WHICH MODULES ARE IN THE ITIL® 4 MANAGING PROFESSIONAL DESIGNATION AND WHO ARE THEY AIMED AT?

The ITIL® 4 Managing Professional designation consists of the following four modules.

ITIL® 4 Specialist: Create, Deliver and Support (CDS)

The ‘engine room’ of the digital and IT function

This specialist module is for IT practitioners and leaders who design and manage the delivery and support of IT-enabled digital products and services. CDS helps professionals who are responsible for service delivery, including development, deployment, and monitoring and support, and assuring that services are delivered and supported according to agreed levels.

ITIL® 4 Specialist: Drive Stakeholder Value (DSV)

Ensuring digital and IT services delight

This specialist module is for IT professionals who are responsible for managing and interfacing with stakeholders and fostering relationships to gain value realization. DSV is beneficial to those who design or manage customer journeys and experiences and manage customer demands and expectations.

ITIL® 4 Specialist: High-velocity IT (HVIT)

The future of digital and IT services

This specialist module is for IT managers and practitioners working within or towards the delivery of digital products and services. HVIT will help anyone involved in digital services or working on digital transformation projects; and those working in or migrating to Lean, Agile or DevOps ways of working or highly automated environments.

ITIL® 4 Strategist: Direct, Plan and Improve (DPI) – Universal Module

Bringing digital and IT strategies to life

This strategist module is for IT and digital managers of all levels involved in aligning work to organizational strategy or developing a continually improving team or service. DPI will help anyone involved in planning work, improving products and managing organizational change, and those responsible with interfacing with governance, risk and compliance.

ONCE I COMPLETE THE FOUR MODULES, DO I NEED TO PASS AN ADDITIONAL EXAM TO GET THE ITIL® 4 MANAGING PROFESSIONAL DESIGNATION?

No, once you pass all four modules you will automatically receive the ITIL® 4 Managing Professional designation.

ITIL® 4 STRATEGIST: DIRECT, PLAN AND IMPROVE IS A UNIVERSAL MODULE, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN, AND WILL I HAVE TO TAKE IT TWICE?

ITIL® 4 Strategist: Direct, Plan and Improve is a core module that forms part of both the ITIL® 4 Managing Professional and ITIL® 4 Strategic Leader designations. Once you have passed the exam once, you will not need to pass it again.

WHICH MODULES ARE IN THE ITIL® 4 STRATEGIC LEADER DESIGNATION AND WHO ARE THEY AIMED AT?

The ITIL® 4 Strategic Leader designation consists of the following two modules:

ITIL® 4 Strategist: Direct, Plan and Improve (DPI) – Universal Module

Bringing digital and IT strategies to life

ITIL® 4 Leader: Digital and IT Strategy (DITS)

Enabling business success through the creation of digital and IT strategies

This module is for IT and business directors, heads of department, aspiring C-Suite professionals and other business leaders across the organization who are looking for guidance that will help them craft a digital vision, shape IT and business strategy and drive organizational change.

DITS will help business leaders demonstrate how IT strategy differs from digital strategy, provide guidance for integrating IT and digital strategies and promote the importance of a successful digital strategy on business success, including its impact.

WHAT IS THE ITIL® 4 LEADER: DIGITAL AND IT STRATEGY MODULE?

ITIL® 4 Leader: Digital and IT Strategy adds a new perspective to the ITIL® 4 guidance and elevates the discussion around ITIL concepts to an organizational strategy level.

The module enables IT and digital leaders to influence and drive strategic business decisions, by helping them to:

• Create an appropriate digital strategy aligned to wider business goals
• Understand how business and IT leaders across the globe are responding to disruption by reshaping corporate strategy, adapting processes and even repurposing entire business models.
• Explore the use of the ITIL® 4 framework to support organizations on their digital transformation journey, addressing service management challenges and utilizing new technology.

The module also covers how ITIL® 4 can be integrated with emerging practices and new technologies to meet new internal and external challenges.

HOW IS THE ITIL® 4 LEADER: DIGITAL AND IT STRATEGY COURSE STRUCTURED

The recommended course duration is 18 hours via a face-to-face or virtual class; or online in a self-paced format.

ITIL® 4 Leader: Digital and IT Strategy includes four Case Study assignments, that are graded in-session, and a multiple-choice exam at the end of the training course.

Candidates must pass all the Case Study assignments in order to take the exam. This will be confirmed to candidates by the trainers before the end of the training.

Candidates who fail to complete the Case Study assignments in-session, may be given an additional individual written assignment that is based on the same case-study.

For whom is ITIL®4 Specialist: High Velocity IT course meant for?
This specialist module is for IT managers and practitioners working within or towards the delivery of digital products and services.

HVIT will help anyone involved in digital services or working on digital transformation projects; and those working in or migrating to Lean, Agile or DevOps ways of working or highly automated environments.

What skills and knowledge I will get from ITIL® 4 Specialist: HVIT course?
ITIL® 4 Specialist: HVIT will provide you with the skills and knowledge to:

• Understand the rapid nature of the digital enterprise and how to co-create resilient and valuable digital services at speed
• Understand the benefits of a less centralized approach to IT service delivery
• Utilize the latest digital technology to optimize end-user services and maximize investments
• Balance working with complex, adaptive systems and flexible processes that can adapt to changing environments
• Demonstrate how to integrate the digital product lifecycle with ITIL’s core operating model to meet and exceed business goals
• Utilize new ways of working and approaches to enable small incremental steps and effectively work with new and complex systems.

HOW TO TRANSITION FROM ITIL V3 TO ITIL® 4.

ITIL v3 professionals have four routes to transition to ITIL® 4.

Route 1: ITIL v3 Foundation candidates and less than five ITIL v3 credits

The recommended approach is to take ITIL® 4 Foundation in order to transition to the new certification scheme.

There is a large amount of new material in ITIL® 4 Foundation, therefore a new single exam is required to assess end learner’s knowledge of the new ITIL® 4 Foundation guidance.

However, professionals may also want to consider continuing their accumulation of ITIL v3 credits to be eligible for the ITIL® 4 Managing Professional Transition module, in line with their career goals.

Route 2: ITIL v3 candidates with six to 10 credits, including ITIL v3 Foundation (worth 2 credits)

Candidates who have achieved six to 10 credits would benefit from continuing their ITIL v3 journey, in order to collect 17 credits and be eligible for the ITIL® 4 Managing Professional Transition module.

However, they may also want to consider starting their ITIL® 4 journey and working their way through the certification scheme, in line with their career goals.

Route 3: ITIL v3 candidates with 11+ credits, including ITIL v3 Foundation (worth 2 credits)

Candidates with 11+ v3 credits can consider collecting ITIL v3 credits, to reach the required 17 credits to be eligible for the ITIL® 4 Managing Professional Transition module.

This enables them to fast track to the ITIL® 4 Managing Professional designation.

Route 4: ITIL v3 Experts or candidates with 17+ v3 credits, including ITIL v3 Foundation (worth 2 credits)

ITIL Experts and experienced ITIL v3 candidates with 17+ v3 credits are automatically eligible for the ITIL® 4 Managing Professional Transition module, enabling them to fast track to the ITIL® 4 Managing Professional designation.

After achieving the ITIL® 4 Managing Professional designation, candidates would only need to complete the ITIL® 4 Leader: Digital and Strategy module to achieve the ITIL® 4 Strategic Leader designation.

Once candidates have obtained both designations, they are eligible to move towards ITIL® 4 Master.

For routes two and three, candidates can also take ITIL® 4 Foundation as a contribution to the pre-requisite criteria for ITIL® 4 Managing Professional Transition, while it remains available.

The ITIL® 4 scheme itself does not provide any credits but if a candidate has ITIL® 4 Foundation then they will only need 15 credits from ITIL v3 to be eligible. In this case, the 15 ITIL v3 credits must be made up of:

• ITIL v3 Foundation (worth 2 credits) and/or
• A combination of ITIL v3 Intermediate and Practitioner modules (totalling 13 credits)

WHY IS THERE NO ITIL® 4 FOUNDATION TRANSITION MODULE?

Due to the structure of ITIL® 4 and the Foundation syllabus, a single exam is required to assess the candidate’s knowledge of the new ITIL® 4 Foundation guidance.

WHEN WILL THE ITIL® 4 MANAGING PROFESSIONAL TRANSITION MODULE BE SUNSETTED?

We would like to reassure all candidates and our training partners that AXELOS will provide a minimum of six months’ notice of any decision to sunset this module, which will allow sufficient time to prepare and plan training courses in advance.

WHEN WILL ITIL V3 BE SUNSETTED?

AXELOS understands that many organizations have invested in ITIL v3 and have seen great success using the ITIL v3 ways of working. We also recognize that it may be a gradual project for organizations to transition to ITIL® 4 and for candidates to gain certifications in the ITIL® 4 modules.

We would like to reassure all candidates and our training partners that AXELOS will provide a minimum of six months’ notice of the decision to sunset ITIL v3, which will allow sufficient time to prepare and plan training courses in advance.

ITIL® 4 is an evolution of ITIL, and the core principles of service management remain. ITIL v3 is as relevant as ever, and the courses still provide professionals with the fundamental skills needed to understand how service management is structured. We continually monitor the quality of the ITIL v3 modules; which remains high.

HOW DOES ITIL V3 MAP AGAINST ITIL® 4?

ITIL® 4 retains many of the core elements of ITIL v3 and much of the existing guidance will be recognizable in parts of ITIL® 4, however there are no direct like-for-like modules between the two certification schemes.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ITIL V3 AND ITIL® 4?

The context of ITIL® 4 has greater emphasis on the business and technology world, how it works today, and how it will work in the future with Agile, DevOps and digital transformation.

Lifecycle to Service Value System

ITIL has evolved beyond the delivery of services to providing end-to-end value delivery.

ITIL® 4 is now centred around a service value system (SVS).

The central element of the SVS is the Service Value Chain, an operating model which outlines the key activities required to respond to demand and facilitate value creation. Sequences of these activities are known as value streams, of which the v3 Service Lifecycle is one such example.

Processes to practices

ITIL® 4 refers to practices, where previous versions had referred to processes. A practice is a set of organizational resources designed for performing work or accomplishing an objective. Thus, practices comprise not just processes and procedures, but also people, skills, partners and suppliers, information, tools, and so on. There are 34 practices in ITIL® 4.

Guiding principles

The ITIL® 4 guiding principles, first introduced in ITIL Practitioner, are at the core of ITIL® 4.

• Focus on value
• Start where you are
• Progress iteratively with feedback
• Collaborate and promote visibility
• Think and work holistically
• Keep it simple and practical
• Optimize and automate

Four dimensions of service management

To support a holistic approach to service management, ITIL® 4 also defines four dimensions that collectively are critical to the effective and efficient facilitation of value for customers and other stakeholders in the form of products and services. The four dimensions represent perspectives which are relevant to the whole Service Value System.

Other ways of working

ITIL® 4 will reflect other frameworks and integrate with new ways of working including Agile, DevOps, Lean, IT governance and Leadership.

WHY DOES AXELOS REFERENCE ITIL V3 RATHER THAN ITIL 2011 EDITION?

When we talk about ITIL v3 we are referencing the previous version of ITIL. We are aware that v3 was updated in 2011 but ITIL® 4 is an edition rather than a version. We reference it as “v3” for the sake of clarity.

HOW WILL ISO 20000 MAP TO ITIL® 4?

Some of the ITIL® 4 Lead Architect Team are closely involved with ISO 20000 so we can ensure that ITIL® 4 aligns across the standard to an adequate level.

WILL THE ITIL MATURITY MODEL BE UPDATED?

The ITIL Maturity Model is an important asset for many professionals and will need to align to the updated ITIL framework.

Information regarding update and release will be provided in 2021.

HOW DOES ITIL® 4 INTEGRATE NEW WAYS OF WORKING, SUCH AS DEVOPS, LEAN AND AGILE?

ITIL® 4 reflects other frameworks and integrates new ways of working including Agile, DevOps, Lean, IT governance and leadership. There are multiple touch points in ITIL® 4 including:

Guiding principles:

They are at the core of ITIL® 4. They are a set of principles that provide a comprehensive and holistic vision of how an organization should manage and execute its work. The focus on collaboration, automation, and keeping things simple, reflects principles found in Agile, DevOps and Lean methodologies.

Examples:

• Focus on Value (Lean)
• Progress Iteratively with Feedback (Agile)
• Collaborate and Promote Visibility (DevOps CALMS / Kanban)
• Optimize & Automate (Lean / DevOps CALMS)

Value Streams show how DevOps or Agile work connects to upstream work (business alignment) and downstream work (release, operations & support) via a holistic approach

The ITIL® 4 practices also reflect new ways of working, balancing the need for governance and record keeping with empowering the teams closest to the work.

WHAT ARE THE ITIL® 4 PRACTICES?

The ITIL® 4 practices are a set of organizational resources designed for performing work or accomplishing an objective. The ITIL® 4 Service Value System includes 34 practices all of which are subject to the four dimensions of service management. The ITIL® 4 framework reinforces a flexible and non-siloed approach for the application of ITIL® 4 practices.

The ITIL® 4 practices serve as a toolbox for IT practitioners and are interrelated with the core publications of ITIL® 4 Managing Professional and ITIL® 4 Strategic Leader,

HOW ARE THE ITIL® 4 PRACTICES ACCESSED AND WHERE ARE THEY PUBLISHED?

All 34 ITIL® 4 practices are available exclusively via My ITIL. In addition, some of the practices are available for print on demand

How to access the practices

Every candidate who takes an ITIL® 4 exam (including ITIL® 4 Managing Professional Transition) will gain a year’s complimentary access to My ITIL. This also includes those who did not pass the exam.

All candidates will receive an email within three weeks of receiving their results, inviting them to sign up and access.

If a candidate has not received the email within this time, they should contact membership@axelos.com.

If a professional would like to gain access to My ITIL and does not plan to take an ITIL® 4 exam soon (to gain their complimentary year’s access) they can sign up at www.axelos.com/my-itil 

The ITIL® 4 practices have been published separately to the core guidance for each of the modules.

AXELOS took this approach based on research and feedback from our community, stakeholders in the industry and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), as this approach allows for continual evolution of the practical guidance in line with evolving ways of working, emerging technology, feedback from IT leaders, practitioners and other SMEs and the industry development.

CAN THE PRACTICES BE USED TO STUDY FOR AN ITIL® 4 EXAM?

Candidates can use their training provider’s courseware to understand any examinable ITIL® 4 practices content.

WHAT IS MY ITIL?

My ITIL is our online content subscription that gives candidates the tools and resources to apply best practice and excel in their careers.

The My ITIL subscription is intended to support a candidate beyond their certification and comes with the following benefits:

• Exclusive access to all 34 ITIL® 4 practices
• Use of exclusive white papers, practical guidance and examples, as well as further deep dives into the ITIL® 4 guidance
• Access to the supplementary content and supporting CPD activities, which will help professionals navigate the very complicated and complex business context to IT-enabled services. This content is useful for candidates, as it provides further clarity on specific areas of ITIL knowledge.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR MY ITIL?

Any professional is eligible for My ITIL.

HOW CAN I SUBSCRIBE TO MY ITIL?

You can subscribe via AXELOS.com, here.

Routes to My ITIL:

• Candidates receive a complimentary subscription to My ITIL for one-year, with every ITIL® 4 exam
• Professionals can sign up to a one-year subscription to My ITIL for £50 +VAT.

WHAT OTHER RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE IN MY ITIL?

My ITIL hosts a wealth of ITIL and ITIL® 4 content, including:

• Digital badges for each ITIL® 4 module/exam passed and for the overarching ITIL® 4 designations (once all relevant ITIL® 4 modules have been obtained)
• All 34 ITIL® 4 practices, including the Reader’s Manual
• ITIL templates and toolkits to help apply course learnings, including a Business Case template
• Exclusive white papers, best practice reports and other online publications
• CPD toolset
• ITIL Foundation Exam guidance videos
• Access to an exclusive community forum with like-minded professionals and peers.

Candidates who subscribe to My ITIL will also receive a monthly newsletter, so they never miss out on the latest premium content.