Large batch sizes of work are considered a barrier to high performance in Lean and Agile because they increase the amount of work in progress (WIP), which leads to longer cycle times, higher variability, lower quality, and reduced feedback and learning. Large batches also increase the risk of waste, rework, and delays, as well as the complexity and uncertainty of the work. Lean and Agile advocate for reducing batch sizes and limiting WIP, which enables faster flow, shorter feedback loops, higher quality, and more value delivery. Some of the practices that help reduce batch sizes and limit WIP are:

• Pulling versus pushing work, which means that work is initiated only when there is a demand and capacity for it, rather than being assigned or scheduled in advance.
• Making work visible, which means that the status and progress of work are transparent and accessible to all stakeholders, using tools such as Kanban boards, burn-down charts, and dashboards.
• Limiting work-in-progress, which means that the number of work items in each stage of the workflow is restricted, based on the available resources and throughput, to prevent bottlenecks and overloading. References: 

A digital organization is an organization that leverages digital technology to create value for its customers, employees, and other stakeholders. A digital organization is not just an organization that uses IT to support its operational processes, or an organization that has undergone an IT transformation, or an organization that uses IT to improve its ‘service desk’ practice. These are examples of IT-enabled organizations, but not necessarily digital organizations. A digital organization is an organization that uses IT to change its strategic direction, to create new business models, to innovate and differentiate itself from competitors, and to deliver value faster and more effectively. A digital organization is an organization that adopts a digital mindset, culture, andcapabilities to thrive in the digital era. References:https://www.axelos.com/resource-hub/blog/itil-4-leader-dits-guide-for-digital-transformation

https://assets.website-files.com/6372a610b17ef0b86547d1ae/6400e103a11a9d3d6dc0abb7_ITIL4_Digital%20and%20IT%20Strategy_Syllabus.pdf

Onboarding is one of the six activities in the service value chain, which is the set of interconnected activities that an organization performs to deliver a valuable product or service to its consumers and other stakeholders1. Onboarding involves providing the consumer with the agreed service and ensuring that they can use it as intended1. This includes building awareness of the new consumer, such as informing them about theservice features, benefits, and costs, as well as ensuring resources are prepared for service provision, such as allocating staff, equipment, and facilities2. Negotiating service targets with customers is part of the engage activity, which involves understanding the needs and expectations of the stakeholders and establishing agreements on how to meet them1. Designing the service components and infrastructure is part of the design and transition activity, which involves ensuring that products and services continually meet stakeholder expectations for quality, costs, and time to market1. References:

• ITIL 4 Foundation: Service Value Chain
• Transforming customer journeys with ITIL 4 DSV

Customer orientation is an approach to business that focuses on assisting customers in achieving their goals, as opposed to adopting a sales oriented methodology12. It involves understanding the needs, expectations, and preferences of the customers and delivering value that meets or exceeds them. Customer orientation also implies adapting to the feedback and behavior of the customers and tailoring the service accordingly. Therefore, when a service support agent adjusts support actions following a call from a frustrated user, they are demonstrating customer orientation, as they are trying to resolve the user’s issue in a way that suits their emotional state and satisfaction level. Customer orientation is one of the key concepts in ITIL 4, as it helps to create value co-creation and drive stakeholder value34. It is also aligned with the ITIL guiding principles of focus on value, collaborate and promote visibility, and keep it simple and practical34. References:

• The customer journey and ITIL 4 | Axelos3
• Holistic IT – a non-siloed approach with ITIL 4 | Axelos4
• Customer Orientation: What it Is and How to Implement It [+Examples]1
• Mastering Customer Orientation: Definition, Importance and Strategies2

The best way for the organization to collect the information needed to address the complaints is to collect customer experience and service level metrics. Customerexperience metrics are measures of how customers perceive the quality and value of the service and the interactions they have with the service provider. Service level metrics are measures of how well the service meets the agreed requirements and expectations of the customers and users. By collecting both types of metrics, the organization can identify the gaps and issues in the service delivery and the customer journey, and take actions to improve them. Some examples of customer experience metrics are customer satisfaction, net promoter score, customer effort score, and customer loyalty. Some examples of service level metrics are availability, reliability, performance, and incident resolution time. References:https://www.axelos.com/resource-hub/blog/itil-4-leads-to-value

https://www.genroe.com/blog/what-is-the-role-of-customer-feedback-in-the-itil-framework/861

The correct answer is B. The service value chain because it is the core component of the ITIL 4 service management framework that describes how an organization orchestrates its IT capabilities to achieve its strategic objectives. The service value chain is an operating model that covers all the key activities to flexibly manage products and services1. It consists of six interconnected value chain activities: plan, improve, engage, design and transition, obtain/build, and deliver and support2.

Option A is not correct because the four dimensions of service management are not an operating model, but rather a holistic perspective that should be considered for the effective and efficient facilitation of value co-creation2. The four dimensions are: organizations and people, information and technology, partners and suppliers, and value streams and processes2.

Option C is not correct because the ITIL guiding principles are not an operating model, but rather a set of recommendations that can guide an organization in all circumstances, regardless of changes in its goals, strategies, type of work, or management structure2. The ITIL guiding principles are: focus on value, start where youare, progress iteratively with feedback, collaborate and promote visibility, think and work holistically, keep it simple and practical, and optimize and automate2.

Option D is not correct because continual improvement is not an operating model, but rather a recurring organizational activity performed at all levels to ensure that an organization’s performance continually meets stakeholders’ expectations2. Continual improvement is based on the continual improvement model, which consists of four steps: what is the vision, where are we now, where do we want to be, and how do we get there2.

References: : ITIL 4 Models - A New Operating Model in ITIL 4 - KnowledgeHut : ITIL® 4 Managing Professional Transition Course Online - Simplilearn

The value chain activity that ensures that products and services continually meet stakeholder expectations for quality, costs and time to market is design and transition. This activity involves the following steps12:

• Defining the requirements and specifications of the products and services based on the demand and feedback from the customers and other stakeholders.
• Designing the products and services according to the requirements and specifications, as well as the best practices and standards of the organization and the industry.
• Developing and testing the products and services to ensure that they meet the quality criteria and the expected outcomes.
• Deploying and releasing the products and services to the customers and users, ensuring that they are ready for use and operation.
• Validating and evaluating the products and services to ensure that they deliver the intended value and meet the stakeholder expectations.
• Transitioning the products and services from the development stage to the operational stage, ensuring that they are integrated with the existing processes, systems and resources of the organization. References: 1: ITIL 4 Create, Deliver and Support, AXELOS, 2019, p. 23-24 2: Value Chain Activity: Design & Transition - Altervista, 3

The communication principle that the organization is applying is that there is no single method of communicating that works for everyone. Different communication methods have different advantages and disadvantages, and different audiences may prefer or respond better to different modes of communication. By providing information on the IT portal, sending emails, and holding meetings with affected groups, the organization is using a variety of communication methods to maximize their reach and effectiveness. They are also ensuring that the information is consistent and clear across all channels, and that they can receive feedback and questions from the stakeholders. This communication principle is one of the five principles of good communication based on ITIL 4 concepts1, and it is also related to the ITIL 4 guiding principle of collaborate and promote visibility2, which emphasizes the importance of sharing information and knowledge across the organization and with external partners. References:

• Using ITIL’s concepts: 5 principles of good communication1
• The 7 ITIL 4 Guiding Principles: Explained in Detail2

Toyota Kata is a way of managing teams, teaching them to adopt the methods used and perfected by Toyota. It is based on the idea of practicing routines or patterns that help people learn new skills and behaviors. By encouraging the practicing of routines to unlearn old habits and learn new ones, managers can help employees adjust to the different ways of working that Agile and DevOps require. For example, managers can use the Improvement Kata to help teams set challenging goals, experiment with solutions, learn from obstacles, and adapt to changing conditions. Managers can also use the Coaching Kata to provide feedback and guidance to teams, and help them develop scientific thinking and problem-solving skills. References:

• Toyota Kata - Wikipedia
• What is the Toyota Kata? | Kanban Tool
• Toyota Kata - Habits for Continuous Improvements

 Omnichannel management is the practice of providing a consistent and integrated user experience across multiple channels of communication, such as phone, email, web, chat, video, social media, etc. Omnichannel management enables users to access support through their preferred channel and switch between channels seamlessly. Omnichannel management also allows the service provider to collect and analyze user feedback and behavior data from different channels to improve the service quality and user satisfaction. A web hosting provider that wants to apply more of a ‘shift left’ approach to service support should use omnichannel management to expand how users access support and improve the user experience. By offering video tutorials, instant messaging, and social networks as additional channels of support, the service provider can empower users to solve simple problems independently, reduce the workload of the service desk, and enhance the user engagement and loyalty. References:

• ITIL® 4 High-velocity IT (HVIT) - Your companion to the ITIL 4 Managing Professional HVIT certification, Chapter 8: Co-creating value with users and customers
• ITIL 4 Specialist: High-Velocity IT Training, Course Outline, Module 3: Working with customers and stakeholders in the digital world
• A guide to understanding the shift left approach - LogRocket Blog

The service value system is a model that describes how all the components and activities of an organization work together as a system to enable value creation. The service value system consists of five elements: governance, service value chain, practices, guiding principles, and continual improvement. Governance is the means by which an organization is directed and controlled. It ensures that the organization’s strategy, policies, and objectives are aligned with the value proposition and the stakeholder needs. Service value chain is a set of interconnected activities that an organization performs to deliver a valuable product or service to its consumers and to facilitate value realization. Practices are sets of organizational resources designed for performing work or accomplishing an objective. Practices include processes, roles, tools, techniques, and methods that enable the organization to carry out its work effectively and efficiently. The other two elements of the service value system are guiding principles and continual improvement, which are not part of the answer options. References:

• The ITIL 4 Service Value System Explained - ITSM.tools
• Service Value System in ITIL 4 Explained | Sprintzeal

The seven guiding principles of ITIL 4 are not meant to be applied equally or rigidly in every situation. Rather, they are intended to provide guidance and encourage decision making and continual improvement at all levels. Therefore, when an organization is making a decision, it should review each guiding principle to decide how relevant it is to the specific decision, and use the ones that are most appropriate and helpful. For example, some decisions may require more collaboration and visibility than others, or some decisions may benefit from more iteration and feedback than others. The guiding principles are not rules or prescriptions, but rather suggestions and recommendations that can help the organization achieve its objectives and deliver value to its stakeholders. References:

• The 7 Guiding Principles of ITIL 4 - IFS Blog1
• The 7 ITIL 4 Guiding Principles: Explained in Detail2
• The Seven ITIL 4 Guiding Principles & Business Value - Belgium3

 The best approach for validating service value in a partnership relationship with a service consumer is to work together to identify methods of checking service value andcheck that value propositions are still valid. This is because this approach aligns with the ITIL 4 guiding principles of focus on value, collaborate and promote visibility, and progress iteratively with feedback1.

By working together, the service provider and the service consumer can co-create value and ensure that the services delivered meet the needs and expectations of the service consumer and other stakeholders. They can also share information and feedback, and adjust the services accordingly to respond to changing requirements and opportunities. Moreover, they can jointly define the criteria and indicators for measuring and validating the value of the services, such as the outcomes, costs, risks, and benefits23.

The value propositions of the services are the statements that describe the benefits and value that the services offer to the service consumer and other stakeholders. They are based on the understanding of the service consumer’s needs, preferences, and goals. The value propositions should be regularly reviewed and validated to ensure that they are still relevant and accurate, and that they reflect the current and future value of the services45.

The other options are not the best approach for validating service value, because they are either too narrow, too passive, or too reactive. They do not involve the active collaboration and co-creation of value between the service provider and the service consumer, nor do they account for the complexity and agility of the services provided.

References: 1: ITIL 4 Foundation: ITIL 4 Edition, AXELOS, 2019, p. 13-15 2: ITIL 4 Direct, Plan and Improve, AXELOS, 2019, p. 97-98 3: Reporting on value in service management, AXELOS, 2021, 3 4: ITIL 4 Create, Deliver and Support, AXELOS, 2019, p. 17-18 5: ITIL 4 Drive Stakeholder Value, AXELOS, 2019, p. 25-26

Digital transformation is the process of using digital technologies to create new or modify existing business processes, culture, and customer experiences to meet changing business and market requirements1. It is not just about implementing new technology, but also about changing the way an organization operates and delivers value to its customers. High velocity IT is one of the four dimensions of service management in ITIL 4, which refers to the rapid delivery and operation of IT-enabled products and services that can continuously evolve2. Digital organization and IT transformation are not specific terms defined in ITIL 4, but they could be related to digital transformation in some contexts. References:

• ITIL 4 and Digital Transformation
• [ITIL 4 Foundation: High Velocity IT]