30+ ITIL Best Practices For 2025

ITIL is a framework for IT Service Management that provides structured guidance on designing and delivering IT services. Its best practices help organizations improve service quality, reduce risk, and drive continuous improvement.

As an ITIL Ambassador, I’ll share the most effective ITIL practices for 2025 to help you refine Service Management, enhance efficiency, and stay ahead of industry trends.

What is the ITIL definition of best practice?

ITIL itself is a set of best practices for IT Service Management, providing organizations with structured guidance to improve efficiency, reduce risk, and align IT services with business objectives. 

ITIL 4 defines 34 Management practices that cover various aspects of ITSM, each offering specific guidelines for achieving consistent and effective service delivery.

Considering the main formal practices as categories, we can break the process down and learn how to apply ITIL’s recommended guidelines within each area.
 

“ITIL 4 has done a really good job capturing some of the leading practices within leading organizations around the world. There is a focus on more strategic aspects of Service Management, and this growing integration between the development side, the operation side, and the business side all coming together to focus on value.”

David Cannon, Ticket Volume Episode 16 

How to implement ITIL best practices

To implement ITIL best practices, start by identifying which ITIL practices align with your organization’s goals. Assess existing workflows, pinpoint gaps, and apply ITIL recommendations to enhance Service Management. 

But mostly, it’s about having an integrated approach. As David Cannon said in our podcast, to implement ITIL, organizations should align various Service Management functions and not treat them as separate disciplines. 

Service support has evolved into its own entity, with specialized teams emerging in areas like Incident and Change Management. Similarly, IT Asset Management and Financial Management have often been treated as distinct functions. 

However, these areas share a common foundation and should be brought together to create a unified approach to Service Management.

General ITIL best practices

Before looking at specific areas like Change or Incident Management, let’s start with broader best practices that apply across an ITIL implementation plan. 

• Start where you are: Before coming up with a new plan or set of processes, map out your current services, understand service levels, and identify gaps or inefficiencies. This will help you plan for incremental improvements.
• Adopt a service-oriented mindset: Ensure IT processes prioritize delivering value to customers and the business.
• Standardize processes: Use ITIL frameworks to create consistent, repeatable workflows.
• Implement Service Level Agreements (SLAs): Set clear expectations for service quality and response times.
• Continuously improve IT processes: Use the ITIL Continual Improvement Model to refine workflows.
• Foster a culture of service excellence: Encourage IT teams to focus on delivering value and improving user experience.

ITIL best practices for Change Management

Effective Change Management ensures that modifications to infrastructure, applications, or processes are assessed, approved, and implemented in a structured manner, reducing the likelihood of unintended consequences.

• Establish a formal Change Advisory Board (CAB): Involve key stakeholders in evaluating and approving changes.
• Define change categories: Classify changes (standard, normal, emergency) to streamline approvals and execution.
• Use a structured change request process: Ensure all changes follow a documented request and review process.
• Monitor and review changes post-implementation: Assess impact and address any issues to improve future changes.

ITIL best practices for Asset Management

IT Asset Management involves tracking and optimizing the lifecycle of IT assets, including hardware, software, and cloud resources. Proper Asset Management improves visibility, ensures compliance, reduces costs, and helps organizations make informed decisions about procurement and usage.

• Maintain an accurate Configuration Management Database (CMDB): Track all IT assets and their relationships.
• Automate asset discovery and tracking: Use tools to monitor asset lifecycles in real time.
• Define ownership and accountability: Assign roles for managing and maintaining IT assets.
• Integrate Asset Management with ITSM: Ensure assets support overall service delivery and compliance.

ITIL best practices for Incident Management

Incident Management aims to restore normal service operations as quickly as possible following an unplanned disruption.

• Implement a tiered support structure: Assign incidents based on severity and expertise.
• Define clear escalation paths: Ensure unresolved incidents follow a structured escalation process.
• Use workflow automation for common incidents: Reduce manual workload by automating repetitive issue resolution.
• Maintain an updated knowledge base: Provide self-service solutions for frequently encountered issues.

ITIL best practices for the service desk

A well-functioning service desk acts as the primary contact point between IT and end users, addressing technical issues, answering questions, and facilitating service requests.

• Ensure a single point of contact (SPOC): Centralize user support through a dedicated service desk.
• Use omnichannel support: Offer multiple communication channels (email, chat, phone, portal) for accessibility.
• Measure user satisfaction regularly: Gather feedback to improve service desk performance.
• Implement ticket categorization and prioritization: Ensure urgent issues are addressed promptly.
• Create a self-service portal: Let users resolve common issues independently with resources such as FAQs, troubleshooting guides, knowledge bases, and step-by-step instructional videos.

ITIL best practices for Problem Management

Problem Management identifies and resolves the root causes of recurring incidents to prevent future disruptions.

• Conduct root cause analysis (RCA): Investigate recurring issues to prevent future incidents.
• Use proactive Problem Management: Identify and resolve potential risks before they impact services.
• Maintain a known error database (KEDB): Document known issues and workarounds for faster resolution.
• Ensure collaboration between teams: Facilitate communication between incident and Problem Management teams.

ITIL best practices for Knowledge Management

Knowledge Management ensures that critical information is captured, organized, and made accessible to IT teams and end users. Effective knowledge management enhances efficiency, supports self-service solutions, and reduces resolution times by providing quick access to relevant documentation.

• Create a centralized knowledge base: Store and organize information for easy access.
• Encourage documentation and updates: Keep knowledge articles relevant and up to date.
• Enable self-service options: Empower users to resolve common issues independently.

Integrate knowledge management with ITSM tools: Ensure support teams have access to relevant information when handling tickets.