What's new in the ITIL® 4 Framework?
With ITIL 4 having launched recently, let's look at what's new and changed in the Framework. The context is the new world of Digital Transformation and the modern service economy. ITIL 4 is built on well-established practices but has also expanded to embrace Agile and DevOps to ensure there is a flexible operating model for the design, development and delivery of products and IT-enabled services to support business strategy. Furthermore, ITIL 4 maintains focus on continual improvement and the need to adapt to a dynamic business and technology environment.
What is new?
There is a specific focus on value co-creation between service providers and service consumers. The customer is a critical element in the process of value creation and this recognises the complex service relationships that exist in the modern world, requiring collaboration and interaction. In ITIL v3 there is a significant focus on processes, and whilst they are still a valued and a fundamental part of ITIL 4, they have been expanded to consider people, their roles and the toolsets required to execute activities. These are referred as 'practices' in ITIL 4 and the framework outlines how these can be implemented to provide a flexible approach to Service Management.
As mentioned previously ITIL 4 integrates with other ways of working and recognised modern practices such as Agile, DevOps, Lean and IT Governance. The framework enables businesses to adopt and adapt those elements that are useful and relevant to them, whilst ensuring that there is a holistic and strategic approach to service management. ITIL 4 also addresses governance activities that enables organisations to continually align their operational activity with the strategic direction of the business.
Finally, it is worth noting that when the ITIL Practitioner was launched in 2016, the 'guiding principles' were introduced. These are now at the core of the framework and guidance. They will continue to evolve, providing guidance to organisations in all their service management activities.
What's next?
The ITIL 4 Foundation course launched in March 2019.
The following new ITIL courses are coming soon from QA:
- New ITIL 4 Foundation online - August 2019
- NEW ITIL 4 Managing Professional Transition Module and exam - October 2019
From the ITIL4 Managing Professional modules:
- ITIL 4 Specialist: Create, Deliver and Support - November 2019
- ITIL 4 Strategist: Direct, Plan and Improve - November 2019
- ITIL 4 Specialist: Drive Stakeholder Value - Q1 2020
- ITIL 4 Specialist: High Velocity IT - Q1 2020
