Practices help organisations perform work in a consistent and effective way.
ITIL defines 34 management practices.
These practices are grouped into three categories: general management practices, service management practices, and technical management practices.
Not all practices are required in every organisation.
Practices should be adapted based on organisational context, size, and needs.
The value of a practice depends on how well it supports value creation.
Practices can be combined and used together to support service value chain activities.
2. How This Applies to TakeCars (Car Rental Marketplace)
This video sets the frame for the practice-heavy part of ITIL, and the key message is adaptation, not completeness.
a) TakeCars does not need “all 34 practices”
For TakeCars:
- Implementing all practices formally would be wasteful
- What matters is whether practices support value creation
Early-stage or scaling marketplaces succeed by:
- Using a small number of practices well
- Keeping them lightweight and outcome-focused
This is fully aligned with ITIL 4.
b) Practices as capability bundles, not bureaucracy
Each practice is a reusable capability:
- People
- Rules
- Data
- Tools
- Partners
For example, at TakeCars:
- Incident management exists even without a ticketing system
- Service level management exists even without formal SLAs
- Relationship management exists even without account managers
The exam recognises this implicit adoption.
c) Selecting the right practices for TakeCars
High-impact practices for a car rental marketplace typically include:
- Incident management
- Service request management
- Problem management
- Service level management
- Relationship management
- Supplier (partner) management
- Information security management
- Continual improvement
Others may remain minimal or informal.
d) Exam-critical insight
If the exam asks:
“How should practices be applied?”
Correct logic:
- Practices should be adapted
- Not all practices are mandatory
- Context matters
Answers implying:
- All practices must be fully implemented
Are incorrect.
3. Key Things to Read / Remember Right Before the Exam
Practices overview (high probability)
- ITIL defines 34 practices
- Grouped into three categories
- Adapted to organisational context
- Support value creation via the service value chain
Common exam traps
- Practices are prescriptive → False
- All practices must be used → False
- Practices operate independently → False
One-line memory hook
Practices are adaptable capability sets that support value creation, not a mandatory checklist.