Which phase of the ITIL lifecycle provides the following benefit: The Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of a service can be minimized if all aspects of the service, the processes and the technology are co

Service Design explicitly aims to minimize TCO by ensuring that people, processes, products, and partners are all considered during the design phase before a service is built or changed. By designing for quality, availability, capacity, and continuity upfront, costly rework and operational inefficiencies are avoided. This proactive approach during design is the primary mechanism ITIL identifies for TCO reduction.

Service Strategy focuses on defining value propositions, market spaces, and strategic objectives, not on the detailed planning that minimizes cost during development.

Service Operation manages day-to-day delivery of live services; TCO optimization must occur earlier in the lifecycle to be effective.

Continual Service Improvement targets incremental improvements to existing services post-deployment and does not address TCO minimization during the initial development phase.