ITIL4F ITIL Guiding Principles Practice Question
Which TWO of the following are ITIL 4 guiding principles?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse generic project management advice (like 'Plan before acting') or extreme automation concepts ('Automate everything') with the actual ITIL 4 guiding principles, which are specifically defined and limited to seven core statements.
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
✓
Keep it simple and practical
'Keep it simple and practical' is one of the seven ITIL 4 guiding principles, emphasizing that processes should be streamlined and avoid unnecessary complexity to achieve effective service management. Option E is correct because 'Focus on value' is also a core guiding principle, ensuring that all activities directly contribute to delivering value to stakeholders and customers.
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 this is correct
This is one of the seven guiding principles.
- ✗
Plan before acting
Why it's wrong here
This is not an ITIL principle.
- ✗
Document all processes
Why it's wrong here
Documentation is not a principle; Start where you are encourages using existing documentation.
- ✗
Automate everything
Why it's wrong here
The principle is Optimise and automate, not automate everything.
- ✓
Focus on value
Why this is correct
This is one of the seven guiding principles.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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