Let’s talk about the ITIL framework. If you feel left out because your colleagues are talking about this IT service management (ITSM) concept called ITIL or if you are considering certification. Or perhaps your IT organization is focused on improving customer service or customer experience (or user experience) through service level agreements (SLAs) and better levels of service performance.
This article has been written to offer you as much insight as possible in a short time. From what it is to the key elements that comprise the latest service management best practice guidance. Let’s start with what ITIL is and the new focus on digital transformation and business goals and value.
Note – more content will soon be added on the new ITIL framework, ITIL (Version 5). For now, we have published a simple ITIL Version 5 Explained article.
What is ITIL?
ITIL is officially described as: “…the most widely recognized framework for IT and digitally enabled services in the world. It provides comprehensive, practical and proven guidance for establishing an effective service management system.”
But up until 2019, the previous versions were branded as ITSM best practice, with it described as the most popular framework of ITSM best practices globally.
The change is because ITIL can be applied outside of IT, too. This application is through the corporate adoption of “enterprise service management” strategies. This approach is: “using ITSM principles and capabilities in other business areas to improve performance, services, experiences, and outcomes.”
The ITIL naming has changed too. Before v3 in 2007, it was an acronym for “Information Technology Infrastructure Library.” However, now it simply means “ITIL,” and the use of the longer-form version (including “IT Infrastructure Library”) should be considered either a cause for concern over author knowledge or an ill-informed use for SEO purposes.
This article by @SophieDanby has been written to offer you as much insight into ITIL 4 as possible in a short time. From what it is to the key elements that comprise the latest #ITIL4 service management best practice. Share on XWhat ITIL isn’t
A key aspect is to understand that this is guidance, not a standard. Therefore, it cannot be “complied with.” Nor can ITSM tools be “ITIL-compliant.” These ITSM tools are, at best, ITIL-aligned.
It doesn’t offer certifications for organizations. Instead, it is only available for individual certification, with people then applying what they’ve learned within their organizations to improve operations and outcomes.
More recently, though, Axelos has introduced an ITIL Maturity Model and Assessment where “An Axelos endorsement is available for each assessment and provides an independent verification of the rating achieved. This acts as a formal confirmation of the organization’s ability to perform as an effective service provider and supports organizations in differentiating themselves for bids and request for proposal (RFP) responses.”
ITIL isn’t a set of ITSM processes. Although, traditionally, it has too often been viewed this way. The new version addresses the process bias by replacing v3’s 26 processes with 34 “management practices.”
It defines these practices as: “…a set of organizational resources designed for performing work or accomplishing an objective.” These practices are returned to later.
How is the ITIL service management guidance created?
ITIL is IT-industry-curated good practice. However, it’s not open-source content. Instead, it’s the intellectual property (IP) of Axelos – “a joint venture company, created in 2013 by the Cabinet Office on behalf of Her Majesty’s Government (HMG) in the United Kingdom and Capita plc, to manage, develop and grow the Global Best Practice portfolio.” In 2021, Axelos was acquired by PeopleCert, “the sole Examination Institute for the delivery of Axelos Accreditation and Examination services worldwide.”
In the ITIL Foundation publication, despite the “beyond IT” focus, Axelos also defined it as: “…the most widely used guidance in the world on IT service management” and “best-practice guidance for IT service management.”
Evolution of ITIL — From v3 to ITIL 4
The ITSM best practice framework emerged in 1989 as the UK Government sought a solution to its IT-project-related issues. It grew in popularity during the 1990s, but the second version, published in 2001, saw its adoption rocket. This version is commonly called v2.
The third version, commonly called ITIL v3, was published in 2007. This version was “refreshed” in 2011, with a name change.
More recently, Axelos has referred to this as ITIL v3 (2011 Edition). v3 was a significant shift from v2. It was 2.5x the size of v2 with 26 processes across five elements of a “service lifecycle”:
- Service strategy
- Service design
- Service transition
- Service operation
- Continual service improvement (CSI).
ITIL 4 (not ITIL v4) was introduced in February 2019. This release was the Foundation publication and certification, with higher-level certifications introduced a year later in 2020. Its content is covered in more detail later.
Here @SophieDanby looks at what ITIL is and isn't, its three decade history, and ITIL versus ITSM. #ITIL #ITSM Share on XITIL vs. ITSM
Before ITIL 4’s move from ITSM to service management, the easiest way to differentiate between the two was that the best practices involve ITSM, but not all ITSM best practices are ITIL. So, it is not the only best practice approach organizations can employ to deliver better ITSM operations and outcomes.
In fact, there are many other sources of ITSM and service management best practices, including:
- COBIT – “A framework for the governance and management of enterprise information and technology, aimed at the whole organization.”
- FitSM – A free “lightweight” standard for ITSM.
- ISO/IEC 20000 – An international standard to “establish, implement, maintain, and continually improve a service management system.”
- IT4IT – A “tool for aligning and managing a Digital Enterprise.” It’s an Open Group standard.
- VeriSM – “A service management approach for the digital age that helps service providers to create a flexible operating model to meet desired business outcomes.”
The ITIL 4 move from ITSM to service management processes made it both easier and more challenging to differentiate between the two. Now that it is service management focused, it covers far more than just ITSM. But for some organizations, it will only ever be used for ITSM, and, as such, the need to differentiate them is still important:
- ITIL is service management best practice
- Not all service management best practice is ITIL
- Not all service management is ITSM.
What changed in ITIL 4? Core Concepts & Components of ITIL
The key changes can be summarized as follows:
- ITIL 4 relates to service management, not just ITSM
- The new version focuses on value creation (or value co-creation)
- ITIL 4 offers a new service value system and, within it, a service value chain
- Management practices replace v3’s processes
- There’s no longer a “service lifecycle”
- ITIL 4 brings in the Practitioner Guide’s guiding principles
- The four dimensions of service management replace v3’s four Ps.
The service value system (SVS)
The ITIL service value system (SVS) shows how demand for services is turned into value.
Source for all images: Axelos, “ITIL Foundation: ITIL 4 Edition” (2019)
This ITIL article separately covers three service value system elements – the service value chain, guiding principles, and management practices. The remaining two elements are:
- Continual improvement. This element replaces v3/2011’s CSI, but it’s more than a name change. It’s now a management practice rather than a separate v3 publication. It also reflects that service management improvement applies to more than the improvement of services.
- Governance. ITIL 4 calls out three key aspects of governance:
- Evaluation of change
- Direction
- Monitoring of organizational performance
The four dimensions of service management
The ITIL 4 four dimensions of service management replace the v3/2011 four Ps (people, process, product (technology), and partners).
The ITIL service value chain
The service value chain (SVC) is “an operating model which outlines the key activities required to respond to demand and facilitate value realization through the creation and management of products and services.”
The service value chain has six repeatable activities:
- Plan – to gain a shared understanding of various service provision and support aspects
- Improve – to continually improve practices, products, and services
- Engage – to understand stakeholder needs and create good relationships
- Design and transition – to ensure products and services meet customers’ quality, cost, and the time-to-market expectations
- Obtain/build – to ensure service-component availability
- Deliver and support – to ensure agreed specifications and expectations are met by service delivery and support capabilities.
ITIL guiding principles
- 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
These are covered in more detail in this ITIL 4 Guiding Principles article.
Management practices
ITIL 4 defines a management practice as “…a set of organizational resources designed for performing work or accomplishing an objective.” The 34 management practices replace the 26 processes and four functions within v3. This change is intended to elevate organizational thinking beyond the ITSM processes.
New service management and broader general management capabilities (business processes) are included in the ITIL 4 management practices. There are name changes – such as capacity and performance management, change enablement, and monitoring and event management. Practice content has changed, too. This includes a greater focus on service portals and how teams manage self-service.
The 34 Management Practices
| General management practices | Service management practices | Technical management practices |
| Architecture management | Availability management | Deployment management |
| Continual improvement | Business analysis | Infrastructure and platform management |
| Information security management | Capacity and performance management | Software development and management |
| Knowledge management | Change enablement | |
| Measurement and reporting | Incident management | |
| Organizational change management | IT asset management | |
| Portfolio management | Monitoring and event management | |
| Project management | Problem management | |
| Relationship management | Release management | |
| Risk management | Service catalog management | |
| Service financial management | Service configuration management | |
| Strategy management | Service continuity management | |
| Supplier management | Service design | |
| Workforce and talent management | Service desk | |
| Service level management | ||
| Service request management | ||
| Service validation and testing |
ITIL 4 certifications
The initial ITIL4 certifications were Foundation, Managing Professional, Strategic Leader, and ITIL Master as shown below.
The core modules that enable the above certifications for service teams are:
- ITIL 4 Foundation
- Create, Deliver & Support
- Drive Stakeholder Value
- High Velocity IT
- Direct, Plan & Improve
- Digital & IT Strategy.
There are now also four ITIL 4 Specialist “extension modules” (only two are shown in the earlier Axelos ITIL certification diagram):
- Sustainability in Digital & IT
- Acquiring & Managing Cloud Services
- Business Relationship Management
- IT Asset Management.
These also have associated ITIL certifications.
Changes to the ITIL 4 certifications in 2023
In 2023, the Practice Manager Certification was added to the available qualifications, such that the Create, Deliver and Support exam can be supplemented by new practice-based certifications as shown below.
ITIL 4 Foundation Certification holders can now gain a manager-level certification that’s aligned to their preferred service team area because this new certification offers a different level of progression:
- Monitor, Support and Fulfil – which includes service desk, incident management, problem management, service request management, and monitoring and event management
- Plan, Implement and Control – which includes change enablement, release management, service configuration management, deployment management, and IT asset management
- Collaborate, Assure and Improve – which includes continual improvement, service level management, relationship management, information security management, and supplier management.
This ITIL certification can help you or your team members plot a focused career path (rather than the high-level qualifications of old). For example, if you’re an IT service desk agent with the Foundation Certification, you could obtain the Practice Manager Certification by focusing on the five Monitor, Support and Fulfil practices.
ITIL FAQs
ITIL is a globally recognized framework for IT and digitally enabled service management. It provides guidance and best practices that help organizations improve service quality, operational efficiency, customer experience, and business outcomes.
It used to stand for Information Technology Infrastructure Library. However, this changed in 2007 with v3 in which ITIL is just a name, not an acronym.
ITIL 4 introduced the Service Value System (SVS). This includes the Service Value Chain (SVC), guiding principles, governance, management practices, and continual improvement.
ITSM refers to how IT teams manage the delivery of services. ITIL is one specific framework (or approach) for doing ITSM based on best practices. So ITIL is ITSM (and now broader service management), but not all ITSM is ITIL.
Yes. ITIL 4 modernized the framework to include agile, DevOps, and digital transformation principles, making it highly relevant in today’s IT environments.
While not required, certification helps IT professionals demonstrate their knowledge and often improves career opportunities in ITSM or ESM roles.
No. While ITIL originated in ITSM, its principles can be applied across other business functions through service management or enterprise service management (ESM), helping improve services and workflows throughout an organization.
ITIL 4 was introduced in 2019 and remains the foundation of modern ITIL guidance. It focuses on value creation, service management practices, Agile, DevOps, Lean thinking, and digital transformation. However, ITIL (Version 5) began its release cycle in 2026.
No. ITIL is a best-practice framework rather than a formal standard. Organizations cannot be “ITIL compliant.” Instead, they can adopt and adapt ITIL guidance to suit their specific needs and objectives.
No. Since ITIL is guidance rather than a standard, software vendors cannot claim that their products are ITIL-compliant. At best, an ITSM tool can be described as ITIL-aligned or designed to support ITIL practices.
ITIL 4 replaced the 26 processes of ITIL v3 with 34 management practices. These practices provide guidance on areas such as incident management, change enablement, problem management, knowledge management, and service configuration management.
Organizations use ITIL to improve service quality, increase operational efficiency, enhance customer and employee experiences, reduce service disruptions, and better align IT services with business goals.
Yes. ITIL 4 was designed to work alongside Agile, DevOps, Lean, and other modern ways of working. Rather than replacing these approaches, ITIL complements them by providing governance and service management guidance.
ITIL is owned and managed by PeopleCert, which acquired the framework from Axelos in 2021.
ITIL certification can be valuable for IT professionals, service managers, consultants, and leaders who want to understand service management best practices, improve organizational performance, and enhance their career prospects.
No. ITIL is intended to be adapted rather than adopted in its entirety. Organizations should select and tailor the practices that best support their goals, challenges, and operating environment.
Yes. ITIL remains one of the most widely recognized service management frameworks globally. While organizations increasingly adopt Agile, DevOps, automation, and AI, ITIL continues to provide valuable guidance for managing services, governance, and value delivery.
ITSM.tools updated this article in 2026 before the announcement of ITIL (Version 5).
Further Reading
Please use the website search capability to find more helpful ITSM articles on topics such as service management tools, efficiency and effectiveness, describing service offered, reducing costs, IT support team development, how ITSM delivers services, non-core ITIL processes, day-to-day improvement, aligning with business objectives, supporting services with best practices, and how services are delivered via experiences.
Sophie Danby
Sophie is a freelance ITSM marketing consultant, helping ITSM solution vendors to develop and implement effective marketing strategies.
She covers both traditional areas of marketing (such as advertising, trade shows, and events) and digital marketing (such as video, social media, and email marketing). She is also a trained editor.
