While ITIL V2 served its purpose of making IT organizations aware that IT service management could be done better, ITIL V3 provides the detail on how to make it better. With the OGC's plan to retire ITIL V2 in 2010, I thought this would be a good time to write a DITY about what I consider to be the top five questions IT professionals have about version 3 of the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL).
The upgrade of ITIL from version 2 to version 3 changed its focus from an operationally focused set of processes to a mature set of service management practices built around a lifecycle designed to optimize IT services and align them with the needs of the business. To support this new focus, OGC reorganized and republished the entire set of V2 volumes as version 3 to support this new vision.
The five volumes of the ITIL Library are:
Service Operation (SO) - introduces, explains and details delivery and control activities to achieve operational excellence on a day-to-day basis.
Service Transition (ST) - provides guidance and process activities for the transition of services in the operational business environment.
Service Design (SD) - provides guidance producing and maintaining IT policies, architectures, and documents for the design of appropriate and innovative IT infrastructure service solutions and processes.
Service Strategy (SS) - ensures that every element of the Service Lifecycle focuses on customer outcomes and relates to all the companion process elements that follow.
Continual Service Improvement (CSI) - focuses on the process elements involved in identifying and introducing service management improvements.
Today, ITIL V3 offers a total of 13 certifications to the IT community. Unlike version 2, ITIL V3 has made accommodations in the syllabi to deliver classes not only in the classroom but also in the virtual classroom (i.e., webex) and online e-learning classroom.
Listed below is a brief description of each of the programs.
ITIL Foundation Certification
The foundation-level certification program targets IT professionals looking to become a general practitioner in the practice of IT Service Management. While these practitioners have a general understanding of ITSM, they have a limited knowledge of any specific process, function or service lifecycle area. This is also the first step for those looking to become ITSM Specialists, ITSM Practice Managers or ITSM Expert.
Foundation certification classes include: ITIL V3 Foundation and ITIL V3 Foundation Bridge.
ITIL Intermediate - Lifecycle Specialist
The lifecycle certification series targets individuals looking to specialize in one or more of the five ITIL Lifecycle Practice Areas. Historically, these roles comprise individuals who are responsible for the Planning, Design and Optimizing (improvement) areas within the IT Engineering, Application Development and Project/Program Management organizations.
In order to take the certification examination for any of these Lifecycle courses, you must hold an ITIL V3 Foundation certificate.
Lifecycle certification classes include: Service Operation (SO), Service Transition (ST), Service Design (SD), Service Strategy (SS) and Continual Service Improvement (CSI).
ITIL Intermediate - Capability Specialist
The capability certification series targets individuals looking to specialize in one or more of the four ITIL Capability Operational Practice Areas. Historically, these roles include individuals who are responsible for the Operations (service maintenance & support) areas within the IT Implementation and Operations organizations.
In order to take the certification examination for any of these Lifecycle courses, you must hold an ITIL V3 Foundation certificate.
Capability certification classes include: Operational Support & Analysis (OSA), Release, Control & Validation (RCV), Planning, Protection & Optimization (PPO), Service Offerings & Agreements (SOA).
ITIL Managing Across the Lifecycle
The Managing Across the Lifecycle (MALC) program leads to the ITIL V3 Service Manager Expert certificate. This certification completes the Lifecycle and Capability streams by focusing on the ancillary knowledge required to implement and manage the necessary skills associated with the use of the Lifecycle practices.
Students must have accumulated 17 ITIL credits to sit for the Managing Across the Lifecycle exam.
ITIL V2 to V3 Service Manager Bridge
This V3 Service manager Bridge program enables ITIL Version 2-certified Service Managers to upgrade their Service Manager certification to Version 3 Service Manager Expert. The Manager Bridge course covers the subject areas of the five V3 Lifecycle stages, and existing subject areas of V2 that have undergone significant change in V3.
This qualification bridges the gap between the ITIL V1 or V2 Service Manager Certificate in IT Service Management and the ITIL Expert certification in IT Service Management. Students must hold an ITIL V1 or V2 Service manager certificate to sit for the V2 to V3 Service Manager bridge exam.
ITIL V3 Foundation or Foundation Bridge Exams
The Foundation certification does not require (but it is recommended) students to attend a class to sit for the exam. Students may take the exams as part of a classroom program with an accredited proctor, online at a student’s office or home PC using a web cam proctor, or in a CSME, Prometric or VUE testing center.
ITIL V3 Intermediate Exams
Intermediate, Service Manager Bridge and Managing Across the Lifecycle certifications require students to attend an accredited class (online or classroom) to sit for the exam.
Students may sit for the exams as part of a classroom program with an accredited proctor, at a CSME testing center, or online at a student’s office or home PC using a web cam proctor.
The following outlines the Roles & Responsibilities an individual can assume in an IT organization once he or she successfully completes the ITIL certification programs listed for that role.
| Role | Responsibilities | Recommended ITIL Certifications |
|---|---|---|
| ITIL Service Desk Specialist | Facilitates the enablement & restoration of IT Services with minimal impact on the business and within agreed service levels. | ITIL V3 Foundation Operational Support & Analysis (OSA) |
| ITIL Problem Management Specialist | Responsible for finding the root cause of a problem and the plan to remove that error from the infrastructure. | ITIL V3 Foundation Operational Support & Analysis (OSA) |
| ITIL Service Desk Practice Manager | Responsible for the day-to-day management of the ITIL Service Desk specialists. | ITIL V3 Foundation Operational Support & Analysis (OSA) Service Operation (SO) |
| ITIL Problem Management Practice Manager | Responsible for the day-to-day management of the ITIL problem and technical functional specialists. | ITIL V3 Foundation Operational Support & Analysis (OSA) Service Operation (SO) |
| ITIL Service Operation Practice Manager | Responsible for managing the overall Service Operations practice area. | ITIL V3 Foundation Operational Support & Analysis (OSA) Service Operation (SO) |
| Role | Responsibilities | Recommended ITIL Certifications |
|---|---|---|
| ITIL Change Management Specialist | Responsible for maximizing the benefits to the business when making changes to the IT infrastructure, while minimizing the risks involved in making those changes. | ITIL V3 Foundation Release, Control & Validation (RCV) |
| ITIL Release & Deployment Management Specialist | Responsible for protecting the live environment and its services by using formal procedures that control the release, distribution, implementation and maintenance of configuration Items. | ITIL V3 Foundation Release, Control & Validation (RCV) |
| ITIL Configuration & Knowledge Management Specialist | Responsible for ensuring that all Configuration Items in the infrastructure are authorized, and under the control of a single set of processes and ensuring that the right information is delivered to the appropriate place or competent person at the right time to enable informed decisions. | ITIL V3 Foundation Release, Control & Validation (RCV) |
| ITIL Transition Management Practice Manager | Responsible for the day-to-day management of the ITIL Change Management specialists. | ITIL V3 Foundation Release, Control & Validation (RCV) Service Transition (ST) |
| Role | Responsibilities | Recommended ITIL Certifications |
|---|---|---|
| ITIL Service Level Management Specialist | Responsible for maintaining and improving business-aligned IT service quality through a constant cycle of agreeing, monitoring, reporting and reviewing IT service achievement. | ITIL V3 Foundation Service Offerings & Agreements (SOA) |
| ITIL Service Capacity & Continuity Specialist | Responsible for optimizing the delivery of IT Services by matching the business demand for IT services to IT resources, along with providing a systematic approach to the development of an IT Service Continuity Plan to ensure that IT services are protected or can be restored as quickly as possible after a disaster. | ITIL V3 Foundation Planning, Protection & Optimization (PPO) |
| ITIL Service Catalog & Supplier Management Specialist | Responsible for managing the information contained within the Service Catalog, ensuring that it is accurate and reflects the current details, status interfaces and dependencies of all services that are being run, or being prepared to run in the live environment. Also responsible for ensuring that services supplied by external suppliers provide a quality of service to the business consistent with the money being spent to obtain those services. | ITIL V3 Foundation Service Offerings & Agreements (SOA) |
| ITIL Service Design Practice Manager | Responsible for day-to-day management of the ITIL service design specialists who are responsible for translating strategic plans and objectives and creating the designs and specifications for execution through service transition and operations. | ITIL V3 Foundation Service Offerings & Agreements (SOA) Planning, Protection & Optimization (PPO) Service Design (SD) |
| Role | Responsibilities | Recommended ITIL Certifications |
|---|---|---|
| ITIL Service Portfolio Management Specialist | Responsible for managing the commitments & investments made by the service provider across all customers, markets and third-party services. | ITIL V3 Foundation Service Strategy (SS) |
| ITIL Service Quality Management Specialist | Responsible for monitoring IT' s compliance with corporate performance and quality management policies using best practice management methods. | ITIL V3 Foundation Continual Service Improvement (CSI) |
| ITIL Strategy & CSI Practice Manager | Responsible for the day-to-day management of the ITIL Service Portfolio & Quality Specialists. | ITIL V3 Foundation Service Strategy (SS) |
The expert certification series targets individuals looking to become ITIL Experts in one of the six ITIL V3 Expert tracks. This ITIL Expert certification program leads to multiple certificates in IT Service Management. The primary purpose of this role is to be the Mentor to the various teams within IT responsible for the Planning, Design, Implementation, Operations and Optimization of the ITSM program.
Expert mentors include:
| Role | Responsibilities | Recommended ITIL Certifications |
|---|---|---|
| ITIL Lifecycle Expert | Leads the teams responsible for reviewing and building the organization's IT Service Lifecycle plan. Historically, these roles comprise of individuals from the IT Engineering or Program/Project management organizations who have a 360° view of how IT operates in the context of the enterprise. | Service Strategy (SS)Service Design (SD) Service Transition (ST) Service Operation (SO) Continual Service Improvement (CSI) Managing Across the Lifecycle (MALC) |
| ITIL Capability Expert | Leads the teams responsible for implementing and managing IT services on a daily basis. Historically, individuals from the IT Implementation or Operations support organizations who have a 360° view of the enterprise IT operational environment fill these roles. | Operational Support & Analysis (OSA) Release, Control & Validation (RCV) Planning, Protection & Optimization (PPO) Service Offerings & Agreements (SOA) Managing Across the Lifecycle (MALC) |
Another group of ITIL Experts are the Mid-Level Managers who have a foot in both camps - the Practice Manager and the ITIL Expert. APMG designed four such hybrid practice area configurations.
Recommended ITIL certifications include:
A recent Gartner report examined long-term trends in IT. It concluded that over the next five years IT would transform itself into a business-focused, process-oriented organization delivering the agility and innovation enterprises need to maintain their competitive advantage in the marketplace. In effect, IT would be delivering Business Technology solutions that would exploit technology in support of business objectives.
When examined in detail, the Gartner report predicts that IT as we know it will evolve into a Business Technology Organization (BTO), integrating itself into the enterprise or mission value chain. IT's focus will shift from traditional cost avoidance return-on-investment (ROI) from technology projects to total business value delivered to the enterprise or mission.
To support this new delivery model, Gartner and other believe that IT will need to retool its workforce to be trained and certified in the following areas:
Having one or multiples of the above certifications will improve your chances of not only landing a job or promotion but also position you as one of the early adopters in a space that is destined to be one of the high growth areas in IT for several years to come.
More information on the above topic can be found at http://www.itsmsolutions.com/refmodel.asp.
Hopefully you will find the above information useful as you and your company enter and begin to experience the value of the exciting new world of ITIL Version 3.