ITIL 4 Foundation Revision Guide

1 Introduction

1.1 IT service management in the modern world

Services create and provide value for organizations and their customers. Most services today are IT-enabled, which means that improving and developing IT service management capabilities can deliver enormous benefit for an organization.

Technology advancements mean that IT has become a significant business driver and often delivers competitive advantage, raising the profile of IT service management to a strategic capability. To remain successful, many organizations are undertaking major transformational programmes to exploit these opportunities, often referred to as ‘digital transformations’. Through this, information and technology are becoming fully integrated across the organization, breaking down silos. It is also driving an increasing need for operational agility and velocity within the organization. However, this must be carefully balanced with the need for stability and predictability.

Service management is changing to address and support this organizational shift, to ensure opportunities from new technologies and new ways of working are maximized. As service management is evolving, so is ITIL, the most widely adopted guidance on IT service management (ITSM) in the world.

1.2 ITIL 4

ITIL 4 is the latest evolution of ITSM best practice. ITIL 4 reshapes the established ITIL framework in the wider context of customer experience, value streams, and digital transformation, embracing new ways of working, such as Lean, Agile, and DevOps.

It ensures continuity with existing ways of working (where successful) by integrating modern and emerging practices with established and proven know-how. It also provides guidance on the benefits and adoption of these new methods, with minimal disruption.

ITIL 4’s holistic approach elevates the profile of service management in an organization to a more strategic level, focusing on delivering value, while offering a flexible, coordinated, and integrated system for the effective governance and management of IT-enabled services.

ITIL 4 Foundation is the entry level certification, providing an introduction to ITIL 4.

The ITIL 4 certification scheme provides a structured approach for developing ITSM competencies. As it has evolved from ITIL v3, there is a clear transition path from one scheme structure to the other, enabling practitioners to continue their ITIL journey.

1.3 Structure and benefits of ITIL 4

The key components of the ITIL 4 framework are:

•the service value system (SVS)

•the four dimensions model.

1.3.1 The ITIL SVS

The SVS shows how the key components and activities in a service work together to create and deliver value. The SVS enables integration, coordination, and a unified value-driven focus across the organization.

The core components of the SVS are:

•the ITIL guiding principles

•governance

•the ITIL service value chain

•the ITIL practices

•continual improvement.

The SVS is triggered by opportunity or demand, to enable value co-creation through products and services.

1.3.2 The four dimensions model

The four dimensions of service management ensure a holistic approach to service management. They are:

•organizations and people

•information and technology

•partners and suppliers

•value streams and processes.

By considering these four dimensions across all aspects of the SVS and for all services, an organization can ensure it remains balanced and effective in delivering value in the form of products and services to its customers and stakeholders.

2 Key concepts of service management

2.1 Key definitions

Candidates must be able to recall the definitions for the terms listed in Table 2.1.

Table 2.1 Key definitions for service management

2.2 Creating value with services

Candidates must be able to describe the key concepts for creating value with services, as listed in Table 2.2.

Table 2.2 Key concepts for creating value with services