Chapter 3 of 7 · PeopleCert ITIL 5 Foundation
The ITIL Product and Service Lifecycle
Its eight activities from discover to support, and why they are used iteratively, not in order.
- 2topics
- 6 minfast track
- 1diagrams and exhibits
- 10%of the exam
Topics in this chapter
Take them in order, or jump to the one you need.
- 1Lifecycle Activities: Discover, Design, Acquire and BuildThe ITIL Product and Service Lifecycle, why its activities are iterative, and the purpose of the discover, design, acquire and…Diagram3 min
- 2Lifecycle Activities: Transition, Operate, Deliver and SupportThe purpose of the transition, operate, deliver and support activities of the ITIL Product and Service Lifecycle, and how these…3 min
About this chapter
What this chapter covers
The ITIL Product and Service Lifecycle is worth 10 percent of the ITIL Foundation (Version 5) exam, about 4 of the 40 questions. The lifecycle describes how a product or service is created, run and improved over time, through eight activities: discover, design, acquire, build, transition, operate, deliver and support.
The syllabus asks you to list the activities, know the purpose of each, and understand that they are not sequential or linear: they can run in parallel and be revisited as needed.
How the topics fit together
The diagram shows a typical order, but ITIL stresses that real work loops back. Feedback from users of a live service can send a team back to discover or design while the service keeps running.
Most lifecycle questions describe an activity in a sentence and ask which one it is. Learn one short phrase for each: understand needs, define how to meet them, obtain components, create, make available, keep running, provide at agreed levels, help users.
How to use these pages
Each topic page has the same shape, so you can skim for what you need.
- What it is: the idea in plain words.
- How it works: the mechanism, with tables and examples.
- What to remember for the exam: the facts to memorise and how questions are phrased.
- Common mistakes: the classic traps.
- Check yourself: three questions to test your understanding.
Ready for more practice?
The full PeopleCert ITIL 5 Foundation question bank has 527 questions, with timed practice exams and an explanation for every answer.
This study guide is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by PeopleCert. Vendor names, certification names and exam codes are trademarks of their respective owners and are used for identification only.