ITIL Articles

Large illustrated number 5 in a park landscape representing ITIL Version 5 management practices

ITIL Version 5 Management Practices Explained: Complete List and Definitions

This article shares all 34 of the ITIL Version 5 management practices with their glossary definitions. Five of them have moved between ITIL 4 and ITIL (Version 5), now sitting in the product and service management practices grouping. The article walks through what moved, what it means, and how the shift affects practitioners working across the framework.
The 34 ITIL 4 Management Practices

ITIL 4 Management Practices Explained: Full List and Purposes

A lot changed in ITIL 4, and not just the move from ITSM processes to service management practices. The way the practices are described also shifted. This article shares all 34 of ITIL 4’s management practices with their purposes, along with the context practitioners need to see how they fit together in a live ITSM function.
ITIL 4 explained

ITIL 4 Explained: Framework, Practices, and Key Changes

Akshay Anand, Lead Architect for the ITIL update, gives the lowdown on ITIL 4: the new service value system, the four dimensions, the updated guiding principles originally found in ITIL Practitioner, and the change from processes to practices. ITSM changed with ITIL 4, and it will continue to change. This article covers what practitioners still need to know.
What is ITIL?

What Is ITIL? Complete Definition, Benefits, & Evolution (2026 Guide)

A short primer on ITIL 4 and ITIL v5 for anyone getting up to speed quickly. From what it is to the key elements that comprise the latest ITIL 4 service management best practice guidance, this article covers what practitioners need to know to work with the framework, plus where to go for the deeper detail once the basics are in.
ITSM explained - what is ITSM?

What is ITSM? Definition, Benefits, and Best Practices (2026 Guide)

What is ITSM? Why is it important? What are its benefits, and what are the quick wins? This article covers the essentials for anyone building or evaluating an ITSM function, from the definition and its history to the practical outcomes IT teams can expect once the discipline is running properly across the organization.
Service Model Development Using ITIL 4

Service Model Development Using ITIL 4 for Effective Service Delivery

If you’re a large organization, or an IT service provider offering services to large enterprises, reviewing your standard service model on a regular basis is imperative to keep it aligned with your business and IT strategy. Graham Heard explains why the review is essential, and how to create a service model if you don’t already have one in place.
Kotter Change Management

Kotter Change Management: How to Apply the 8 Steps Successfully

Kotter’s 8-step Model is one of the most widely adopted approaches to change management globally. This article walks through what each of the eight steps involves, how they connect, and how ITSM and change enablement teams can put the model to work without reducing it to a checklist. It also covers where the model is most often misapplied.
Change Enablement

Change Enablement in ITIL 4: Definition, Practice & Best Approaches

Change enablement in ITIL 4 is the practice of making sure changes to IT services and infrastructure are implemented with minimum risk and disruption, while still delivering the value the change was supposed to bring. This article covers what shifted between ITIL v3’s change management and ITIL 4’s change enablement, why the shift is important, and what the practical difference looks like day to day.
Define, Measure, and Report IT Service Availability

How to Define, Measure, and Report IT Service Availability That Truly Reflects Customer Value

To measure, document, and report IT service availability in ways that are useful to your organization and its customers, you need to do two things. Stuart Rance walks through what those two things are, why the standard availability reports most organizations produce fail to give a useful picture, and how to get to something better.
ITIL 4 Service Value Chain

ITIL 4 Service Value Chain: Model, Activities, and Examples

Daniel Breston takes a closer look at the ITIL 4 Service Value Chain and asks you to observe and consider what the framework depicts against the way you deliver value with technology-based solutions today. A practical prompt to test whether the model is describing what your organization does, or what it thinks it does.
2026 ITSM Content

2026 ITSM Content: What IT Service Management Topics Do You Need Most?

What do you need help with next year? Take our quick 2026 ITSM Topics poll to help shape the articles, guides, and practical content ITSM.tools puts out. The aggregated results also give us an early read on the hottest trends in ITSM right now, and where the industry conversation is heading in 2026.
itSMF UK 2025

itSMF UK 2025: People Over Process, Finally

The itSMF UK 2025 conference has come and gone. In this personal reflection, Sophie Danby covers the standout sessions she attended, the themes that shaped the event, what worked, and where the programme could still be tightened for next year. A picture of what happened for anyone who couldn’t be there in person.
AI in ITSM Tools

AI in ITSM Tools: What’s Being Added and What’s Next (2025 Insights)

In Q3 2025, PeopleCert collaborated with Accredited Tool Vendors (ATVs) and ITSM.tools on research into where AI capabilities have been added to ITSM tools and what the future of AI in ITSM tools holds. This article shares the findings, what’s already available, what’s still coming, and where vendor claims sit relative to reality.
ITIL Capacity and Performance Management

ITIL Capacity and Performance Management: A Complete Guide for Reliable IT Services

Some ITSM practices get widely adopted and closely managed, often using ITIL best practice. Others, like capacity and performance management, receive far less attention despite being just as essential when things go wrong. This article covers what the ITIL capacity and performance management practice does, why it deserves more airtime, and how ITSM teams can put it to work.
ITIL 4 Continual Improvement

ITIL 4 Continual Improvement: How to Drive Ongoing Value and Better IT Services

ITSM isn’t just about keeping the lights on. It’s also about delivering better services, better experiences, and better business outcomes over time. The ITIL 4 continual improvement practice is what makes that possible, and this article walks through how it works, what it covers, and how ITSM teams can put it to use without turning it into a paper exercise.