Which of the following stages is focused on examining the overall approval of a request?

The stage that focuses on examining the overall approval of a request is the Approval stage. This stage is critical in the IT Service Management process as it specifically deals with the assessment and validation of a request before any further action is taken. During this phase, the request is reviewed to determine whether it aligns with organizational policies and objectives, and whether it should be approved or rejected by the appropriate authority.

In the Approval stage, decision-makers evaluate factors such as the feasibility of the request, its alignment with strategic goals, and resource availability. The successful completion of this stage is essential because it sets the foundation for subsequent stages, ensuring that only validated and justified requests proceed to implementation or fulfillment.

The submittal stage primarily involves the initial logging and documentation of the request, rather than its evaluation. Fulfillment focuses on the execution of approved requests, while closure pertains to completing the process and ensuring that all necessary follow-up actions have been taken after a request has been fulfilled. Each of these stages has a distinct purpose and does not specifically address the formal examination and validation of requests like the Approval stage does.