ITIL4F ITIL Guiding Principles Practice Question
An organization is migrating its CRM system to the cloud. The service owner insists on using a custom-designed solution to maintain full control, even though an off-the-shelf product would meet 90% of requirements at half the cost and with faster deployment. Which ITIL guiding principle is being violated?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse 'Focus on value' with 'Keep it simple and practical,' but the question emphasizes cost and deployment speed as value metrics, not just complexity reduction.
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
✓
Focus on value
The service owner is prioritizing a custom solution for control, ignoring that the off-the-shelf product delivers 90% of requirements at half the cost and faster deployment. This violates the 'Focus on value' principle, which requires all decisions to maximize value for stakeholders, not technical preferences. The custom approach introduces unnecessary cost, delay, and complexity without proportional benefit, directly contradicting value-driven outcomes.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Keep it simple and practical
Why it's wrong here
The 'Keep it simple and practical' guiding principle advocates for using the minimum number of steps or components necessary to achieve an outcome, avoiding unnecessary complexity. While a custom solution might introduce more complexity than an off-the-shelf product, the primary issue highlighted in the scenario is its failure to deliver optimal value due to higher costs and longer timelines, rather than merely its inherent complexity. The principle focuses on streamlining processes and solutions, but the core problem here is a misjudgment of value proposition.
- ✗
Progress iteratively with feedback
Why it's wrong here
The 'Progress iteratively with feedback' guiding principle emphasizes breaking down work into smaller, manageable iterations, gathering feedback at each stage to ensure continuous improvement and alignment with requirements. This principle is crucial for execution and adaptation during a project, but the scenario describes a strategic decision regarding the fundamental type of solution (custom vs. off-the-shelf). It does not pertain to the methodology of development or deployment, making it less relevant to the initial choice based on cost-benefit analysis.
- ✗
Collaborate and promote visibility
Why it's wrong here
The 'Collaborate and promote visibility' guiding principle stresses the importance of working together across all relevant teams and stakeholders, ensuring information is shared openly and decisions are transparent. The question stem focuses on a strategic or technical decision about a CRM migration and the choice of solution type. There is no indication within the scenario that a lack of collaboration, transparency, or communication breakdowns are impeding the organization's ability to make the optimal choice for its CRM system.
- ✓
Focus on value
Why this is correct
The 'Focus on value' guiding principle is paramount in ITIL 4, dictating that all activities performed by the organization must directly or indirectly contribute to value for its stakeholders. In this scenario, choosing a custom solution that is more expensive and time-consuming than an off-the-shelf alternative offering sufficient functionality directly contradicts the objective of maximizing value. This principle mandates selecting the option that provides the best balance of cost, time, and required functionality to achieve the organization's strategic objectives efficiently.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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