or other configuration item.

Answer 62

event

Question 63

A customer who works for an organization other than the service provider

Answer 63

external customer

Question 64

A loss of ability to operate to specification, or to deliver the required output or outcome

Answer 64

failure

Question 65

A technique whereby the outputs of one part of a system are used as inputs to the same part of the system

Answer 65

feedback loop

Question 66

The four perspectives that are critical to the effective and efficient facilitation of value for customers and other stakeholders in the form of products and services

Answer 66

four dimensions of service management

Question 67

The means by which an organization is directed and controlled.

Answer 67

governance

Question 68

A unique name that is used to identify and grant system access rights to a user, person, or role.

Answer 68

identity

Question 69

The value chain activity that ensures continual improvement of products, services, and practices across all value chain activities and the four dimensions of service management

Answer 69

improve

Question 70

An unplanned interruption to a service or reduction in the quality of a service

Answer 70

incident

Question 71

The practice of minimizing the negative impact of incidents by restoring normal service operation as quickly as possible.

Answer 71

incident management

Question 72

One of the four dimensions of service management. It includes the information and knowledge used to deliver services, and the information and technologies used to manage all aspects of the service value system

Answer 72

information and technology

Question 73

The practice of protecting an organization by understanding and managing risks to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information

Answer 73

information security management practice

Question 74

A security objective that ensures information is only modified by authorized personnel activities

Answer 74

integrity

Question 75

A customer who works for the same organization as the service provider

Answer 75

internal customer

Question 76

The interconnection of devices via the internet that were not traditionally thought of as IT assets, but now include embedded computing capability and network connectivity.

Answer 76

Internet of Things

Question 77

Any valuable component that can contribute to the delivery of an IT product or service

Answer 77

IT asset

Question 78

The practice of planning and managing the full life-cycle of all IT assets

Answer 78

IT asset management practice

Question 79

All the hardware, software, networks, and facilities that are required to develop, test, deliver, monitor, manage and support IT services

Answer 79

IT infrastructure

Question 80

A service based on the use of information technology

Answer 80

IT service

Question 81

Best-practice guidance for IT service management

Answer 81

ITIL

Question 82

Recommendations that can guide an organization in all circumstances, regardless of changes in its goals, strategies, type of work, or management structure

Answer 82

ITIL guiding principles

Question 83

An operating model for service providers that covers all the key activities required to effectively manage products and services

Answer 83

ITIL service value chain

Question 84

A method for visualizing work, identifying potential blockages and resource conflicts, and managing work in progress

Answer 84

Kanban

Question 85

An important metric used to evaluate the success in meeting an objective

Answer 85

key performance indicator (KPI)

Question 86

The practice of maintaining and improving the effective, efficient, and convenient use of information and knowledge across an organization

Answer 86

knowledge management practice

Question 87

A problem that has been analyzed but has not been resolved.

Answer 87

known error

Question 88

An approach that focuses on improving workflows by maximizing value through the elimination of waste

Answer 88

Lean

Question 89

The full set of stages, transitions, and associated statuses in the life of a service, product, practice, or other entity

Answer 89

lifecycle

Question 90

Refers to a service or other configuration item operating in the live environment

Answer 90

live

Question 91

A controlled environment used in the delivery of IT services to service consumers

Answer 91

live environment, or production environment

Question 92

The ease with which a service or other entity can be repaired or modified

Answer 92

maintainability

Question 93

An incident with significant business impact, requiring an immediate coordinated resolution

Answer 93

major incident

Question 94

Interrelated or interacting elements that establish policy and objectives and enable the achievement of those objectives

Answer 94

management system

Question 95

A measure of the reliability, efficiency and effectiveness of an organization, practice, or process

Answer 95

maturity

Question 96

A metric of how frequently a service or other configuration item fails.

Answer 96

mean time between failures (MTBF)

Question 97

A metric of how quickly a service is restored after a failure

Answer 97

mean time to restore service (MTRS)

Question 98

The practice of supporting good decision-making and continual improvement by decreasing levels of uncertainty

Answer 98

measurement and reporting

Question 99

A measurement or calculation that is monitored or reported for management and improvement

Answer 99

metric

Question 100

A product with just enough features to satisfy early customers, and to provide feedback for future product development.

Answer 100

minimum viable product (MVP)

Question 101

A short but complete description of the overall purpose and intentions of an organization. It states what is to be achieved, but not how this should be done.

Answer 101

mission statement

Question 102

A representation of a system, practice, process, service, or other entity that is used to understand and predict its behavior and relationships

Answer 102

model

Question 103

The activity of creating, maintaining, and utilizing models

Answer 103

modelling

Question 104

Repeated observation of a system, practice, process, service or other entity to detect events and to ensure that the current status is known

Answer 104

monitoring

Question 105

The practice of systematically observing services and service components, and recording and reporting selected changes of state identified as events

Answer 105

monitoring and event management practice

Question 106

The value chain activity that ensures service components are available when and where they are needed, and that they meet agreed specifications

Answer 106

obtain/build

Question 107

The routine running and management of an activity, product, service, or other configuration item

Answer 107

operation

Question 108

The hardware and software solutions that detect or cause changes in physical processes through direct monitoring and/or control of physical devices such as values, pumps, etc…

Answer 108

operational technology

Question 109

A person or a group of people that has its own functions with responsibilities, authorities, and relationships to achieve its objectives

Answer 109

organization

Question 110

The practice of ensuring that changes in an organization are smoothly and successfully implemented and that lasting benefits are achieved by managing the human aspects of the changes

Answer 110

organizational change management practice

Question 111

The ability of an organization to anticipate, prepare for, respond to, and adapt to unplanned external influences

Answer 111

organizational resilience

Question 112

The speed, effectiveness, and efficiency with which an organization operates. Organizational velocity influences time to market, quality, safety, costs, and risks

Answer 112

organizational velocity

Question 113

One of the four dimensions of service management. It ensures that the way an organization is structured and managed, as well as its roles, responsibilities, and systems of authority and communication, is well defined and supports its overall strategy and operating model.

Answer 113

organizations and people

Question 114

A result for a stakeholder enabled by one or more outputs

Answer 114

outcome

Question 115

A tangible or intangible deliverable of an activity

Answer 115

output

Question 116

The process of having external suppliers provide products and services that were previously provided internally

Answer 116

outsourcing

Question 117

One of the four dimensions of service management. It encompasses the relationships an organization has with other organizations that are involved in the design, development, deployment, delivery, support, and/or continual improvement of services

Answer 117

partners and suppliers

Question 118

A relationship between two organizations that involves working closely together to achieve common goals and objectives

Answer 118

partnership

Question 119

A measure of what is achieved or delivered by a system, person, team, practice, or service.

Answer 119

performance

Question 120

A test implementation of a service with a limited scope in a live environment

Answer 120

pilot

Question 121

The value chain activity that ensures a shared understanding of the vision, current status, and improvement direction for all four dimensions and all products and services across an organization.

Answer 121

plan

Question 122

Formally documented management expectations and intentions, used to direct decisions and activities

Answer 122

policy

Question 123

The practice of ensuring that an organization has the right mix of programs, projects, products, and services to execute its strategy within its funding and resource constraints

Answer 123

portfolio management practice

Question 124

A review after the implementation of a change, to evaluate success and identify opportunities for improvement

Answer 124

post-implementation review (PIR)

Question 125

A set of organizational resources designed for performing work or accomplishing an objective

Answer 125

practice

Question 126

A cause, or potential cause, of one or more incidents

Answer 126

problem

Question 127

The practice of reducing the likelihood and impact of incidents by identifying actual and potential causes of incidents, and managing workaround and known errors.

Answer 127

problem management practice

Question 128

A documented way to carry out an activity or a process

Answer 128

procedure

Question 129

A set of interrelated or interacting activities that transform inputs into outputs. A process takes one or more defined inputs and turns them into defined outputs. Processes define the sequence of actions and their dependencies.

Answer 129

process

Question 130

A configuration of an organization’s resources designed to offer value for a consumer

Answer 130

product

Question 131

A set of related projects and activities, and an organization structure created to direct and oversee them

Answer 131

program

Question 132

A temporary structure that is created for delivering one or more outputs (or products) according to an agreed business case

Answer 132

project

Question 133

The practice of ensuring that all of an organization’s projects are successfully delivered

Answer 133

project management practice

Question 134

An improvement that is expected to provide a return on investment in a short period of time with relatively small cost and effort

Answer 134

quick win

Question 135

A document stating results achieved and providing evidence of activities performed

Answer 135

record

Question 136

The activity of returning a configuration item to normal operation after a failure

Answer 136

recovery

Question 137

The point to which information used by an activity must be restored to enable the activity to operate on resumption.

Answer 137

recovery point objective (RPO)

Question 138

The maximum acceptable period following a service disruption that can elapse before the lack of business functionality severely impacts the organization

Answer 138

recovery time objective (RTO)

Question 139

The practice of establishing and nurturing links between an organizational and its stakeholders at strategic and tactical levels.

Answer 139

relationship management practice

Question 140

A version of a service or other configuration item, or a collection of configuration items, that is made available for use

Answer 140

release

Question 141

The practice of making new and changed services and features available for use

Answer 141

release management practice

Question 142

The ability of a product, service, or other configuration item to perform its intended function for a specified period or number of cycles.

Answer 142

reliability

Question 143

A view of the service catalog, providing details on service requests for existing and new services, which is made available for the user.

Answer 143

request catalog

Question 144

A description of a proposed change used to initiate change control

Answer 144

request for change (RFC)

Question 145

The action of solving an incident or problem

Answer 145

resolution

Question 146

A person, or other entity, that is required for the execution of an activity or the achievement of an objective.

Answer 146

resource

Question 147

The act of permanently withdrawing a product, service, or other configuration item from use

Answer 147

retire

Question 148

A possible event that could cause harm or loss, or make it more difficult to achieve objectives. Can also be defined as uncertainty of outcome, and can be used in the context of measuring the probability of positive outcomes as well as negative outcomes

Answer 148

risk

Question 149

An activity to identify, analyze, and evaluate risks

Answer 149

risk assessment

Question 150

The practice of ensuring that an origination understands and effectively handles risks

Answer 150

risk management practice

Question 151

A means of enabling value co-creation by facilitating outcomes that customers want to achieve, without the customer having to manage specific costs and risks

Answer 151

service

Question 152

A view of all the services provided by an organization. It includes interactions between the services, and service models that describe the structure and dynamics of each service

Answer 152

service architecture

Question 153

Structured information provided by an organization. It includes interactions between the services, and service models that describe the structure and dynamics of each service

Answer 153

service architecture

Question 154

Structured information about all the services and service offerings of a service provider, relevant for a specific target audience

Answer 154

service catalog

Question 155

The practice of providing a single source of consistent information on all services and service offerings, and ensuring that it is available to the relevant audience

Answer 155

service catalog management practice

Question 156

The practice of ensuring that accurate and reliable information about the configuration of services, and the configuration items that support them, is available when and where needed

Answer 156

service configuration management practice

Question 157

Activities performed by an organization to consume services. It includes the management of the consumer’s resources needed to use the service, service actions performed by users, and the receiving (acquiring) of goods (if required)

Answer 157

service consumption

Question 158

The practice of ensuring that service availability and performance are maintained at a sufficient level in the event of a disaster.

Answer 158

service continuity management practice

Question 159

The practice of designing products and services that are fit for purpose, fit for use, and that can be delivered by the organization and its ecosystem

Answer 159

service design practice

Question 160

The point of communication between the service provider and its users

Answer 160

service desk

Question 161

The practice of capturing demand for incident resolution and service requests

Answer 161

service desk practice

Question 162

The practice of supporting an organization’s strategies and plans for service management by ensuring that the organization’s financial resources and investments are being used effectively

Answer 162

service financial management practice

Question 163

A set of measurable parameters defining expected or achieved service quality

Answer 163

service level

Question 164

A documented agreement between a service provider and a customer that identifies both services required and the expected level of service

Answer 164

service level agreement (SLA)

Question 165

The practice of setting clear business-based targets for service performance so that the delivery of a service can be properly assessed, monitored, and managed against the targets

Answer 165

service level management practice

Question 166

A set of specialized organizational capabilities for enabling value for customers in the form of services.

Answer 166

service management

Question 167

A description of one or more services, designed to address the needs of a target consumer group. A service offering may include goods, access to resources, and service actions.

Answer 167

service offering

Question 168

A role that is accountable for the delivery of a specific service

Answer 168

service owner

Question 169

A complete set of products and services that are managed throughout their life-cycles by an organization

Answer 169

service portfolio

Question 170

A role performed by an organization in a service relationship to provide services to consumers

Answer 170

service provider

Question 171

Activities performed by an organization to provide services. It includes management of resources, configured to deliver the service, access to these resources for users, fulfillment of the agreed service actions, service performance management, and continual improvement. It may also include the supply of goods.

Answer 171

service provision

Question 172

A cooperation between a service provider and service consumer. Service relationships include service provision, service, consumption, and service relationship management.

Answer 172

service relationship

Question 173

Joint activities performed by a service provider and a service consumer to ensure continual value co-creation based on agreed and available service offerings.

Answer 173

service relationship management

Question 174

A request from a user or user’s authorized representative that initiates a service action which has been agreed as a normal part of service delivery

Answer 174

service request

Question 175

The practice of supporting the agreed quality of a service by handling all pre-defined, user-initiated service requests in an effective and user-friendly manner

Answer 175

service request management practice

Question 176

The practice of ensuring that new or changed products and services meet defined requirements

Answer 176

service validation and testing practice

Question 177

A model representing how all the components and activities of an organization work together to facilitate value creation

Answer 177

service value system (SVS)

Question 178

The practice of ensuring that applications meet stakeholder needs, in terms of functionality, reliability, maintainability, compliance, and auditability

Answer 178

software development and management practice

Question 179

The activity of planning and obtaining resources from a particular source type, which could be internal or external, centralized or distributed, and open or proprietary

Answer 179

sourcing

Question 180

A documented description of the properties of a product, service, or other configuration item.

Answer 180

specification

Question 181

A person who authorizes budget for service consumption. Can also be used to describe an organization or individual that provides financial or other support for an initiative

Answer 181

sponsor

Question 182

A person or organization that has an interest or involvement in an organization, product, service, practice, or other entity

Answer 182

stakeholder

Question 183

A document, established by consensus and approved by a recognized body, that provides for common and repeated use, mandatory requirements, guidelines, or characteristics for its subject

Answer 183

standard

Question 184

A low-risk, pre-authorized change that is well understood and fully documented, and which can be implemented without needing additional authorization

Answer 184

standard change

Question 185

A description of the specific states an entity can have at a given time

Answer 185

status

Question 186

The practice of formulating the goals of an organization and adopting the courses of action and allocation of resources necessary for achieving those goals

Answer 186

strategy management practice

Question 187

A stakeholder responsible for providing services that are used by an organization

Answer 187

supplier

Question 188

The practice of ensuring that an organization’s suppliers and their performance levels are managed appropriately to support the provision of seamless quality products and services

Answer 188

supplier management practice

Question 189

A team with the responsibility to maintain normal operations, address users’ requests, and resolve incidents and problems related to specified products, services, or other configuration items.

Answer 189

support team

Question 190

A combination of interacting elements organized and maintained to achieve one or more stated purposes

Answer 190

system

Question 191

A holistic approach to analysis that focuses on the way that a system’s constituent parts work, interrelate, and interact over time, and within the context of other systems

Answer 191

systems thinking

Question 192

The total rework backlog accumulated by choosing workarounds instead of system solutions that would take longer

Answer 192

technical debt

Question 193

A controlled environment established to test products, services and other configuration items

Answer 193

test environment

Question 194

A stakeholder external to an organization

Answer 194

third party

Question 195

A measure of the amount of work performed by a product, service, or other system over a given period if time.

Answer 195

throughput

Question 196

A unit of work consisting of an exchange between two or more participants or systems

Answer 196

transaction

Question 197

A technique using realistic practical scenarios to define functional requirements and to design tests.

Answer 197

use case

Question 198

A person who uses services

Answer 198

user

Question 199

The functionality offered by a product or service to meet a particular need

Answer 199

utility

Question 200

Functional requirements which have been defined by the customer and are unique to a specific product

Answer 200

utility requirements

Question 201

Confirmation that the system, product, service, or other entity meets the agreed specification

Answer 201

validation

Question 202

The perceived benefits, usefulness, and importance of something.

Answer 202

value

Question 203

A series of steps an organizations undertakes to create and deliver products and services to consumers

Answer 203

value stream

Question 204

One of the four dimensions of service management. It defines the activities, workflows, controls, and procedures needed to achieve the agreed objectives

Answer 204

value streams and processes

Question 205

A defined aspiration of what an organization would like to become in the future

Answer 205

vision

Question 206

Assurance that a product or service will meet agreed requirements.

Answer 206

warranty

Question 207

Typically non-functional requirements captured as inputs from key stakeholders and other practices

Answer 207

warranty requirements

Question 208

A development approach that is linear and sequential with distinct objectives for each phase of the development

Answer 208

waterfall method

Question 209

A detailed description to be followed to perform an activity

Answer 209

work instruction

Question 210

A solution that reduces ore eliminates the impact of an incident or problem for which a full resolution is not yet available. Some workarounds reduce the likelihood of incidents.

Answer 210

workaround

Question 211

The practice of ensuring that an organization has the right people with the appropriate skills and knowledge and in the correct roles to support its business objectives

Answer 211

workforce and talent management practice