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

According to ITIL DPI, planning occurs atstrategic, tactical, and operational levels. Astrategic plandefines long-term direction, includingmulti-year infrastructure expansionthat aligns with business goals. Tactical plans break this down into departmental objectives, while operational plans manage day-to-day execution. Project plans are temporary and specific but not long-term vision documents.

(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "Planning levels – strategic, tactical, operational")

In DPI,controls are mechanisms to ensure compliance and mitigate risks. Modifying the system to auto-capture date/time (1) is apreventive control, while reporting and correcting non-compliant records (4) is adetective control. Together, these are effective and practical. Communication plans (2) and goals cascades (3) improve awareness but do not guarantee compliance. DPI stresses thattechnical and reporting controlsare stronger than relying on human reminders.

(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "Controls – preventive and detective mechanisms in governance")

ITIL DPI appliesLean principlessuch as theelimination of waste. Repeated reassignments and delays in incident handling represent a form of waste in workflow. Improving accuracy of escalation removes unnecessary handoffs and accelerates resolution, optimizing flow. This aligns with Lean-inspired waste elimination. OCM (D) is about managing people through change, not fixing workflow inefficiencies.

(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "Lean principles – eliminate waste and optimize flow")

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

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

In DPI, thecontinual improvement modelstresses the importance ofcapturing lessons learnedto ensure that successes and failures inform future work. By creating alessons learned reportduring project closure, the organization systematically records challenges, inefficiencies, and solutions. This enables organizational learning and prevents repeating mistakes. SWOT (B) and communication planning (D) are useful tools, but they do not directly address past project issues. Customer satisfaction analysis (C) focuses on user experience, not internal resource challenges.

(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "Continual improvement feedback and learning loops")

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

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

DPI emphasizes that improvements should be prioritized based onstrategic alignment with the organizational vision. This ensures that the most valuable outcomes are delivered first, maximizing stakeholder benefit. While “quick wins” (A), minimizing staff disruption (B), and waste reduction (D) are important considerations, they are secondary tomoving closer to the strategic vision.

(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "Prioritizing improvements – alignment with vision and strategy")

In ITIL DPI,gap analysisis used to compare the current state against the desired future state. Since the retailer is adoptingnew technology and skills, gap analysis identifies capability shortfalls and resource needs to support the change. Customer satisfaction analysis (A) and SLA analysis (C) measure service performance, not organizational readiness. Process maturity assessment (D) examines process capability but not the holistic gap to achieve new capabilities.

(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "Assessment methods – gap analysis for change initiatives")

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")