ITIL4F Four Dimensions of IT Service Management Practice Question
An organisation's IT service desk is receiving a high volume of calls about users being unable to log in to the payroll system following a scheduled maintenance window. According to ITIL 4, what type of record should be raised?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse a high volume of related incidents with a problem record, but ITIL 4 defines a problem as the cause of one or more incidents, not the incidents themselves, so the initial record must be an incident to address the service disruption.
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
✓
An incident record
An incident record is correct because the users are unable to log in to the payroll system, which represents an unplanned interruption or reduction in the quality of an IT service. According to ITIL 4, an incident is any event that disrupts or could disrupt a service, and restoring normal service operation as quickly as possible is the primary goal of incident 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.
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A problem record
Why it's wrong here
A problem record is initiated to identify the underlying root cause of one or more incidents, aiming to prevent their recurrence. While a high volume of incidents might trigger problem management activities, the immediate and initial action for each individual service disruption is to log it as an incident. Problem management is a reactive or proactive process focused on long-term prevention, not the initial reporting of service degradation.
- ✓
An incident record
Why this is correct
An incident record is the correct classification for any unplanned interruption to an IT service or a reduction in its quality. The primary objective of incident management is to restore normal service operation as quickly as possible, minimizing business impact. A high volume of calls to a service desk directly indicates multiple service disruptions requiring immediate attention and logging as incidents.
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A service request
Why it's wrong here
A service request is a formal user request for something standard, pre-defined, and typically low-risk, such as information, advice, or access to a service. Unlike an incident, a service request is a planned and expected interaction, often fulfilled through automated processes. A high volume of calls due to an unplanned service issue clearly falls outside the scope of routine, pre-approved service requests.
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A change request
Why it's wrong here
A change request, or Request for Change (RFC), is a formal proposal to modify an IT service, product, or system, ensuring controlled and beneficial alterations. Its purpose is to manage the lifecycle of planned modifications, not to report existing service disruptions. While a change might be required to resolve the underlying issue causing incidents, the initial reporting of an unplanned service interruption is never a change request.
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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.