Course Overview
In service management, while some topics are specialist in nature, others are valuable to all practitioners. Regardless of their organizational role, everyone has the authority to direct something, even if that authority is limited to personal direction. Everyone needs to plan. And everyone should be contributing to, if not leading, improvement.
The Direct Plan Improve publication explores and explains the principles, methods, and techniques that can be universally used to direct, plan, and improve. Tools and templates for implementing this guidance are also included.
When multiple people are involved in business activities, coordination and collaboration are crucial.
Because organizations are usually hierarchical, direction is often provided from the top down. Unless the objectives and actions of groups at different levels of the organization are planned and aligned, their desired outcomes are unlikely to be achieved. Even if they are achieved, poor coordination often results in waste, including missteps, restarts, and rework.
Planning creates a shared understanding of how work will be organized and managed, allowing contributors to understand their roles, and to coordinate and collaborate efficiently and effectively.
Finally, improvement is a critical component of any successful organization. Identifying and acting upon improvement opportunities ensures that the organization will grow and remain successful and competitive over time.
The Direct Plan Improve syllabus covers these areas of prime importance to all service management practitioners.
The ITIL 4 Direct, Plan and Improve (DPI) qualification is intended to provide the candidate with the practical skills necessary to create a ‘learning and improving’ IT organization, with a strong and effective strategic direction. Furthermore, provide practitioners with a practical and strategic method for planning and delivering continual improvement with the necessary agility.
The ITIL 4 Direct, Plan and Improve examination is intended to assess whether the candidate can demonstrate sufficient understanding and application of the concepts covered in the ITIL 4 Direct, Plan and Improve publication to establish a learning and improving IT organization. The ITIL 4 Direct, Plan and Improve qualification is one of the pre-requisites for the designation of ITIL 4 Managing Professional which assesses the candidate’s practical and technical knowledge about how to run successful IT-enabled services, teams and workflows. It is also a pre-requisite for the designation of ITIL 4 Strategic Leader, which assesses the candidate’s ability to build and implement an effective IT and digital strategy that can tackle digital disruption and drive success.
This course is made of 5 half-day modules. ITIL 4 Foundation is a pre-requisite. Prices include exams, digital course material and Take 2.
Course Syllabus
1.1 Understand the following key terms:
a) Direction
b) Planning
c) Improvement
d) Operating model
e) Methods
f) Risks
g) Scope of control
1.2 Understand the differences between the following key concepts:
a) Vision and mission
b) Strategy, tactics and operations
c) Governance, compliance and management
d) Policies, controls and guidelines
1.3 Understand the concepts of value, outcomes, costs & risks and their relationships to direction, planning and improvement
2.1 Identify the scope of control and within this:
a) Know how to cascade objectives and requirements
b) Know how to define effective policies, controls and guidelines
c) Know how to place decision-making authority at the correct level
3.1 Understand the role of risk and risk management in DPI
3.2 Understand how governance impacts DPI
3.3 Know how to ensure that controls are sufficient, but not excessive
4.1 Know how to use the ITIL continual improvement model to improve the service value system or any part of the SVS
4.2 Know how to identify assessment objectives, outputs, requirements and criteria
4.3 Know how to select an appropriate assessment method for a particular situation
4.4 Know how to define and prioritize desired outcomes of an improvement
4.5 Know how to build, justify and advocate for a business case
4.6 Know how to conduct:
a) Improvement reviews
b) Analysis of lessons learned
4.7 Know how to embed continual improvement at all levels of the SVS
5.1 Understand the nature, scope and potential benefits of organizational change management
5.2 Know how to use the key principles and methods of Communication & OCM:
a) Identify and manage different types of stakeholders
b) Effectively communicate with and influence others
c) Establish effective feedback channels
5.3 Know how to establish effective interfaces across the value chain
6.1 Know how to define indicators and metrics to support objectives
7.1 Understand the differences between value streams and practices and how those differences impact direction, planning and improvement
7.2 Know how to select and use the appropriate methods and techniques to direct, plan and improve value streams and practices
a) Addressing the 4 dimensions
b) Applying the guiding principles
c) Value stream mapping
d) Optimization of workflow
e) Elimination of waste
f) Ensuring & utilizing feedback