ITIL4-CDS Create, Deliver and Support Practice Question
An IT organization is redesigning its measurement and reporting framework to focus on value rather than just internal activity metrics (vanity metrics). Which TWO of the following metrics are best aligned with ITIL 4 guidance on measuring true service value and operational effectiveness? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates frequently choose 'activity' metrics like number of tickets closed or total system uptime percentage, which ITIL 4 explicitly warns against as 'vanity metrics' that don't reflect actual value.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Mean Time to Restore (MTTR) for critical business services, tracking the speed of returning disrupted services to normal operation.
Effective measurement frameworks focus on outcomes and customer experience rather than mere internal output. Metrics like Mean Time to Restore (MTTR) and user satisfaction scores directly reflect service reliability and business value, aligning with ITIL 4 practices for continual improvement and value tracking.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Total number of support tickets closed per engineer per week, regardless of whether the user's underlying business problem was resolved.
Why it's wrong here
Measuring tickets closed per engineer is a traditional activity metric that incentivizes rushed closures over quality resolutions. It fails to measure customer value or actual business outcomes, often leading to poor user satisfaction and recurring incidents.
- ✓
Mean Time to Restore (MTTR) for critical business services, tracking the speed of returning disrupted services to normal operation.
Why this is correct
Mean Time to Restore is a critical operational metric that directly measures service availability, resilience, and speed of value recovery. It focuses on the business outcome of minimizing disruption rather than just counting internal tasks.
- ✓
Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) and Net Promoter Score (NPS) gathered following major service interactions and incident resolutions.
Why this is correct
CSAT and NPS measure perceived outcomes from the customer's perspective, aligning with ITIL 4's focus on value co-creation rather than internal activity counts. Gathering them after major interactions and incident resolutions captures genuine service value and operational effectiveness.
- ✗
Total volume of lines of code written by the software engineering department during each quarterly release cycle.
Why it's wrong here
Lines of code written is a classic vanity metric that measures output rather than outcome or value. High code volume can often indicate poor design, technical debt, or inefficient implementation rather than successful service delivery.
- ✗
Total number of change requests approved and implemented without conducting any post-implementation reviews.
Why it's wrong here
Counting approved changes without post-implementation reviews measures throughput alone and ignores whether changes delivered value or caused incidents. ITIL 4 value measurement pairs output with outcome and feedback. Change volume suits capacity or workload reporting, not evidence of realised service value.
About these practice questions
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official PeopleCert/AXELOS exam blueprint
This ITIL4-CDS practice question is part of Courseiva's free PeopleCert/AXELOS certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the ITIL4-CDS exam.