ITIL4F ITIL Management Practices Practice Question
A major outage has occurred, and the IT team needs to implement a fix immediately without following the normal change authorization process. According to ITIL 4, what type of change should be raised?
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
✓
Emergency change
Emergency changes are for urgent situations that require immediate implementation to restore service. They have a separate, faster authorization process.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Normal change
Why it's wrong here
Normal changes follow a structured process involving comprehensive assessment, formal authorization by a designated change authority, and often a planned schedule. This deliberate, multi-stage approach ensures thorough risk evaluation and resource allocation for non-urgent service improvements or new features. Consequently, it is inherently too slow and inappropriate for an immediate major outage requiring rapid resolution to restore service.
- ✓
Emergency change
Why this is correct
Emergency changes are specifically designed for urgent situations, such as resolving a major outage, where immediate action is required to restore service functionality. They involve an expedited assessment and authorization process, often with retrospective documentation and approval, to minimize service disruption and mitigate severe business impact. This streamlined approach prioritizes speed over full formality to address critical incidents and major incidents effectively.
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Standard change
Why it's wrong here
Standard changes are pre-authorized, low-risk, and frequently occurring changes that follow a documented procedure, often without requiring individual approval each time. They are typically initiated as service requests for routine tasks like password resets or software installations. A major outage, being high-impact, unplanned, and complex, clearly falls outside the scope of a pre-approved, routine standard change.
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Service request
Why it's wrong here
A service request is a formal request from a user for something that is part of normal service delivery, such as information, a standard change, or access to a service. These are typically pre-defined, pre-approved, and often fulfilled through self-service or automated processes. An unplanned major outage, however, is a critical incident requiring proactive IT intervention and immediate resolution, not a user-initiated request for a routine item.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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