ITIL 4 Foundation // Cheat Sheet

// core idea: IT exists to create value - everything else serves that
Service Value System (SVS) - the factory
Demand
opportunity
need
SVS
Guiding
Principles
Governance
Practices
34 total
Service Value Chain (SVC)
Plan Engage Design Build Deliver Support
Continual Improvement
Value
outcomes
for users
Service Value Chain activities
Plan
what & why
Engage
align people
Design
how
Obtain/
Build
make it
Deliver &
Support
run it
Continual Improvement - wraps everything, always asking: can we do this better?
4 Dimensions - lenses to apply to every service
Organizations & People
Who does what? Right skills, right roles?
Information & Technology
What data, tools, infra does this need?
Partners & Suppliers
What do we outsource? Who depends on us?
Value Streams & Processes
How does work flow? Where is value created?
Key Terms
Service
A means of enabling value co-creation without the customer managing costs/risks directly
Value
Perceived benefits relative to costs. Always defined by the customer, not the provider
Outcome vs Output
Output = the thing delivered. Outcome = the result it enables. ITIL cares about outcomes
Utility
"Fit for purpose" - does it do what it's supposed to do?
Warranty
"Fit for use" - is it available, reliable, secure enough?
CI/CD vs ITIL
Change management = ITIL's way to ship safely without breaking live services
7 Guiding Principles - always apply, regardless of context
Focus on value Every action must trace back to value for someone
Start where you are Don't reinvent. Assess what exists first, build on it
Progress iteratively + feedback Small steps, frequent feedback loops. Don't big-bang
Collaborate + promote visibility Work together, share info. Hidden work = hidden risk
Think & work holistically No silo thinking. Every part affects the whole system
Keep it simple & practical If it doesn't add value, remove it. Complexity is waste
Optimize & automate Optimize the process first, then automate it. Don't automate chaos
Key Practices (14 of 34 - the ones you'll use daily)
Incident Management
Service broken restore it fast. Log, triage, fix. e.g. server down at 3am
Problem Management
Find root cause so incident never recurs. e.g. why does the server keep crashing?
Change Enablement
Control how changes go to production. Avoid breaking live services
Service Desk
Single point of contact. Captures all requests + incidents from users
Service Request Mgmt
Handle standard user requests. e.g. new laptop, account access
Event Management
Monitor and respond to system events. e.g. planned downtime, alerts
IT Asset Management
Track all hardware/software assets. Know what you own and where
Relationship Management
Manage relationships with customers, users, stakeholders
Supplier Management
Govern third-party providers, contracts, performance
Info Security Mgmt
Protect confidentiality, integrity, availability of data
Continual Improvement
Structured approach to improving services and practices over time
Monitoring & Event Mgmt
Observe services systematically. Detect issues before users do
Incident vs Problem - most confused pair
Incident

Unplanned interruption. Fix it now. Speed matters more than root cause.

"Login is broken - restore it"
Problem

Unknown root cause of one or more incidents. Investigate properly.

"Why does login keep breaking?"
A Problem can exist without an active Incident (proactive problem management). A known workaround = Known Error.
End-to-end value flow example
// Foundation Exam - what they test
Tip: exam scenarios always have a "most correct" answer. Map every option back to: does this create value?
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