ITIL 4 Foundation Practice Exam

What is characterized as an unplanned interruption to a service?

1. Issue

2. Incident

3. Problem

4. Service disruption

The correct answer is: Incident

An unplanned interruption to a service is best characterized as an incident. In ITIL 4, an incident is defined as any event that disrupts or could disrupt a service, affecting the normal course of operations. This definition emphasizes the unplanned nature of an incident, which occurs without prior notice and typically requires immediate attention to restore service functionality and minimize disruption. While it might seem that similar terms like "issue," "problem," or "service disruption" could apply, each has its specific definition within ITIL. An issue often refers to a situation that might lead to an incident but is not necessarily characterized by immediate service interruption. A problem, on the other hand, is the root cause of one or more incidents and typically arises during incident management but does not directly describe an interruption. Service disruption implies a broader context of any kind of service failure but lacks the specific focus on the immediate interruption outlined in the definition of an incident.