Starting out on an ITIL Journey?

I have at long last gained ITIL 4 Master accreditation, so this is probably an appropriate time to pass on a few thoughts to those considering starting out on the ITIL certification journey. I've worked with ITIL for nearly 20 years from ITIL v2, which was released in 2001, through ITIL v3 released in 2007 to ITIL 4 released in 2019.

For those unfamiliar with ITIL, it’s a public framework. It’s guidance for the governance and management of IT services, based on UK Government recommendations collated by the Office of Government Commerce in the 1980s. It’s expanded massively since and is extremely comprehensive. ITIL isn’t completely reflective of real life, it is vendor neutral and non-prescriptive, and it doesn’t give you any detailed processes, tools, or even basic templates. However, what is does give you are two things that are incredibly valuable:

? Firstly, ITIL provides a common language. Whether you’re working for a Managed Services Provider talking to multiple clients, or you’re considering interviewing for a job move, or more likely you just want to communicate effectively within your service organisation then ITIL is the essential lingua franca.

? Secondly, ITIL provides high-level, tried and tested guidance. It can help ensure that when setting up a service operating model, or refining an existing one, that you focus on what’s important (creating value for the customer and the user), don’t miss basic tricks and can integrate your operations effectively with internal and external organisations.

There’s an extensive and ever-expanding range of ITIL certifications and pathways, all of which can be found on the website of Axelos who run the framework. A Foundation certificate in the latest ITIL version is the starting point and is considered pretty much table stakes in IT service management. Even at Foundation level there’s a mass of valuable guidance. It should be noted that ITIL doesn’t stand still and that the current version, ITIL 4, is quite an advance on ITIL v3.

For many people simply passing the Foundation certificate and re-taking it as each new ITIL version is released is enough. But for some, depending on their role or career aspirations, there is a benefit in going into areas in more depth: perhaps taking the certificates for individual practice areas, or getting to grips with the strategic and management elements. For others it’s about continuous learning or being able to support teams right across their service organisation.

The drawbacks are that if you want to go into ITIL in depth, it quickly becomes time consuming to gain the additional certifications and deep pockets are needed to go the full journey. The manuals are expensive and public courses for each certification are many hundreds of pounds. In addition, if you really want to keep current, Axelos, as a commercial business, are constantly developing new concepts and revenue streams, including in just 2023 alone:

? New Extension modules in Sustainability in Digital & IT; Acquiring & Managing Cloud Services; Business Relationship Management and IT Asset Management, which may be worth considering if you want to extend your skills in these directions.

? Setting an expiry of all certifications at 3 years. There are several ways of keeping them current or re-activating them, should it be required. All require investment but this isn’t as bad as it sounds: if you’re a continuous learner then your previous certifications get revalidated each time you gain a new one. I also suspect that what is more important to your employer is how much ITIL has helped you become an asset to your company.

If you’re looking for cost savings, then it’s worth noting is that some certifications are bundled reducing time and cost. It’s also worth mentioning that each time there has been a change of ITIL version there have been opportunities to do bridging courses and certifications between versions to avoid starting all over again. These bridging offers have previously been time-limited so, if there is ever an ITIL 5 released, check out whether they are on offer and your eligibility for them promptly.

To summarise, if you work in IT services, gaining the latest ITIL version Foundation certificate is highly recommended, and is considered by some to be an almost essential requirement. However, if you’re thinking of going further then, at each step, carefully consider your motivations and in which areas of the framework you would benefit from more in-depth knowledge and skills; then look at the possible learning pathways and balance your aspirations against the financial investment and time required. A good training company should be able to advise you on the best pathway for you.

Hmmm, time to look at those new Extension modules!

If you’re an IT services professional with views on ITIL then get in touch or leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you and understand your experiences.

For those interested, my own personal journey has taken a leisurely 19 years.

My thanks go to Stuart Mills who, when we were at Logica, started the whole thing off and helped me get to v2 Practitioner level. Also, to Hewlett Packard who supported me through the v3 Manager’s Bridge certificate and the Managing Across the Lifecycle accreditation to get me to v3 Expert level. I self-funded the bridge from v3 Expert to ITIL 4 Managing Professional (MP) designation whilst between jobs. But my biggest thanks go to Luke Freeman at NTT DATA UK who completely got behind the idea of an ITIL certification programme for our Managed Services business, which has enabled over 30 staff to become accredited in its first 12 months. The programme has also allowed me to secure the “Digital and IT Strategy” and “Monitor Support and Fulfil” certifications which gave me the remaining Strategic Leader (SL) and Practice Manager (PM) Designations required to become an ITIL 4 Master. Finally, I would like to thank Trevor Wilson who has personally guided me on the ITIL 4 stage of my journey.