Keep It Simple and Practical Explained (ITIL® 5)
Preparing for the ITIL® 5 Foundation exam? "Keep It Simple and Practical" is one of the seven guiding principles, and it's often tested through scenarios where a process has grown more complicated than it needs to be. This guide explains what the principle actually calls for.
Quick Answer
Keep It Simple and Practical means using the minimum number of steps needed to accomplish an objective, and removing anything that doesn't add real value. It pushes organizations to judge processes by outcomes, not by how thorough or complex they appear.
What Does "Keep It Simple and Practical" Mean?
Processes tend to accumulate complexity over time. Extra approval steps get added "just in case," extra documentation gets required "to be safe," and eventually a process meant to help people ends up slowing them down instead.
This principle recommends always using the minimum number of steps necessary to achieve an objective — and being willing to remove steps that don't add real value, even if they've existed for a long time.
Simplicity here doesn't mean cutting corners. It means removing waste while still achieving the actual objective.
Simplicity Is Judged by Outcomes, Not Appearance
A process isn't "simple" just because it looks short, and it isn't automatically "thorough" just because it has many steps.
This principle asks organizations to judge a process by whether it achieves its objective effectively — not by how much documentation, approval, or ceremony surrounds it.
Real-World Example
A company's change approval process requires sign-off from five different managers before even a minor, low-risk change can be implemented.
Applying "Keep It Simple and Practical," the team reviews the process and finds that for low-risk changes, three of those five approvals rarely catch any actual issues — they mainly slow things down. They simplify the process for low-risk changes to require only two approvals, while keeping full review for higher-risk changes.
The objective — catching real risk before deployment — is still met, with far less unnecessary overhead.
Why This Matters
Applying this principle helps organizations:
- Remove steps that create delay without adding real value
- Make processes easier for people to actually follow
- Focus effort where it matters, rather than spreading it thin across unnecessary steps
- Avoid mistaking complexity for thoroughness
Common Exam Mistakes
The most common mistake is assuming this principle means "always use the fewest steps possible," without the "practical" half — steps still need to be enough to actually achieve the objective. Removing a step that's genuinely necessary isn't simplicity, it's just risk.
A second mistake is assuming a complex, heavily-documented process is automatically more thorough or reliable. This principle explicitly challenges that assumption.
Memory Trick
Think:
As simple as possible. As complex as necessary.
Cutting a genuinely necessary step isn't simplicity — it's just a different kind of risk.
Key Takeaways
- Keep It Simple and Practical means using the minimum number of steps needed to achieve an objective.
- Simplicity is judged by whether the objective is achieved, not by how the process looks.
- Removing unnecessary steps is different from removing necessary ones — the principle calls for the former, not the latter.
- Complexity is not the same as thoroughness.
- This principle is one of ITIL's seven guiding principles and appears frequently in scenario-based exam questions.
One Practice Question
Which statement best describes "Keep It Simple and Practical"?
- Processes should always have as few steps as possible, regardless of the objective.
- Processes should use the minimum number of steps needed to achieve the objective, removing steps that don't add value.
- Thorough processes always require extensive documentation and approval steps.
- This principle applies only to IT processes, not business processes.
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B
Keep It Simple and Practical calls for removing unnecessary steps while still achieving the objective — it does not mean removing steps indiscriminately, and it explicitly challenges the idea that complexity equals thoroughness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does "Keep It Simple and Practical" mean cutting steps out of every process?
No. It means removing steps that don't add real value while keeping the process capable of achieving its objective — not removing steps indiscriminately.
Is a complex process always more thorough?
No. This principle explicitly challenges that assumption — a process should be judged by whether it achieves its objective, not by how complicated it looks.
How is this principle different from "Optimize and Automate"?
Keep It Simple and Practical focuses on removing unnecessary complexity from a process. Optimize and Automate focuses on making processes more efficient, often through automation, once they're already streamlined.
Is this topic tested on the ITIL® 5 Foundation exam?
Yes. The seven guiding principles, including this one, are a core part of the Foundation syllabus and often appear in scenario-based questions.
Ready to Test Yourself?
Now that you understand what Keep It Simple and Practical really means, the next step is recognizing it in realistic exam scenarios. Take our free diagnostic quiz to test yourself, or continue exploring the other ITIL® 5 guiding principles.