So many IT qualifications, so little time. And when it comes to ITIL® 4, how do you sift through the mass of options at your disposal and figure out which course is the right one for you? Well, fortunately for you, that’s where we’re here to help!
First things first…
What is ITIL 4?
ITIL is a collection of best practices in IT service management that allows you to monitor, sculpt and improve your IT services. In 2019, the framework was updated to bring it in line with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which has created a more complex and fast-paced environment that organisations have had to adapt to. ITIL 4 provides a new digital operating model, designed not just to help ITSM professionals, but also a wider range of roles working in the digital world.
ITIL 4 looks at the impact of technology on business as a whole, not just from the point of view of the IT department. It easily integrates with the principles of agile and DevOps, and provides a flexible basis to support organisations on their digital journey. ITIL 4’s focus on the wider context of customer experience, value streams and digital transformation means it can help you to provide confidence and reassurance to your customers, while consistently delivering better services.
There are so many different modules! Which one is right for me?
There are four certification levels in ITIL 4:
- Foundation
- Managing Professional
- Strategic Leader
- Master
Foundation
If you’re completely new to ITIL then ITIL 4 Foundation is your new best friend. In fact, the Foundation certification is a pre-requisite for all of the other modules, so it’s an absolute must-have! From there, you then have the choice of following the Managing Professional or Strategic Leader stream, each with its own set of additional modules. The route you choose, depends on which direction you want to take your career in, or which one will be more applicable to your current role (but more on that later).
Managing Professional
This certification stream is aimed at IT professionals working within digital teams. It provides you with the practical and technical knowledge you need to successfully run IT-enabled services, teams and workflows. The four modules within this level are:
- ITIL 4 Specialist: Create, Deliver and Support (CDS) – for IT professionals responsible for service delivery
- ITIL 4 Specialist: Drive Stakeholder Value (DSV) – for those responsible for designing or managing user journeys or experiences
- ITIL 4 Specialist: High-velocity IT (HVIT) – for people involved with digital transformation projects and IT service delivery
- ITIL 4 Strategist: Direct, Plan and Improve (DPI) – for IT and Digital Managers responsible for ensuring work is aligned to strategic objectives
Strategic Leader
This stream is all about the bigger picture – recognising that the value of ITIL extends beyond IT operations, into all digitally-enabled services as part of an overall business strategy. There are two modules within this level:
- ITIL 4 Strategist: Direct, Plan and Improve (DPI) – for IT and Digital Managers responsible for ensuring work is aligned to strategic objectives
- ITIL 4 Leader: Digital and IT Strategy (DITS) – for existing and aspiring IT leaders responsible for developing and implementing IT and digital strategy
Master
This is the very top certification level within ITIL 4, and it validates an IT professional’s ability to apply the principles, techniques and methods from ITIL in the workplace. There is no fixed syllabus or training course for this certification, as the theory being tested will depend on the nature of the situation chosen by each individual candidate.
How do these relate to job roles?
So, now that we have more of an understanding of how the ITIL 4 streams work, you need to work our which is the right route for you? Well, it all depends on what your current role is and where you’re headed. Below, we’ve detailed some areas of IT service management and a few of the roles that sit within them, to help you start planning your ITIL career path.
Project management
IT Project Support
As you would imagine, this role supports the project team where IT is concerned. With daily tasks like setting up and maintaining project tools and collecting data, ITIL 4 Foundation will serve you in good stead in this starting role.
If you’re already in a project support role and looking to move into an IT Project Manager role, then HVIT would be a good choice for your next module as it perfect for people working on digital transformation projects, and looks at how to bridge the gap between operations and development.
Roles in a similar category: IT Project Manager, IT Programme Manager.
Service operation
IT Operations Manager
Responsible for the delivery of live service operations, this role is fairly broad and the specific responsibilities will depend on the size of your organisation. But generally speaking, this role has overall responsibility for the service desk and the teams that maintain the IT infrastructure.
ITIL 4’s Managing Professional stream is ideal for IT Operations Manager. The CDS module focuses on how to effectively manage IT teams, improve existing processes, and optimise value streams and workflow, while the DSV module centres around managing stakeholders and building trusted relationships, in order to target them with the right services and value propositions. HVIT looks at how to co-create and delivery services at speed, and DPI will support you in driving and managing organisational change.
Roles in a similar category: Application Support Specialists, IT Support Technicians and Service Desk Managers.
Service transition
IT Change Manager
This role is responsible for addressing change within IT which, of course, is constant. Key challenges may involve standardising methods and tools to support the management of the IT infrastructure, and protecting the live environment scheduling and staggering software updates to avoid unnecessary complications.
With change being such a large element of business strategy, ITIL 4’s Strategic Leader stream is the route we would recommend – the DITS module in particular focuses directly on the evolution of the digital world and how this can affect enterprises, and the DPI module has a strong emphasis on driving and managing organisational change
Roles in a similar category: IT Configuration Manager, Release Manager.
Service strategy and design
Service Level Manager
Service Level Managers are responsible for agreeing the levels and key performance indicators for IT services. They must monitor these services’ performance, and ensure the various IT support teams involved know what needs to doing to deliver these services on a daily basis.
With such a strong focus on service delivery KPIs, the best certification route for this type of role would be the Managing Professional stream. We would recommend starting with the CDS module, as it covers the core service management skills, including how to improve existing processes. It covers service performance, providing you with an understanding of service quality and improvement methods.
Roles in a similar category: IT Security Architect, Business Relationship Manager.
Obviously there are many more roles that sit within IT service management. But rather than list them all here in a never-ending blog post, why not get in touch with our team to discuss how ITIL can help you move forward with your career?! There’s also more information available on the course pages of our website.