With this new ITIL 4 update, professionals who had doubts about ITIL’s waning popularity with regards to employability were laid to rest. ITIL’s place in the service management community will have a stronger foothold in the Agile industry. Moreover, current ITIL certificate holders do not have to worry about whether this ITIL 4 update invalidates their previous qualifications. AXELOS has taken measures to ensure that in no way it affects ITIL practitioners across the globe, and the transition from ITIL V3 to ITIL 4 is as smooth as possible.
Why ITIL 4?
In today’s dynamic business environment, information technology has become the core of almost every business worldwide. And for over two decades, ITIL processes have been the mainstay for enterprises to maintain and improve IT Service Management as per business needs. But in the last few years, ITIL has not evolved as per the industry trends in software development and IT operations. Hence, the transition from ITIL V3 to ITIL 4 which takes into account the latest best practices in the form of Agile, Lean, and DevOps and merges it with traditional ITIL best practices.
Though traditional ITIL still remains relevant, an increase in automation has played its part to ensure the future of IT Service Management has to be tweaked to address new market demands and opportunities.
The name ITIL 4 reflects the role ITIL will play in supporting individuals and organizations to address the next Industrial Revolution. Even though the ITIL core remains the same, the ITIL 4 will evolve to provide a holistic IT/Digital Operating Model and how it interfaces with the wider business strategy.
Why it is called ITIL 4 and not ITIL V4?
The current version of ITIL is known as ‘V3’. Whereas the new update is known as ITIL 4 and not ITIL V4, there is this subtle change that learners may not notice at first. Moreover, there is a complete change of framework which integrates the best practices of Agile, DevOps, and Lean. Also, the name reflects the role ITIL 4 will play in supporting individuals and organizations to navigate the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
This is not just a version change and incorporation of new techniques and components for the ITIL framework which needed a new name rather than just a version change. Considering the major changes that ITIL has gone through with this update, it needed a new naming altogether in ITIL 4.
ITIL 4 Certification Scheme
Please refer to the image below to understand the ITIL 4 certification scheme that is aligned with ITIL V3 and which has been streamlined to provide clear paths for practitioners to continue their ITIL journey.
ITIL 4 Certification Levels
AXELOS has released the following ITIL 4 certification levels:
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ITIL Foundation
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ITIL Specialist modules (3)
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ITIL Strategist
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ITIL Leader
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ITIL Master
The ITIL 4 is now divided into two streams in the form of ITIL Managing Professional (MP) and ITIL Strategic Leader (SL). These two new streams are intended to provide learners with a greater understanding of the content in key areas of service management and IT strategy that supports their learning journey and career progression.
These two streams of ITIL MP and ITIL SL are made up of five modules.
To become an ITIL MP, learners should complete the respective modules listed below:
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ITIL 4 Foundation
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ITIL Specialist: Create, Deliver & Support
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ITIL Specialist: Drive Stakeholder Value
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ITIL Specialist: High-Velocity IT
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ITIL Strategist: Direct, Plan & Improve
To become an ITIL SL, learners should complete the respective modules listed below:
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ITIL Foundation
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ITIL Strategist: Direct, Plan & Improve
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ITIL Leader: Digital & IT Strategy
So, to become an ITIL Master, learners should have both ITIL MP and ITIL SL designations.
ITIL V3 and ITIL 4 Transition Mapping
| certification Levels | Transition Mapping |
|---|---|
| ITIL V3 Foundation | If a candidate has taken only ITIL v3 Foundation, then the recommended approach is to take ITIL 4 Foundation in order to be able to transition to the new scheme. |
| 3-4 Intermediate/Practitioner credits from ITIL V3 | OPTION 1: Candidates can take ITIL 4 Foundation and a further module in a preferred area of interest, becoming either an ITIL Specialist, Strategist or Leader.
OPTION 2: Candidates can work towards collecting 17 credits from ITIL v3 to become eligible to take the ITIL Managing Professional Transition module. The benefit of this is that you are eligible to fast-track past the v3 Managing Across the Lifecycle course and exam. |
| 6 or more Intermediate/Practitioner credits from ITIL V3 | If an end-learner has achieved 6 credits or more since v3 Foundation, then it is in their interest to continue collecting v3 credits to prepare them for an easy transition to ITIL 4 and gain the ITIL Managing Professional designation.
They will need to reach 17 credits to be eligible to take the ITIL Managing Professional transition module. This benefits end-learners as they will then become eligible to fast-track past the v3 Managing Across the Lifecycle course and exam. |
| ITIL Expert | If an end-learner has achieved ITIL v3 Expert, they can take the ITIL Managing Professional Transition module as soon as it is released to achieve the ITIL Managing Professional designation.
After achieving the ITIL Managing Professional designation, if the end-learner is interested in pursuing the ITIL Strategic Leader stream, they would only need to complete the ITIL Leader Digital & Strategy module. |
Conclusion
Any changes in the ITIL format be it certification or any new additions means that the professionals must also adapt according to the advancements in the service management domain. Learn about the ITIL 4 MP Transition training and certification to get up to date with the new and advanced service management skills.
Learn more about Service Management best practices through Invensis Learning’s IT Service Management certification training on ITIL V4 Training, SIAM Foundation, SIAM professional, VeriSM, etc.
