ITIL 4 Strategist: Direct, Plan & Improve Training
The Direct, Plan and Improve (DPI) Certification is part of the ITIL 4 Managing Professional and Strategic Leader Track. The course/certification was designed to provide candidates with the practical skills necessary to create IT organizations centered on ‘Learning and improving’ from a practical and strategic direction.
ITIL 4 Strategist: Direct, Plan, & Improve
Course Overview
When you complete this class you will:
- Understand the scope of what is to be directed and/or planned
- Know how to use key principles and methods of direction
- Be able to plan using key principles and methods
- Know how to define effective policies, controls and guidelines
- Understand the role of risk and risk management in DPI
- Identify how governance impacts DPI
- Know how to ensure controls are sufficient and not excessive
- Understand the nature, scope and potential benefits of organizational change management
- Facilitate key principles and methods of communications and OCM
- Identify and manage all types of stakeholders
- Effectively communicate and influence others
- Create effective feedback channels
- Understand how Lean and Agile methods can be leveraged
- How to successfully apply DPI Concepts in the real world
- How to create a “learning and improving" IT organization
- Be prepared to pass the official ITIL 4 Direct, Plan, and Improve Course
Course Outline
- Lesson 1: Introduction to Direct, Plan & Improve
- ITIL 4 Certification Overview
- Direct, Plan & Improve Publications
- Direct Plan & Improve Learning Outcomes
- Lesson 2: Direct, Plan & Improve: Key Concepts
- Key DPI Concepts
- Key DPI Terms
- How Value, Outcomes, Costs and Risks Relate to DPI
- Measurement and Reporting
- Lesson 3: Understanding ‘Scope’ and Applying Direct, Plan & Improve
- Strategic Planning
- Cascading Objectives
- Policies, Controls and Guidelines
- Decision Making Authority
- Lesson 4: The Role of Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) and The Service Value System
- The Role of Governance, Risk and Compliance
- How to Integrate Governance, Risk and Compliance into the SVS
- Risk Management in DPI
- Governance and DPI
- Lesson 5: Continual Improvement
- Key Principles and Methods
- Continual Improvement Model
- Lesson 6: Continual Improvement: Assessment Methods
- How to Identify Assessment Criteria
- Data Collection
- Selecting Assessment Methods
- Assessment Methods and Outputs
- Lesson 7: Continual Improvement: Where do we want to be?
- Defining the Next Point
- Priority and Scope
- Outcomes
- Take Action
- Lesson 8: Continual Improvement: Keeping Up Momentum
- Keeping People Engaged
- Lessons Learned Analysis
- Measurement and Reporting Practice
- Lesson 9: Organizational Change Management (OCM) and Communication
- Key Principles
- OCM Purpose and Application
- Key Terms, Principles and Scope
- Lesson 10: Organizational Change Management: Practice Success Factors (PSFs)
- Types of PCFs
- Key Metrics
- OCM and the SVC
- Lesson 11: Organizational Change Management: Stakeholders
- Identifying and Managing Stakeholders
- Lesson 12: Organizational Change Management: Communication Principles
- Types of Effective Communication
- Communication Feedback Channels
- Effective Interfaces
- Lesson 13: Measurement and Reporting in Direct, Plan & Improve
- Key Terms and Definitions
- Reporting Good Practices
- Types of Measurement
- Lesson 14: Measure & Report: Planning and Evaluation Model
- Purposed and Objectives of the Planning and Evaluation Model
- Balanced Scorecard
- Success Factors and KPIs
- Lesson 15: Direct, Plan & Improve Value Streams and Practices
- Differences Between Value Streams and Practices
- Value Stream Mapping
- Measuring the Four Dimensions
- Workflow
- Feedback
- Lesson 16: Value Streams & Practices: Apply Guiding Principles to Direct, Plan & Improve
- Applying the 7 Guiding Principles
- Optimizing and Creating Workflows
- Efficient Designs and Workflow Metrics
- Theory of Constraints and Kanban
- Institutionalizing Change
- Lesson 17: Summary
Intended Audience
- Individuals continuing of their journey in service management
- ITSM managers and aspiring ITSM managers
- Managers of all levels involved in shaping direction and strategy or developing a continually improving team
Prerequisites
- Delegates must hold ITIL4 Foundation certification.
- In order to take this exam students must have completed an accredited Direct, Plan and Improve course.
Exam Details:
- The DPI exam is a closed book exam
- Publications are not permitted to be used in the exam
- The exam is 90 minutes in duration
- Students taking the exam in a language that is not their native language are awarded 25% extra time
- There are 40 questions, each worth 1 mark
- You need to get 28 questions correct (70%) to pass the exam
- The questions are all multiple choice
Related training topics
Justify your training
Use this sample request letter — copy it into an email to your manager and personalize the bracketed details to make the case for the time and budget.
Sample training request letter
Subject: Request for DevOps & IT Service Management training from Applied Technology Academy
[Decision Maker Name],
I'm writing to request time and budget approval to complete Applied Technology Academy's course, ITIL 4 Strategist: Direct, Plan & Improve Training. The information below outlines how this training benefits our organization, the tasks I'll be able to perform after completing it, and relevant cost and funding details.
Course Description
The Direct, Plan and Improve (DPI) Certification is part of the ITIL 4 Managing Professional and Strategic Leader Track. The course/certification was designed to provide candidates with the practical skills necessary to create IT organizations centered on ‘Learning and improving’ from a practical and strategic direction. Applied Technology Academy is an award-winning, SBA-certified woman-owned training provider (est. 2008) whose instructors are active practitioners; the course is hands-on with virtual labs and a learn-by-doing methodology.
Course Objectives
Once I've completed the course, I'll have hands-on, job-ready skills in devops & it service management that I can apply immediately to our work.
Expected Organizational Benefits
After completing this course, I will be better equipped to apply these skills directly to our projects, reduce our reliance on outside expertise, strengthen our team's capabilities, and share what I learn with colleagues.
Expected Cost & Funding
Course fee: [request an itemized quote at the link below]. Applied Technology Academy supports multiple funding paths that may reduce or cover this cost: GSA MAS purchasing and government purchase orders, military credentialing funding (Army CA, AF COOL, CG COOL), VA GI Bill and VR&E, ATA Flexible Spending, and student financing. Private team cohorts are available if colleagues should attend with me.
Conclusion
This training provides practical, hands-on experience I can apply immediately to strengthen our work in devops & it service management. Additional course information is available at https://appliedtechnologyacademy.com/itil-training/itil-4-strategist-direct-plan-improve/.
Thank you for your consideration,
[Your Name]
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