Course Overview
The ITIL® best practice provides proven guidance to support organizations on their digital transformation journey. ITIL® 4 is the next iteration that incorporates all the best from previous versions and expands on this body of knowledge, by providing a practical and flexible approach to support organizations with a focus on delivering customer outcomes and value through IT-enabled services.
ITIL® 4 provides an end-to-end operating model for the delivery and operation of tech-enabled products and services. It enables IT teams to continue to play a crucial role in wider business strategy and integrates concepts from other industry best practices such as Lean, Agile and DevOps. This is a full training package that includes the knowledge transfer as well as the associated certification exam.
The advanced-level ITIL® 4 Managing Professional courses have been developed for IT practitioners working within technology and digital teams across organizations. To obtain the ITIL® 4 Managing Professional designation, the candidate needs to complete all courses in the ITIL® 4 Managing Professional stream:
- ITIL® 4 Specialist: Create, Deliver and Support
- ITIL® 4 Specialist: Drive Stakeholder Value
- ITIL® 4 Specialist: High Velocity IT
- ITIL® 4 Strategist: Direct Plan and Improve
The ITIL® 4 Strategist: Direct Plan and Improve (DPI) course provides an understanding on:
- The practical skills necessary to create a ‘learning and improving’ IT organization, with a strong and effective strategic direction
- The scope and activities relevant to Direct and Plan
- The role of governance, risk and compliance and how to integrate the principles and methods into the service value system
- Using the key principles and methods of Organizational Change Management to direct, plan and improve
The ITIL® 4 Strategist: Direct Plan and Improve (DPI) course is also a required certification to achieve the ITIL ® 4 Strategic Leader designation, along with the required ITIL® 4 Digital and IT Strategy certification.
This course has a focus on the following aspects of the ITIL® 4 Service Value Chain:
- Plan
- Improve
- Governance elements (Direct) from the Service Value System (SVS)
Duration
- This three-day training is offered in a virtual classroom, led live by an instructor.
- Students will receive an exam voucher that allows them to schedule their ITIL® Strategist: Deliver Plan and Implement exam for a convenient date / time / location after completion of the training session – the exam will be remotely proctored (requires a webcam and internet access)
Delivery Methods
- Instructor led virtual classroom with a recommended maximum of 8 students per session
Self-paced study format via a Learning Management System
Prerequisites
- The candidate must have passed the ITIL® 4 Foundation examination OR the ITIL® 4 Managing Professional Transition examination
- Attendance in an accredited training course for this module and successful completion of the certificate exam
- Exam details:
- 90 minutes
- Candidates taking the exam in a language that is not their native or working language may be awarded 25% extra time, i.e. 113 minutes in total.
- ‘Closed book’ examination, 40 multiple choice questions, 70% or higher pass mark (28 or above correct out of 40)
Audience
- Managers of all levels involved in shaping direction and strategy or developing a continually improving team
- Individuals continuing their journey in service management
- ITSM managers, directors and process owners/managers
- ITSM practitioners managing the operation of IT-enabled & digital products and services
- Existing ITIL ® qualification holders wishing to develop their knowledge
Program Objective
The ITIL® 4 Define Plan and Improve (DPI) course learning objectives include:
- Providing the practical skills necessary to create a ‘learning and improving’ IT organization, with a strong and effective strategic direction
- Providing a practical and strategic method for planning and delivering continual improvement with the necessary agility
Course Content
The ITIL® 4 Define Plan and Improve (DPI) course content includes:
Understand the key concepts of Direct, Plan & Improve and their relationship to directing, planning & improving, including:
- Direction, planning and improvement
- Operating model
- Risks
- Scope of control
- Value
- Outcomes
- Costs and risks and their relationships to direction, planning & improvement
- Cascade goals and requirements
- Define effective policies, controls and guidelines
- Place decision-making authority at the correct levelDifferences between:
- Vision and mission
- Strategy, tactics and operations
- Governance, compliance and management
- Policies, controls and guidelines
Understand how to set the scope of what is to be directed and/or planned, and know how to use key principles and methods of direction and planning, including how to:



