Introduction

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.

Contents

1. Understand the key concepts of Direct, Plan & Improve
   • Understand the following key terms:
     
     • Direction
     • Planning 
     • Improvement 
     • Operating model 
     • Methods
     • Risks 
     • Scope of control 
   • Understand the differences between the following key concepts:
     
     • Vision and mission 
     • Strategy, tactics and operations 
     • Governance, compliance and management 
     • Policies, controls and guidelines
   • Understand the concepts of value, outcomes, costs & risks and their relationships to direction, planning and improvement 
2. Understand the scope of what is to be directed and/or planned, and know how to use key principles and methods of direction and planning in that context
   • Identify the scope of control and within this:
     
     • Know how to cascade objectives and requirements 
     • Know how to define effective policies, controls and guidelines
     • Know how to place decision-making authority at the correct level
3. Understand the role of Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) and know how to integrate the principles and methods into the service value system
   • Understand the role of risk and risk management in DPI
   • Understand how governance impacts DPI
   • Know how to ensure that controls are sufficient, but not excessive
4. Understand and know how to use the key principles and methods of continual improvement for all types of improvements
   • Know how to use the ITIL continual improvement model to improve the service value system or any part of the SVS
   • Know how to identify assessment objectives, outputs, requirements and criteria 
   • Know how to select an appropriate assessment method for a particular situation
   • Know how to define and prioritize desired outcomes of an improvement
   • Know how to build, justify and advocate for a business case
   • Know how to conduct:
     
     • improvement reviews
     • analysis of lessons learned
   • Know how to embed continual improvement at all levels of the SVS
5. Understand and know how to use the key principles and methods of communication and organizational change management to direction, planning and improvement
   • Understand the nature, scope and potential benefits of organizational change management
   • Know how to use the key principles and methods of Communication & OCM
   • Know how to establish effective interfaces across the value chain
6. Understand and know how to use the key principles and methods of measurement and reporting in direction, planning and improvement
   • Know how to define indicators and metrics to support objectives
7. Understand and know how to direct, plan and improve value streams and practices
   • Understand the differences between value streams and practices and how those differences impact direction, planning and improvement
   • Know how to select and use the appropriate methods and techniques to direct, plan and improve value streams and practices.
     
     • Addressing the 4 dimensions 
     • Applying the guiding principles 
     • Value stream mapping 
     • Optimization of workflow
     • Elimination of waste
     • Ensuring & utilizing feedback