ITIL 4 guiding principles, such as 'Collaborate and promote visibility' and 'Think and work holistically,' advocate for flexible, integrated, and collaborative relationships with suppliers. Developing and enforcing detailed, rigorous procedures for every single interaction is counterproductive. This approach creates unnecessary bureaucracy, reduces agility, and treats the supplier as a simple commodity provider rather than a partner in value co-creation. Modern supplier management focuses on outcomes, shared goals, and streamlined integration into value streams, not rigid procedural control.

A: Analyzing third-party dependencies is essential for understanding and managing the end-to-end service value stream and identifying potential risks or bottlenecks.

B: The tools used in a CI/CD pipeline are critical to its success; therefore, carefully selecting the suppliers of these tools is a vital activity.

C: Involving suppliers in the planning and review of value streams ensures alignment, fosters partnership, and leverages their expertise for overall improvement.

ITIL® 4 Practitioner: Deployment Management. (2020). Axelos. Section 3.1.4, "Working with partners and suppliers," emphasizes the need for integration and collaboration rather than rigid, formal procedures for all interactions.

ITIL® 4: Create, Deliver and Support. (2020). Axelos. Section 5.1.5, "Managing suppliers and partners," discusses the importance of collaborative relationships for effective value stream performance.