ITIL4F Key Concepts of ITIL 4 Practice Question
An IT service desk analyst receives a call that users cannot access the CRM system. What should they do FIRST?
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 an incident to restore the service
According to ITIL 4, restoring service as quickly as possible is the priority for incidents. Logging an incident is the first step. Root cause analysis comes later under Problem Management.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Raise a problem record to find the root cause
Why it's wrong here
Raising a problem record is incorrect because problem management focuses on identifying the root cause of recurring incidents or a single significant incident, and preventing future occurrences. The initial call about users being unable to access a service indicates an immediate, unplanned disruption requiring urgent restoration, which falls under incident management, not the subsequent, more in-depth investigation of problem management.
- ✓
Log an incident to restore the service
Why this is correct
Logging an incident is the correct action because an incident is defined as an unplanned interruption to a service or a reduction in the quality of a service. The primary objective of incident management is to restore normal service operation as quickly as possible, minimizing business impact. Users being unable to access a service directly represents such an unplanned disruption requiring immediate attention to restore functionality.
- ✗
Submit a change request to fix the system
Why it's wrong here
Submitting a change request is inappropriate as a first response because change enablement (formerly change management) is concerned with the planned addition, modification, or removal of anything that could have a direct or indirect effect on services. An unexpected service outage is an unplanned event, not a planned modification. While a permanent fix might eventually involve a change, the immediate priority is service restoration via incident management, not initiating a formal change process.
- ✗
Create a service request for user access
Why it's wrong here
Creating a service request is incorrect because service requests are formal requests from users for something standard, pre-defined, and usually low-risk, such as information, advice, or access to a *functioning* service. The scenario describes users *cannot* access a service, indicating a system outage or disruption, which is an incident, not a routine request for a standard service offering or provision.
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on ITIL4F
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. An IT service desk analyst receives a call that users cannot access the CRM system. What should they do FIRST?
medium- ✓ A.Log an incident and restore service as quickly as possible
- B.Raise a change request to modify the CRM system
- C.Start a problem investigation to find the root cause
- D.Submit a service request to grant access to the system
Why A: The first priority in an ITIL 4 incident management process is to restore normal service operation as quickly as possible, minimizing business impact. When users cannot access the CRM system, the analyst must log an incident and work to restore service, not immediately investigate root causes or make changes. This aligns with the ITIL 4 guiding principle of 'Focus on Value' and the incident management objective of rapid restoration.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This ITIL4F practice question is part of Courseiva's free PeopleCert 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 ITIL4F exam.