ITIL4F ITIL Service Value System Practice Question
An organization'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?
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
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An incident record, as users are experiencing an unplanned service interruption
An unplanned interruption to a service is classified as an incident. The users' inability to log in to the payroll system after maintenance constitutes a service disruption, so an incident record should be raised to manage the restoration of normal service. Option A is incorrect because a change request is used to plan and control changes, not to record service failures. Option B is incorrect because a problem record seeks to identify the root cause of incidents, but the immediate need is to log the disruption as an incident first. Option C is incorrect because a service request is for pre-approved, routine requests (e.g., password resets), not for reporting unexpected service outages.
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 change request, to reverse the changes made during the maintenance window
Why it's wrong here
A change request is a formal proposal to add, modify, or remove anything that could have a direct or indirect effect on services. While reversing a recent change might indeed be the eventual solution to the login failure, the initial high volume of calls due to an unplanned service disruption must first be logged as an incident. A change request is the mechanism to implement a solution, not the initial record for an unexpected service failure itself.
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A problem record, to investigate the root cause of the login failure
Why it's wrong here
A problem record is created to identify the root cause of one or more incidents and to prevent future recurrence. Problem management focuses on diagnosis and permanent solutions, which is a proactive or reactive activity after an incident has occurred or a trend is observed. The immediate priority when users cannot access a critical system is to restore service functionality as quickly as possible, which is the domain of incident management, not root cause analysis.
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A service request, to fulfil the users' need to access the payroll system
Why it's wrong here
A service request is a formal request from a user for something standard, pre-defined, and usually low-risk, such as information, advice, or access to a service component. The inability of users to log into the payroll system is an unplanned disruption to an existing service, not a routine request for a standard offering. Users are experiencing a failure, not making a request for a pre-approved action.
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An incident record, as users are experiencing an unplanned service interruption
Why this is correct
An incident is defined as an unplanned interruption to a service or a reduction in the quality of a service. The scenario explicitly describes users experiencing an unplanned inability to access the payroll system, which constitutes a clear service interruption. The primary objective of incident management is to restore normal service operation as quickly as possible, minimizing the negative business impact, making an incident record the appropriate initial response.
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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.