ITIL® v2 to v3 – Bridging the Gap
In 2007, version 3 of the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL®) was published, consisting of five core titles. This ITIL® Refresh focuses on a lifecycle approach to IT Service Management, with greater emphasis on IT business integration. Adopting all or some elements of ITIL® v3 into your IT Service Management practices could add significant value to your company. Why? What is special about ITIL® v3 verses ITIL® v2?
Learn more about bridging from ITIL® v2 to v3:
ITIL® Bridging Qualification Map
What are the differences?
This chart shows where processes fall within each course. Please note there is some overlap.
The education in ITIL® v2 focuses on ten processes and one function. These are covered in two books, Service Support and Service Delivery (often referred to as the blue book and the red book). ITIL® v3 expands the number of processes, building on those from v2 and incorporating others. ITIL® v3 also focuses on Service Management from a lifecycle perspective and details that lifecycle in five books:
Service Strategy, Service Design, Service Transition, Service Operation and Continual Service Improvement.
Both versions are about Service Management but the definition of Service Management has undergone a revision:
ITIL® v2 Service Management: “A set of integrated processes that underpins core business processes by linking infrastructure management with business needs.”
ITIL® v3 Service Management: “A set of specialized organizational capabilities for providing value to customers in the form of services.”
The overall theme of ITIL® has moved away from process-focus to value-focus. The five books in ITIL® v3 detail all of the processes as did the books of ITIL® v2; however, the processes are not ends in themselves. IT staff have often found that they were so driven to get the processes right that they sometimes lost sight of the reasons they were implementing them. The ITIL® v3 books focus on value of the service and the processes that must be in place to ensure that value. In other words, ensuring that processes are a means to an end: business value! View this
printable PDF to learn more about bridging from ITIL® v2 to v3.
What are my educational choices?
The new ITIL® qualifications scheme with the release of v3 recognizes existing v2 qualifications and introduces a new system that enables an individual to gain credits for ITIL® v2 and v3 courses. There are four levels within the new scheme: Foundation level, an Intermediate level, an Expert level and an Advanced level.
The
Foundation level focuses on knowledge and comprehension to provide a good grounding in the key concepts, terminology and processes of ITIL® v3. At this level, the qualification remains very similar to the ITIL® v2 Foundation qualification. (See the blue base of the rectangle on diagram on back.)
In the new ITIL® v3
Intermediate level, there are two streams: a Lifecycle stream and a Capability stream. Both Intermediate streams assess an individual’s comprehension and application of the concepts of ITIL® v3.
The course “
Managing Through the Lifecycle” brings together the full essence of a lifecycle approach to service management. (See the large orange rectangle towards top of diagram.)
Once an individual has gained the requisite 22 credits through their education at Foundation, Intermediate and Managing through the Lifecycle, they will be awarded ITIL® Expert status. No further examination or course is required. (See the blue trapezoid near the top of the diagram.)
v2 Service Manager
Candidates who have achieved the v2 Service Manager certification (large orange square on bottom left side of diagram) can gain the v3 ITIL® Expert certification by attending a v3 Manager Bridge Certification course.
The
Manager Bridge course covers the subject areas of all five Lifecycle stages which are new to v3 and those existing subject areas of v2 which have undergone significant change in v3. (See the large orange square on the top left side of the diagram.)
The
Advanced Level Diploma will assess an individual’s ability to apply and analyze the ITIL® v3 concepts in new areas. This Advanced level is undergoing development. (See the top of the diagram.)
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