ITIL© (the IT Infrastructure Library), is the most widely used process driven framework in the field of service management today.  It’s been around since the mid to late 80’s and it’s all about how to deliver effective and efficient services.  Since its inception, ITIL has been adopted by about 90% of the Fortune 500 companies in the world (AXELOS presentation November 2018).

In the 80’s, it was all about how IT could use a process to better deliver services to the organization.  Fast forward to today and everything is about delivering services inside and outside of the business.  It’s what makes or breaks a company.  So why do Project Managers Need ITIL?

1. All Project Managers service customers – internal and external. ITIL enables Project Managers to better align the services they deliver to the needs of the businesses and customers it supports.
2. Project Managers need to earn PDU’s in order to maintain their PMP Certification. PDU’s are available for completing study in ITIL.  What better way to stay current?
3. ITIL is so widely adopted that having a minimum of the ITIL Foundation Certification will enable Product Managers to find themselves more qualified for promotions and exciting new jobs.

The current ITIL version is V3.  V3 is made up of 26 processes.  ITIL 4 is being released Q1 2019 and expands on ITIL V3 to address the delivery of services in the digital age.  If your organization is currently V3 centric, then the V3 Foundation Course will give you the understanding you need to start your journey into ITIL.   ITIL 4 will release in Q1 of 2019 and it will be the next step to understanding how your organization can benefit from a process-driven framework.  We expect that most V3 organizations will stay V3 through 2019 as ITIL 4 will be released throughout 2019.

Once ITIL 4 is released, organizations will need to train their people on ITIL 4 in order to best determine how to adopt and adapt it into their organization.  The ITIL 4 Foundation course will be released Q1 2019.  It is a great way for ITIL Certificate holders from Foundation to Expert to come up to speed on ITIL 4. The remainder of ITIL 4 courses will release the second half of 2019.  Gaining an understanding of ITIL 4 in 2019 is going to be important in helping your organization prepare.  We expect the ITIL V3 to ITIL 4 migration will begin in the 2020 timeframe.

Moral of the story?  ITIL is here to stay and if you are a Project Manager, there is tremendous benefit to achieving ITIL Foundation Certification.

I was speaking with some ITIL Experts last week and they asked me if there is any value in someone getting V3 certified since ITIL 4 releases in 2019. Here is my answer. Take a look and let me know your thoughts.

First off, great question. There is a lot of confusion over the ITIL 4 release as many of the details are still under wraps. From a 10,000 foot look we all know that we live in a world of updates and change does not happen overnight. Companies have infrastructures and processes and systems in place and they don’t throw them away when a new version is released. And most new versions include key elements of the current version, so the baby is not being thrown out with the bath water.

ITIL V3 Is Alive & Well

Right now, ITIL is V3.  V3 is alive and well and will be maintained until at least June 2020.  The ITIL 4 Foundation is being released Q1 2019 – or sometime in the next 4 months. The remainder of the ITIL 4 courses are scheduled to be released sometime June 2019 to December 2019.

Migration Game Plan

If I were new to ITIL and had funds for exams, I would get V3 Foundation and ITIL 4 Foundation Certified.  ITIL V3 Foundation is required for many positions and I don’t see that requirement going away for the next 12 months minimum. ITIL 4 Foundation is new and takes ITIL to the next level and if I wanted to be fully prepared to help my company transition from ITIL V3 to ITIL 4 or have certifications that helped me stand out, get promoted or get a new job, then I would get ITIL 4 Foundation Certified too. If I was already ITIL V3 Foundation Certified, I would get ITIL 4 Foundation Certified for the same reasons.

For the more advanced V3 certificate holders I would come up to speed on ITIL 4 by reading the book when it is released or taking a class. In my opinion there is no need for advanced certificate holders to get the ITIL 4 Foundation certificate. Advanced ITIL 3 Certificate holders (17 V3 credits or more) will be able to take the ITIL 4 Managing Professional transition course when it is released second half of 2019 and achieve the new ITIL 4 Managing Professional Certification.  This enables individuals with 17 or more ITIL V3 credits to take 1 course instead of 4 to become ITIL 4 Managing Professional Certified. If you are on your way to 17 credits in ITIL V3, keep going as it will allow you accelerated access to the ITIL 4 Managing Professional Certification.

I hope this article has been informative. If you have any questions, we are here to help.

 

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