ITIL4F ITIL Management Practices Practice Question
An IT service desk analyst receives a call that users cannot access the CRM system. What should they do FIRST according to ITIL 4?
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
✓
Log and categorize the incident
The first step is to log and categorize the incident to initiate the incident management process and begin restoration of service.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Escalate the issue to the problem management team
Why it's wrong here
Escalating the issue to the problem management team is premature and incorrect as the initial action. Problem management is a distinct ITIL practice focused on identifying and managing the root causes of incidents to prevent recurrence, which typically occurs after an incident has been logged, diagnosed, and often resolved. The immediate priority for a service desk analyst is to address the active disruption to service, not to initiate a root cause analysis.
- ✓
Log and categorize the incident
Why this is correct
Logging and categorizing the incident is the essential first step in the ITIL Incident Management practice. This action creates a formal record of the event, allowing for tracking, communication, and subsequent management. Proper categorization, often based on impact and urgency, enables effective prioritization and routing to the appropriate support group, ensuring the incident is handled efficiently and in line with service level agreements.
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Inform the service level manager
Why it's wrong here
Informing the service level manager is not the immediate first action for a service desk analyst receiving an incident call. While the Service Level Manager (SLM) plays a crucial role in monitoring service performance and ensuring SLA adherence, their involvement typically occurs when an incident is identified as major, has a significant business impact, or is likely to breach an SLA. The analyst's primary responsibility is to initiate the incident resolution process, not stakeholder communication, unless specific major incident criteria are met.
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Implement a known workaround
Why it's wrong here
Implementing a known workaround, while a valuable step in incident resolution, is not the very first action upon receiving a call. Before a workaround can be applied, the incident must first be logged, categorized, and at least initially diagnosed to understand the nature of the issue and identify the appropriate workaround. Attempting to apply a workaround without proper logging and assessment could lead to incorrect actions or a lack of proper incident tracking.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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