ITIL4F ITIL Management Practices 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
✓
An incident record, as users are experiencing an unplanned service interruption
An unplanned interruption to a service is an incident. Even though it occurred after maintenance, users are now unable to access the service, which constitutes a loss of service — the definition of an incident. Option A is wrong because a service request is for pre-approved, routine fulfilments, not for reporting an unplanned interruption. Option C is wrong because a change request is used to authorize changes to IT infrastructure, not to record service disruptions. Option D is wrong because a problem record is used to investigate the root cause of incidents, but the immediate issue is an incident that should be logged first.
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 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 that is a normal part of service delivery, typically pre-approved and routine, such as a password reset or access to a standard application. An unplanned login *failure* to the payroll system, however, represents a disruption to an agreed service, not a routine request for a standard offering. Therefore, it falls outside the scope of a service request.
- ✓
An incident record, as users are experiencing an unplanned service interruption
Why this is correct
An incident is defined as an unplanned interruption to an IT service or a reduction in the quality of an IT service. When users cannot access the payroll system due to a login failure, it constitutes an unplanned interruption, directly impacting their ability to perform work. The primary objective upon identifying such an event is the swift restoration of normal service operation to minimize business impact, making an incident record the appropriate initial response.
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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 modify or add something to the IT infrastructure or services, such as implementing a new feature or reversing a previous modification. While reversing a problematic change might be the eventual resolution strategy, the *initial* manifestation of users being unable to log in is an unplanned service disruption. This disruption must first be logged as an incident to track the immediate impact and service restoration efforts, before any remedial change is formally proposed.
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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, with the goal of preventing future recurrences or minimizing their impact. While investigating the root cause of the login failure is crucial for long-term stability, the immediate priority when users are unable to access a critical system is to restore service. Therefore, the initial step is to log an incident to address the active service disruption, and a problem record would typically follow once service is restored, or if recurring incidents indicate an underlying issue.
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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.