ITIL4F Key Concepts of IT Service Management Practice Question
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit. ``` SLA: Gold Support Target: 99.9% Availability Current: 99.5% Availability ```
The exhibit shows a service level agreement (SLA) target and current performance. Which action should be taken to address this?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates assume a small gap is acceptable (Option B) or that renegotiation (Option C) is a quick fix, but ITIL 4 requires evidence-based decisions and prioritizes improving service performance over adjusting targets.
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
✓
Investigate and implement improvements to increase availability
The correct action is to investigate and implement improvements to increase availability because the current performance (e.g., 97.5%) is below the SLA target (e.g., 99.9%), and the gap is not within any defined tolerance. ITIL 4 emphasizes continuous improvement, so the service provider should analyze root causes (e.g., using incident management data) and apply corrective measures to meet the agreed target.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Penalize the service provider financially
Why it's wrong here
While financial penalties, often termed service credits, can be stipulated in a contract for failing to meet Service Level Agreement (SLA) targets, they are a consequence rather than a proactive ITIL-aligned action. The immediate focus should be on understanding the underlying performance issues and implementing constructive improvements to restore service levels. Solely penalizing the provider does not resolve the service deficiency or prevent future occurrences, which is contrary to ITIL's emphasis on continual improvement and value co-creation.
- ✗
Ignore the gap as it is within acceptable tolerance
Why it's wrong here
Ignoring a gap in service performance, even if numerically small (e.g., 0.4% below target), contradicts the fundamental ITIL principle of 'progress iteratively with feedback' and the Continual Improvement practice. Any deviation from agreed-upon Service Level Agreement (SLA) targets signifies a potential impact on value delivery and warrants investigation. Dismissing such a shortfall as 'acceptable tolerance' risks customer dissatisfaction and allows underlying issues to persist, potentially escalating into more significant problems.
- ✗
Renegotiate the SLA to lower the target
Why it's wrong here
Renegotiating a Service Level Agreement (SLA) to lower a target should be considered a last resort, typically only after thorough investigation reveals that the current target is genuinely unachievable with reasonable effort or if business requirements have fundamentally shifted. The initial and preferred ITIL approach is to identify the root causes of underperformance and implement improvements to meet the established target. Prematurely lowering the target avoids addressing the core problem and may reduce the value delivered to the customer.
- ✓
Investigate and implement improvements to increase availability
Why this is correct
When a service level target, such as availability, is not met, the most appropriate and ITIL-aligned action is to proactively investigate the root causes of the shortfall. This involves identifying contributing factors, designing, and implementing specific improvements to enhance the service's performance and reliability. This approach directly aligns with the Continual Improvement practice, aiming to restore and ideally exceed the agreed-upon service levels, thereby ensuring the delivery of expected value to the customer.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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