This Holiday Season, GogoTraining is giving away 1 ITIL 4 Managing Professional course per person.  If you are interested in getting ITIL 4 Certified, Contact Us Today and let us know which ITIL 4 course you would like to receive at no charge.

Please note that PeopleCert, the ITIL Exam Institute, requires students to purchase the exam voucher for their ITIL courses before they are granted access to the course.  To assist our students, we are offering exam discounts up to $200 depending on the exam required.

To find out more, Contact Us Today.

Wishing you the Happiest of Holidays and best wishes for the New Year ahead.

by Nikola Gaydarov

I am an ITIL v3 Expert and I have been teaching ITIL for the last 5 years. During this time, I had many discussions with my students on how ITIL can be improved. We went up and down the phases and the process and as a result I have written some articles with ideas that came up. I even wrote an article called ITIL v4 well over a year before the official announcement was done. You can imagine the enthusiasm and the feelings I had, when the real work on the new update started. I have been even part of the whole discussion about the name – would it be v4, v3 2019 or just 4. It was great fun.

Leaving some time for the dust to settle, I decided to go for ITIL 4 Foundation certification few weeks ago. I got the book, I got access to a training and started reading.

It quickly became obvious that ITIL 4 would change the game. We are now ready to talk about value, value system and value streams. The best side of it, is that ITIL 4 is written in such a way that everyone can understand and relate to it.

In this article I will try to show you some great ideas laid down from ITIL 4 and why you might want to certify yourself on the Foundation level. Ultimately, I want to prove that ITIL 4 is good for every one of you.

So, let’s start with ITIL 4.

Why ITIL 4

The first thing that struck me was… We now have a definition of Value. Though it may seem funny, in v3 Value there was no such definition.

The next big thing is, of course, the Service Value System (SVS). There are a few other frameworks that have defined similar models, but here we can see the legacy and the new ideas in one model. ITIL 4 has kept and even promoted to the highest possible level the Guiding Principles.

Source: AXELOS, “ITIL Foundation: ITIL 4 Edition” (2019)

We can see how Governance and Continual Improvement fit as well.

Major change in this version are the Practices and the Service Value Chain. The first will extend our process driven model by focusing more on the Why, and the latest define the so called Value Streams.

Value Streams are a big improvement over what we had as a delivery model in v3. They mix activities and practices to deliver value. How great is that?

Source: AXELOS, “ITIL Foundation: ITIL 4 Edition” (2019)

And the good ideas go even further. We now have six activities: Plan, Improve, Engage, Design and Transition, Deliver and Support and Obtain and Build. Why is this a good thing? It is good because we now have focus. Is what I am doing an Engagement or Design and Transition activity? Are there any related best practices to how we engage with our customers? Do we have predefined procedures and guidelines? The list can go on. In short, we are given a high-level system, which can be split into activities and practices with a focus on value. It looks a lot better and a lot more up-to-date, doesn’t it?

I will go into detail, but we now have 34 Practices split into three groups. I think these are plenty of practices 😊 Major point is that we now have Business Analysis, Risk Management, Portfolio and Project Management, Deployment and Software Management. It looks sound from a practical perspective.

The 4 Dimensions of Service Management

Source: AXELOS, “ITIL Foundation: ITIL 4 Edition” (2019)

Last, but not least are the 4 dimensions of service management. They were always there, but we somehow always forgot about them. Something like the pink elephant in the room – it is there but it seems no one is paying enough attention. Emphasizing the importance of People, Information, Partners and Value Streams is a great way to deliver better and better services.

The more you read, the more you think ”Hey, this looks cool, I should certify”, don’t you?

Well, I thought the same, so I did it 😊

Why ITIL 4 Foundation

I have taken an online prerecorded training with a great quality. I read the book several times and done the mockup exams. The practical example about Axle Car Hire was a great help. You can easily understand and relate to theory, if you are given a practical example. The exam was straightforward, not easy, not hard. Well, I am an Expert, so I was close to perfection 😊

Source: AXELOS

Why do you need to certify? The main reason, of course, is that ITIL 4 will follow up on the steps of ITIL v3 2011 and become a well known and well used best practice framework. The certificate will be valid at least for several years and will be known throughout the globe. So, don’t wait, just go for it…

Granted ITIL is a framework and not a technology, but I just couldn’t stop laughing when I saw this cartoon.  With all the hype around ITIL 4 it would “seem” that as of Q1 2019, ITIL V3 will be considered outdated/dead, however, we don’t believe this to be the case.

Why Doesn’t ITIL 4 Kill ITIL V3?

For those of you who have individually or organizationally invested in the ITIL Framework via certifications and working in organizations that have adopted and adapted the ITIL Framework, you know ITIL is not something that gets adopted and adapted overnight nor is it something that gets updated overnight. If you run an IT organization that has adopted and adapted the IT Infrastructure framework, then you have trained your people, selected the practices from the framework that work for your group and integrated them into your organization with the end goal of delivering better, more efficient and higher quality services that enable the organization to be more effective and reduce costs.  It would make no sense to jump ship.

A Historical Look At Updates

Whenever an update is delivered, whether it be an operating system, language, standard or framework, it typically keeps the best of the current version and adds to it enhancements that bring new capabilities.  Some things stay the same, some things are modified for improvement and there are always new features.  In the case of ITIL 4, the goal, we are told, is to bring the ITIL framework into the digital age.  An age where it co-exists with Agile and DevOps and Lean, to name a few.

How Will ITIL 4 Enhance ITIL V3?

The current V3 framework has 26 processes. All very solid. If you have adopted and adapted some or all of them, they are in place and will remain in place.  The focus of ITIL 4 is to integrate ITIL with other relevant best practices like DevOps, Agile and Lean. The core elements of ITIL V3 are expected to remain the same in ITIL 4.

What Does This Mean to You or Are Your ITIL V3 Certificates Valid?

ITIL V3 is alive and well.  All ITIL V3 certifications are valid and well respected, AXELOS will continue V3 Certifications until at least June 2020. If your organization has adopted ITIL, then ITIL V3 courses, content and certifications are relevant. If you want to work for an organization that has adopted ITIL, then ITIL V3 courses, content and certifications are relevant. Bottom Line – ITIL V3 is here to stay. ITIL 4 builds on ITIL V3.

ITIL 4 Release

The release program for the new ITIL 4 certification will take some time.

• Foundation will be released Q1 2019; the first exams are due the end of February 2019
• The 6 advanced courses/certifications will begin releasing June 2020

How Do You Prepare?

We recommend that everyone in the ITIL V3 space either buy and read the AXELOS publication when it is released or take a course. Courses are available in self-paced, live online and classroom format. Everyone who is currently in an ITIL V3 shop will want to understand ITIL 4 as soon as possible. That understanding will allow you to start thinking about the new processes that are introduced in ITIL 4 in order to determine which ones and how to adapt them into your organization.

Who Should Get ITIL 4 Foundation Certified?

If you hold an ITIL V3 Foundation Certificate and have not gone on to the advanced certifications, then you will want to prepare and sit the ITIL 4 Foundation exam given by PeopleCert in 2019.  This will keep you on the cutting edge and in good stead in the job market.  Individuals who have taken advanced ITIL V3 Certifications do not need to get ITIL 4 Foundation Certified as there is an advanced transition module for ITIL V3 Certificate holders with 17 or more credits.  Now, it won’t hurt you to take the Foundation exam, just know it is not required.

Nothing Happens Overnight

Remember, nothing happens overnight. You didn’t get to the place you are now overnight, and you won’t adopt and adapt ITIL 4 overnight. Take all the time you need. When it is released, learn all about it. Make good decisions. Make a plan. Adopt and adapt accordingly.

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.

Come & learn with Service Management Expert and VeriSM Author Dr. Suzanne Van Hove as she guides you through the VeriSM approach to Service Management. In this exclusive live online presentation you will learn and interact with Dr. Van Hove to fully understand the VeriSM Approach and the benefits it will bring to you and your organization.

Enroll Today to avoid disappointment as spaces are limited!

Course Details:

Where: June 19 to 21, 2018

When: 9am to Noon EDT/14:00 to 17:00 GMT

Format: Live Online

Price: $347 ($1,762 Value)

Attendees Will Receive:

• 9 hours of Interactive Instruction with Dr. Van Hove ($995 Value)
• The On-Demand Version of Suzanne’s VeriSM Foundation Course – ($745 Value)
• The VeriSM Pocket Guide ($22 Value)
• 1 Years’ access to Dr. Van Hove to ask VeriSM questions (Beyond Priceless)
• VeriSM Foundation Course Certificate of Completion
• 10 PDUs

Added Bonus – 2 Exams for the Price of One!

Add a VeriSM Plus exam for $125 ($325 Value) and get 2 Certifications for the price of 1.

• All ITIL and ISO 20000 Foundation holders qualify to take the VeriSM Plus exam and upon passing will receive both the VeriSM Plus and the VeriSM Foundation Certification.
• Save Big on this package: VeriSM Live + Exam Voucher Package – $472 ($2,234 Value)

GogoTraining announced yesterday that it will offer ISO/IEC 20000 Foundation and Associate Bridge Courses beginning in June 2013, rounding out it’s curriculum in the ISO/IEC 20000 topic area.

The ISO/IEC 20000: IT Service Management Foundation Bridge course offers you an expedited method of learning about ISO/IEC 20000, the international family of standards around Service Management, by recognizing your ITIL® Foundation certificate. Learn what needs to be in place to manage the Service Management processes and initiatives, and the contents, requirements and use of a Service Management System (SMS). Explore the fundamental concepts around what you ‘must’ do in an adapt and adopt initiative in Service Management.

The Associate Bridge course focuses on the Service Management System (SMS) – internationally accepted requirements for managing Service Management initiatives. These requirements, briefly covered in ITIL, are clearly documented and supported in the standard. Additionally, this course will focus on the similarities and differences between ISO/IEC 20000 and ITIL processes as well as the benefits of deploying the PDCA model.

The Associate Bridge course allows one to fast-track into the study of ISO/IEC 20000. Recognizing the student who has already gained a Foundation Certificate in ISO/IEC 20000 and who has earned at least two (2) ITIL® Practitioner (v2) or Intermediate (2007/2011) certificates, the requirements of the Associate certificate in ISO/IEC 20000 have been reduced.