ITIL V3
The much anticipated ITIL V3 was released to the IT Service Management market on 30 May 2007. Whilst ITIL’s history goes back some 20 years, this newest version is perhaps more significant than the previous because of the global uptake of ITIL over the past 5 years since the release of the ITIL V2 IT Service Support and Delivery books.
We aim to provide you with a solid understanding of ITIL V3, where it differs from ITIL V2 and more importantly what ITIL V3 has to offer your organisation.
Download the Lucid IT - ITIL V3 White Paper ...
For those who would like a more in-depth coverage of ITIL V3 and would like to upgrade their certification to V3 we have scheduled interactive 1-Day ITIL Foundation V3 Bridging courses. These courses will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of ITIL V3 and the variances from ITIL V2 and will culminate in a 30-minute, 20 question multiple-choice exam. {varITILV3BridgingNews}
Updating ITIL V2-V3
The update form ITIL V2 to ITIL V3 has also brought a change in the ITIL Certification Credit System. The APMG has published a press release on their site detailing these changes. They have also released an ITIL V3 Qualification Diagram that visually represents the new Certification hierarchy.
Click here to read ITIL Certification Credit System press release
"ITIL v3 – What does this do to the ITIL journey?"
Prepared by Lucid IT, ALC's Training Partner
To be honest, we weren’t sure what to expect. Sure, ITIL 2 has some fuzzy areas and structural inconsistencies, but by and large it is a great piece of work and has served our industry well. The issues could have easily been addressed with an ITIL 2.1. In fact, the Prince2 world goes through these incremental updates on a regular basis. So why ITIL 3?
We have all read a lot of blogs, OGC releases, press and some of our staff were reviewers of the various new books. But, it wasn’t until we received the latest drafts of the books (supplied in pre-release form to vendors) that the essence of ITIL 3 started to show itself. Before we go too far with ITIL 3, let’s go back to “the problem” we are trying to solve…
In ITIL implementation work, we have encountered the typical silos of Business Vs IT, Applications V Infrastructure, Projects V Operations, Vendors V IT etc. Each stakeholder has a view that is particular to their functional role and targets. Each has a set of practices that seeks to optimise their output. These functional areas often compete with each other for primacy in areas such as: budget, control, client ownership, reputation, resources etc. The ITIL initiative will often sit with the infrastructure team, creating some significant challenges in trying to break through the silos. Everybody seems to do OK with the Service Support processes because everybody “gets it” but Service Delivery is a very tough nut to crack because these longer cycle processes find it difficult to bridge the silos.
Presiding above this, the CIO wonders how to get everyone out of the trenches and focused on serving the interests of the business rather than their own. The experienced CIO looks for a concept to bind the team together and synergise their efforts. The experienced CIO eventually lands on the concept of Service!
Our more mature customers have twigged to this already. This has led them toward structures and processes that focus on a lifecycle model focused on IT Services. Some have looked to COBIT 4 for guidance and others have opted for a “home built” approach. Those who have read (or indeed used!) the ITIL Application Management book can see the lifecycle approach emerging but this has struggled to gain traction because it is branded as an “apps thing”.
So, we’re pleased to say that the ITIL 3 lifecycle approach is addressing a real need. The Service Lifecycle proposed in ITIL 3 provides a meta-process with the potential to galvanise the whole of IT into focusing on building and managing a portfolio of Services for the business. And to everyone’s relief’, the best practices from ITIL 1 and ITIL 2 have been retained and “polished”.
The tricky thing with ITIL 3 is that the meta Service Lifecycle process is necessarily complex as are the sub-ordinate processes and structures. We all knew this – otherwise the problem would have been solved before! However complex it may be, ITIL 3 provides us with concepts and practices that can help IT mature to a valued business partner. The books are well written (if a little voluminous) and digestible if you take your time.
The benefits of ITIL 3 can be summarised as follows:
- It retains the “goodness” of ITIL 2 in the Operations and Transition books by polishing some of the problem areas and providing additional complementary best practices to ensure a complete model
- The Service Lifecycle approach engages all of IT and will help break down the silos and drive IT productivity
- Service Strategy gives the IT organisation powerful models and concepts for understanding and structuring the IT function to deliver a Service Portfolio the matches business requirements and optimises IT value
- The Service design book gives valuable guidance on how to design a service for the full lifecycle so that we deliver into production a complete solution including all the non-functional IT Service requirements. This gives clarity as to the TCO of the service and gives a Service model from which we can ensure performance and optimise value
- Continual Service Improvement brings clarity to methods and techniques for leveraging the investment in IT services and keeping ITIL alive and aligned
We would encourage our customers and associates to take some time to get to know ITIL 3. The value of your current ITIL implementation has been retained. ITIL 3 now provides support for your next maturity steps as an IT organisation.
All of us know that ITIL is an ongoing journey. With ITIL 3, much of the journey is familiar. What is now clear is that the whole of the IT value chain is on the journey and the destination is now just a little further away…
ITIL v3 Frequently Asked Questions
Why ITIL V3?
Best Practice inevitably means change to remain relevant and valuable to us. With OGC in the drivers seat, the ITSM community has provided expert input to the way IT Services are developed and delivered: IT Service Management adopts a Service Lifecycle approach, so existing processes are still there but within the Service Lifecycle framework.
Do I need to upgrade my ITIL2 certificate to ITIL3?
No. An ITIL certificate is an ITIL certificate. However, refreshing your knowledge on ITIL3 is recommended – watch this space for details of training services that will be offered in the period ahead. After 30 May 2007, there will be a transition period where ITIL version 2 certifications may still be delivered. This is yet to be specified.
Is ITIL3 relevant to me?
The principles of the ITIL2 framework remain relevant, so your existing practices, if based on ITIL2 remain “good practice”.
Who accredits ITIL now?
APM Group will accredit ITIL3 certifications and training organisations. We will continue to use our existing examination organisations EXIN and ISEB, and as these organisations are licensed by APMG, our accreditation as a training organisation will continue as normal.
Where can I buy the books?
Visit the itSMF Australia website http://www.itsmfi.org/content/chapter-bookshops. Please be aware the publications may not be available until early to mid June. A range of formats are available.
