All you need to know about ITIL® 3 vs ITIL® 4

Information Technology Infrastructure Library or better known as the ITIL^® framework is one of the leading framework in the area of IT Service Management. Since IT is a domain that remains in a continuous flux, it becomes very important for ITIL^® creators to upgrade it regularly to keep up with modern technologies. Implying to this, recently, Axelos Ltd has introduced a new version of ITIL i.e ITIL V4. Through the medium of this article on ITIL^® V3 vs ITIL^® V4, I will highlight the major changes that have been introduced in the latest version of ITIL.

• ITIL^® V3 Framework
• ITIL^® V4 Framework
• ITIL^® V3 vs ITIL^® V4

ITIL^® V3 Framework

ITIL V3 is the third version of the Information Technology Infrastructure Library framework which refers to a  collection of best practices for managing information technology recognized globally. This framework emphasizes the concept of IT as a service that helps in achieving business goals. ITIL V3 is considered as one of the best ITSM frameworks and was released in 2007. The best feature of ITIL is that it is always evolving to fit better into today’s business environment. In order to align with the latest trends or practices like DevOps, Lean and mainly Agile, creators of ITIL have developed a new framework called ITIL 4 which satisfies the customer or IT organization’s requirements.

To learn more about the ITIL V3, refer to this article on ITIL V3 Framework.

ITIL^® V4 Framework

As mentioned earlier, ITIL v4 is an upgraded version of the ITIL V3 framework and includes improved strategic elements that provide a better alignment of the IT service management with the business requirements. ITIL v4 was released early in 2019 and helps in building an effective IT Service Management process by providing an end-to-end operating model for the creation, delivery and continual improvement of tech-enabled products and services.

ITIL V4 also provides guidance to the organizations which is needed in order to address new service management challenges. It helps in utilizing the potential of modern technology which can work efficiently in an era of Cloud, Agile, DevOps and transformation. The core components of this framework are the ITIL Service Value System (SVS) and the four dimensions model. The main elements of the ITIL SVS are listed below:

1. Service Value Chain (SVC)
2. ITIL Practices
3. ITIL Guiding Principles
4. Governance
5. Continual Improvement

Now that you are familiar with ITIL V3 and ITIL V4, let’s us now find out the major changes that were introduced in ITIL V4.

ITIL® V3 vs ITIL® V4

Below I have listed down the most important changes and updates that have been introduced in ITIL V4.

1. ITIL V3 Process vs ITIL V4 Practices

In ITIL V3, a process is a sequence of activities that have been upgraded to practices in ITIL V4 which refers to something which you can perform using the right resources. ITIL V3 processes describe a flow of activities, along with the information about suggested roles, metrics, and other process-related information. On the other hand, ITIL V4 practices are the capabilities that can be performed as an organization.

2. ITIL V3 26 Processes vs ITIL V4 34 Practices

26 processes of ITIL V3 are now replaced by 34 practices in ITIL V4

You can even check out the details of PRINCE2 with the PRINCE2 Foundation.

3. ITIL V3 Service Lifecycle vs ITIL V4 Service Value System

ITIL V3 Service lifecycle is composed of five stages and is based on a waterfall model. These 5 stages are Service Strategy, Service Design, Service Transition, Service Operations and Continual Service Improvement.

The new ITIL V4 framework is based on a Service Value System (SVS) which describes how all the components and activities should work together as a system to enable value creation for the organization.

Where the Service Value Chain is:

4. ITIL V3 Continual Service Improvement vs ITIL V4 Continual Improvement

ITIL V3 CSI model has been updated in ITIL V4 and is renamed as CI model. The ITIL V4 model for continual improvement provides a structured approach for identifying and implementing various improvements that can be applied at different levels of the organization. It consists of seven steps and in some ways is comparable with the seven-step improvement process described in the ITIL V3 framework.

5. ITIL V3 9 Guiding Principles vs ITIL V4 7 Guiding Principles

The 9 guiding principles of the ITIL V3 framework are now reduced to 7 guiding principles in ITIL V4.

6. ITIL V3 Four P’s vs ITIL V4 Four Dimensions

The four P’s in the ITIL V3 framework has been changed to four dimensions in the ITIL V4 framework.

7. ITIL V4 Automation Support

ITIL V4 framework promotes the need for more AI and Automation in the field of ITSM. In ITIL Foundation, ITIL 4 Ed published by Axelos Ltd., “optimize and automate” guiding principle has been described as:

8. Emphasis on Governance in ITIL V4

The governance component of the ITIL V4 framework is present in the service value system and talks about the ways of directing and controlling any organization. In the earlier framework, this was covered as a subtopic and didn’t hold much importance but in the ITIL V4 framework it sits prominently in the SVS and a full chapter is dedicated to it.

9. ITIL V3 Value vs ITIL V4 Value Co-Creation

ITIL V3 framework defines a ‘service‘ as a means of delivering value to the customer by facilitating the outcomes that he wants to achieve without undergoing any specific cost or risk. But in the ITIL V4 framework, the definition of  ‘Service’ has been updated to a means of value co-creation by facilitating the outcomes that a customer wants to achieve without undergoing any cost or risk. Value Co-Creation in ITIL V4 framework not only needs Service Provider contribution but equal participation and contribution from Consumers, Regulators, and Suppliers is also required.

10. ITIL V3 vs ITIL V4 Qualification Roadmap

This brings us to the end of this article on ITIL® V3 vs ITIL® V4.