What is ITIL? Principles, Practices, And Certification

ITIL is a body of Service Management best practices. With a 72% adoption rate, it’s the most popular framework for ITSM. 

ITIL provides a methodology for designing, delivering, and refining IT services. The goal is to ensure services are well-structured, efficient, reliable, and aligned with organizational goals.

We can also say that ITIL stands for "IT Infrastructure Library." However, the acronym was dropped with its latest version (ITIL 4). Now, ITIL is simply the framework's name and focuses on Service Management in a broader sense, not just IT as it did in the past.

ITIL history

The British government developed ITIL in the late 1980s to standardize processes and improve the performance of IT departments. Since then, it has had 4 iterations.

First version: IT Infrastructure Library

The first version of ITIL was released in 1989. It was a collection of books (eventually, over 30 volumes) that provided best practices for IT Service Management.

ITIL 2

The framework was revised and updated for the first time in the mid-1990s and released in 2000 by Great Britain's Office for Government Commerce (OGC). It improved its structure and expanded content, incorporating feedback from early adopters and addressing emerging IT challenges.

ITIL 3

The OGC released the third version of ITIL in 2007. Central to this update was the introduction of the Service Lifecycle. It marked a transition to today's approach, which aligns IT with broader business goals.

In 2014, ITIL transitioned to private-sector ownership under AXELOS, a joint venture between the UK Cabinet Office and Capita PLC.

ITIL 4

The most recent version, ITIL 4, was released in 2019 under AXELOS, which was later acquired by PeopleCert in 2021.

Unlike previous versions, ITIL 4 avoids heavy use of ITSM-specific terminology and presents a more flexible approach that can be applied to various service organizations. The rigid structure of the service lifecycle from ITIL 3 was replaced by the Service Value System (SVS), with the Service Value Chain at its center. ITIL 4 also became less prescriptive, allowing organizations more flexibility in applying its principles.

“A big difference between a value stream and a process is that if I talk about Service Management processes, they are mainly focused on operations and a tactical level. A value stream needs to be strategic. Why? Because you have to apply a kind of Pareto rule. You have a large number of service demands. That needs to be addressed by the value stream. So, ideally, 20% of your value stream covers 80% of your demand.”

David Billouz, Ticket Volume Episode 29

ITIL vs. ITSM

ITSM and ITIL are closely related but not the same. ITSM refers to the overall practice of managing IT services, and organizations can approach it in many ways. Some follow specific frameworks, while others develop their own processes.

ITIL is one of the most recognized frameworks for structuring ITSM. However, it isn’t a requirement for ITSM — other frameworks like COBIT and ISO/IEC 20000 also provide guidance. Some organizations even combine multiple frameworks or create custom approaches to suit their needs.

4 benefits of using ITIL

Adopting ITIL helps organizations improve Service Management by optimizing service delivery instead of just managing technology. This shift brings numerous benefits, including:

• Increased efficiency and reduced costs: Standardization and workflow automation are key aspects of ITIL, helping streamline processes and eliminate redundancies. As a result, it reduces waste, breaks down silos, and improves communication.
• Enhanced customer experience: The framework encourages a customer-first mindset to build services that address their needs and create a better experience.
• Stronger Risk Management and resilience: ITIL provides a structured approach to identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks.
• Greater agility and innovation:  Through flexible processes, ITIL allows organizations to quickly adapt to changing market demands or technological advancements. It empowers businesses to innovate.

The ITIL guiding principles

These principles were introduced in ITIL 4 and serve as fundamental guidelines to help organizations make decisions and take actions that align with IT Service Management best practices.

1. Focus on value: Center all your decisions and activities around delivering value to your customers and users. Define clear service outcomes and keep measuring and evaluating your service performance against those expectations.
2. Start where you are: You should be building on what you already have rather than starting from scratch. Before making any changes, understand your existing processes, resources, and capabilities and make the most of them.
3. Progress iteratively with feedback: Instead of implementing large-scale changes all at once, break down your projects into smaller, manageable parts and make incremental improvements. Assess their impact before moving forward.
4. Collaborate and promote visibility: Foster a culture of open communication and collaboration. For this, you can use tools and technologies that enhance visibility and information sharing.
5. Think and work holistically: Consider the entire service lifecycle and how different components interact. Ensure all your teams and departments are aligned and working together towards common goals.
6. Keep it simple and practical: Focus on solutions that deliver value and that are easy to implement and maintain.
7. Optimize and automate: Review your processes regularly to ensure they are as efficient as possible. Identify areas where automation can cut down on manual work and look for tools to automate those tasks.

What are the 5 stages of ITIL?

ITIL 3 presents the service lifecycle as a clear, step-by-step guide for managing IT services. It breaks down the entire process into five stages, from planning to ongoing refinement.

The five stages of the ITIL service lifecycle are:

• Service Strategy
• Service Design
• Service Transition
• Service Operation
• Continual Service Improvement

The ITIL 4 practices and processes

In ITIL v3, the framework was built around clearly defined processes for managing IT services. 

With ITIL 4, these processes have been reframed as practices. It's a broader and more flexible approach that includes not only step-by-step procedures but also the necessary skills, tools, and guidance needed for effective Service Management.

There are a total of 34 ITIL practices divided into three categories. Let’s review them.

General Management practices

• Knowledge Management: This practice focuses on effectively capturing, sharing, and utilizing information within the organization.
• Organizational Change Management: A practice to prepare, support, and help individuals and teams adopt new work methods, structures, or technologies.
• Project Management: It brings structure and organization to any complex process. It ensures all tasks are completed on time, within budget, and to the required quality standards.
• Risk Management: The procedures, policies, working practices, training programs, and tools to identify and assess potential threats and vulnerabilities.
• Information Security Management: An ongoing practice that builds on how organizations should prevent, manage, and prepare to respond to security-related incidents.
• Service Financial Management: Good practices to manage financial resources and investments and ensure they are being used effectively.
• Relationship Management: Focuses on building and maintaining solid relationships with stakeholders to ensure services meet their needs.
• Measurement and Reporting: Tracks and communicates key performance indicators to evaluate and improve the organization’s services.
• Supplier Management: Oversees relationships with external vendors to ensure they deliver the agreed-upon services and meet performance standards.
• Strategy Management: Involves developing and implementing strategies that support and drive business goals.
• Workforce and Talent Management: A practice to ensure that the right people with the right skills are in place to deliver services.
• Portfolio Management: It focuses on resource distribution across programs, projects, products, and services while balancing risks and maximizing ROI.
• Architecture Management: Involves designing and maintaining the overall structure of IT systems to support business objectives.
• Continual Improvement: An ongoing process that focuses on identifying and implementing enhancements to services and processes.

Service Management practices

• Incident Management: This practice helps businesses define a strategy to quickly restore normal service operations after an unexpected disruption.
• Problem Management: A practice to identify and resolve the root causes of incidents. Instead of just addressing the symptoms, it seeks long-term solutions to prevent future issues.
• Change Management: Renamed Change Enablement in ITIL 4, this practice requires all changes to be planned, assessed, and approved before implementation. The goal is to minimize risks associated with changes and ensure a smooth transition.
• IT Asset Management: This practice involves tracking and maintaining the lifecycle of hardware, software, and other IT resources to optimize their use and value.
• Service Configuration Management: It helps organizations understand their IT environment. It’s about maintaining accurate records of IT assets and their relationships.
• Monitoring and Event Management: It focuses on monitoring and managing IT infrastructure and services to detect and respond to significant changes or issues in real time.
• Release Management: Manage and control the release of new or modified IT services.
• Service Level Management: To follow this practice, you need to define and monitor service level agreements (SLAs) to ensure that IT services meet agreed-upon performance standards and customer expectations.
• Service Request Management: The process of handling and fulfilling user requests for IT services efficiently.
• Availability Management: It involves planning for potential downtimes and monitoring service availability to meet business requirements.
• Capacity and Performance Management: Ensures IT resources can handle current and future demands. It includes analyzing usage patterns and planning for growth.
• Service Continuity Management: Prepares organizations for unexpected disruptions. It instructs how to create and test plans to ensure critical services can continue or be quickly restored.
• Business Analysis: The analysis and documentation of business needs to inform IT solutions and improvements.
• Service Catalog Management: The goal is to maintain a centralized list of all IT services available to users, including descriptions and ordering details.
• Service Design: It helps build IT services that deliver value by ensuring they are efficient, scalable, and adaptable.
• Service Desk: The point of this practice is to set up a service desk, the single point of contact for users to request IT services and support.
• Service Validation and Testing: A practice to ensure that new or changed services meet quality and performance standards before deployment.

Technical Management practices

• Deployment Management: Ensures the smooth release and implementation of new or updated software and systems.
• Infrastructure and Platform Management: Guidelines to oversee and maintain the physical and virtual resources that support IT services.
• Software Development and Management: The planning, creation, testing, and maintenance of software applications.

ITIL certification and training

PeopleCert, which governs ITIL, offers a wide range of ITIL certifications, including practical applications and role-specific training.

• ITIL 4 Foundation: This level includes a single module that covers the basic concepts, terminology, and practices of ITIL, providing a solid foundation for further ITSM study.
• ITIL 4 Practitioner (14 modules): These focus on key ITSM practices, such as Change Enablement, Problem Management, Incident Management, and service configuration. These modules help professionals apply ITIL principles in their day-to-day operations.
• ITIL 4 Specialist (6 modules): Cover advanced topics like IT Asset Management, cloud services, and sustainability in IT.
• Leader: The Leader certification focuses on strategic leadership, such as improving digital strategies, managing change, and aligning business goals with IT objectives.

ITIL experts to pay attention to

Now that you know the basics of ITIL, you can follow these experts for the latest updates and insights.

• David Barrow: An ITIL 4 Master and Ambassador. He has over 30 years of experience in IT Service Management across multiple industries. He has authored books like "Co-creating value in organizations with ITIL 4."
• Rob England: Known as "The IT Skeptic," he is a thought leader in DevOps and ITSM. He shares critical insights into ITIL and its practical applications.
   
• David Billouz: A renowned ITIL expert, co-author of ITIL 4, and ITIL Product Ambassador for AXELOS. He has extensive experience in ITSM, and he's known for his view on integrating value streams and customer experience into ITIL practices.