What are Request Models used for?

Capacity Management is a distinct ITIL practice focused on ensuring IT resources meet current and future service demand, and has no connection to the purpose of Request Models.

Modelling arrival rates and performance characteristics is a technique used within Capacity Management, not a function of Request Models in Service Request Management.

Evaluating Service Desk structural approaches such as local or centralized models is an organizational design activity, not a function that Request Models perform.

ITIL defines Request Models as a means of pre-documenting the steps, roles, timescales, and escalation paths for handling common repeatable service requests. By identifying high-frequency request types and specifying exactly how each should be processed, Request Models reduce ad hoc decision-making, ensure consistent outcomes, and allow service desk staff to fulfill requests efficiently every time.