What is the vision?
Each improvement initiative should support the organization’s goals and objectives.
The first step of the continual improvement model is to define the vision of the initiative.
What exactly are we trying to accomplish?
This is going to provide the context for all of our subsequent decisions and links all of our individual actions to the organization’s vision for the future.
This vision is going to come from your top leadership.
It should come from the C-suite.
You need to understand their role in relation to achieving the overall organization’s vision.
The expected value from this vision should also be agreed upon.
That way, everyone knows what they are getting into.
By understanding the vision, we know what direction we should be moving towards with all of our improvements, who we are going to be helping, who is going to help us, and how the improvement will affect the organization as a whole.
2. How this applies to TakeCars (car-rental marketplace)
This segment is foundational and maps directly to how TakeCars should frame every improvement initiative.
a) Vision prevents random improvement
For TakeCars, improvements often compete:
- Reduce disputes
- Increase conversion
- Improve supplier quality
- Reduce support load
ITIL is explicit:
Improvements without a clear vision become disconnected optimisations.
A clear vision answers:
- Why are we doing this?
- What does success look like?
- Who benefits and how?
b) Vision must come from the top
In TakeCars terms, vision cannot be delegated:
- Support can’t define it
- Product can’t guess it
- Suppliers can’t dictate it
Founder / leadership vision sets:
- Risk appetite
- Trust thresholds
- Customer promise
- Trade-offs between growth and control
Everything else should align to that.
c) Agreed value prevents future conflict
Many internal conflicts come from:
- Different expectations of “success”
- Unspoken assumptions about value
- Misaligned incentives
ITIL’s insistence on agreeing expected value upfront prevents:
- “Why did we do this?” debates
- Support vs product tension
- Supplier vs platform misalignment
For TakeCars, this is especially critical when changing:
- Deposit rules
- Insurance models
- Automation thresholds
- Supplier eligibility
3. Key ideas to read right before the exam (high-yield)
This content ties directly to the continual improvement model, which is exam-relevant.
Core understanding
The first step of the continual improvement model is to:
- Define the vision
- Align with organisational objectives
- Agree on expected value
If an answer:
- Starts improvement without vision → wrong
- Links improvement to leadership goals → strong
Exam trap to avoid
Wrong answers often:
- Jump straight to metrics
- Focus on tools or actions
- Skip leadership alignment
Correct answers:
- Establish direction first
- Clarify purpose and value
- Align with organisational vision
Fast exam shortcut
If a question asks:
- “What should be done first in an improvement initiative?”
The answer usually involves:
Defining or understanding the vision.
One-line exam anchor
Improvement starts with a clear, agreed vision.
Keep this sentence in mind — it resolves most “first step” improvement questions instantly.
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