Operational Support and Analysis (OSA) - ITIL® v3 Intermediate Service Capability Module Practice Exam

The ITIL Intermediate Qualification: Operational Support and Analysis (OSA) Certificate stands alone as a qualification but is also integrated into the ITIL Intermediate Capability stream and serves as one of the modules leading towards the ITIL Expert Certificate in IT Service Management. This training module, along with its associated exam and certificate, aims to provide, assess, and validate knowledge of industry best practices in service management as outlined in the ITIL Service Lifecycle core publications.

The ITIL Certificate in Operational Support and Analysis equips certificate holders to apply OSA practices in resolving and supporting the service management lifecycle, particularly in key ITIL process, role, and function areas, including:

• Event management
• Incident management
• Request fulfillment
• Problem management
• Access management
• Service desk
• Technical management
• IT operations management
• Application management

Who should take the exam?

Target Candidates for the ITIL Intermediate Qualification: Operational Support and Analysis Certificate encompass a wide range of professionals, including:

• IT professionals
• Business managers
• Business process owners
• Those needing a comprehensive understanding of ITIL Operational Support and Analysis processes to enhance IT service support quality within their organization
• Professionals working in organizations that have adopted ITIL and are involved in ongoing service improvement programs
• Operational staff engaged in various ITIL processes and functions seeking to enhance their role-based capabilities
• Individuals with the ITIL Foundation Certificate seeking to advance to higher-level ITIL certifications
• Those pursuing the ITIL Expert Certificate, for which this qualification may serve as a prerequisite module
• Individuals aiming for progress towards the ITIL Master Certificate, where the ITIL Expert qualification is a prerequisite.

Exam Prerequisite Entry Criteria:

Individuals desiring training and assessment for this qualification must possess the ITIL Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management and must provide documented proof of this credential for admission.

Candidates holding the following ITIL qualifications are also eligible, provided they furnish similar evidence:

• Previous ITIL (V2) Foundation plus Foundation Bridge
• ITIL Expert Certificate in IT Service Management (obtained via Service Manager or Practitioner bridging routes).

It is advisable that candidates:

• Demonstrate familiarity with IT terminology and comprehend Operational Support and Analysis within the framework of their own business environment.
• Have prior experience working in a service management role within a service provider setting, with oversight of at least one of the following management disciplines:
  • Event management process
  • Incident management process
  • Request fulfillment process
  • Problem management process
  • Access management process
  • Service desk
  • Technical management
  • IT operations management
  • Application management.

Examination Eligibility:

To qualify for the examination leading to the ITIL Operational Support and Analysis Certificate, candidates must meet the following criteria:

• Completion of at least 30 contact hours (instruction hours, excluding breaks, and excluding summary review time) through an Accredited Training Organization (ATO) or accredited e-learning solution, as part of an authorized training course or program.
  
• Ideally, possess 2 to 4 years of professional experience in IT service management.
• Possession of the ITIL Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management (or appropriate earlier ITIL qualifications and bridge certifications – refer to Prerequisite Entry Criteria on page 5).
• Additionally, it is advisable for candidates to undertake a minimum of 12 hours of self-study by reviewing the syllabus and relevant sections within the ITIL Service Operation core guidance in preparation for the examination, particularly Chapter 2: Service management as a practice.

Exam Details

• Exam Name: Operational Support and Analysis (OSA) - ITIL® v3 Intermediate Service Capability
• Exam Languages: English
• Exam Questions: Eight questions per paper
• Time: 90 minutes
• Passing Score: 28 marks required to pass (out of 40 available) - 70%

Course Outline 

The exam covers the given topics  - 

Topic 1: Overview of operational support and analysis

• The value to the business of OSA activities
• The lifecycle within the OSA context
• Optimizing service operation performance.

Topic 2: Event management

• The event management process inclusive of its design strategy, components, activities and operation including its organizational structure, as well as any interfaces with other processes
• Efficient event management and provision of examples showing how it is used to ensure service quality within OSA
• The benefits and business value that can be gained from event management.

Topic 3: Understand Incident management

• The incident management process inclusive of its components, activities and operation including its organizational structure, as well as any interfaces with other processes
• The measurement model and the metrics that would be used to support incident management within OSA practices
• The benefits and business value that can be gained from incident management.

Topic 4: Request fulfilment

• The request fulfilment process inclusive of its components, activities and operation including its organizational structure, as well as any interfaces with other processes
• The measurement model and the metrics that would be used to support incident management within OSA practices
• The benefits and business value that can be gained from request fulfilment as related to OSA.

Topic 5: Learn about Problem management

• The end-to-end process flow for problem management inclusive of problem analysis techniques, error detection, components, activities and operation including its organizational structure, as well as any interfaces with other processes
• A measurement model and the metrics that would be used to support problem management within OSA practices
• The benefits and business value that can be gained from problem management.

Topic 6: Access management

• The end-to-end process flow for access management process inclusive of components, activities and operation including its organizational structure, as well as any interfaces with other processes
• A measurement model and the metrics that would be used to support access management within OSA practices
• The benefits and business value that can be gained from access management as related to OSA.

Topic 7: The service desk

• The complete end-to-end process flow for the service desk function inclusive of design strategy, components, activities and operation, as well as any interfaces with other processes or lifecycle phases
• The service desk validation components and activities (e.g. service desk role, organizational structures, challenges, issues safeguards, etc.) and how these test components are used to ensure service quality within OSA
• A measurement model and the metrics that would be used to support the service desk function within OSA practices.

Topic 8: Functions and Roles

• The end-to-end process flow for OSA functions (i.e. technical management, IT operations management, and applications management) inclusive of design strategy, objectives, components, activities, roles and operation including its organizational structure, as well as any interfaces with other processes
• The roles within each OSA process and generic roles
• The benefits and business value that can be gained from functions as related to OSA.

Topic 9: Understand Technology and implementation considerations

• Technology requirements for service management tools and where/how they would be used within OSA for process implementation
• What best practices should be used in order to alleviate challenges and risks when implementing service management technologies.