ITIL4-CDS Create, Deliver and Support Practice Question
Exhibit
LOG_ENTRY: [2023-10-12 14:22:01] ERROR: Service_Unavailable_503 DETAILS: Threshold exceeded for parallel requests in module 'Auth_Proc'. SYSTEM_STATE: WIP_LIMIT=5, CURRENT_WIP=5. ACTION: Queueing incoming requests.
Refer to the exhibit. The system has reached its WIP limit and is queueing requests. Based on CDS principles, what is the most appropriate action the team should take?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mistake is choosing options that blindly increase the WIP limit or ignore the constraint, failing to recognize that queues indicate a bottleneck requiring collaborative resolution.
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
✓
Analyze the 'Auth_Proc' module to identify the constraint and swarm to resolve the backlog.
When a system hits its WIP limit, it signals that the current capacity is constrained. The team should not ignore the limit or simply increase it. Instead, the team must address the bottleneck causing the delay. By reviewing the flow and collaborating to clear the current queue, they optimize the system for future throughput rather than just masking the symptom by increasing concurrency.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Immediately increase the WIP_LIMIT from 5 to 10 to clear the queue.
Why it's wrong here
Increasing the limit without addressing the underlying constraint will simply shift the bottleneck further down the stream. This action fails to identify why the module is struggling, leading to potential system instability or further degradation of performance under the higher, unmanaged load.
- ✓
Analyze the 'Auth_Proc' module to identify the constraint and swarm to resolve the backlog.
Why this is correct
Swarming involves team members collaborating to solve a specific issue, which is the recommended CDS approach for managing bottlenecks. By analyzing why 'Auth_Proc' reached its limit, the team can address the root cause, clear the queue, and improve the overall flow of the value stream.
- ✗
Restart the 'Auth_Proc' module to clear the memory and reset the request queue.
Why it's wrong here
Restarting is a temporary, reactive fix that does not address the systematic issue causing the bottleneck. If the underlying logic or capacity is insufficient, the error will recur immediately. ITIL 4 emphasizes sustainable improvements over temporary interventions that do not provide long-term service stability.
- ✗
Instruct users to retry their requests in ten minutes to decrease load.
Why it's wrong here
Offloading the problem to the user is poor service design and degrades the customer experience. The team is responsible for managing the capacity of their services. Instead of asking users to wait, the team should be investigating how to handle the demand more efficiently.
About these practice questions
This ITIL4-CDS question is part of Courseiva's 155-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.