About ITIL®

ITIL® is a public domain framework of a comprehensive set of best and good practices of Information Technology Service Management. Developed in the late 1980's, the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL®) has become the worldwide de facto standard in Service Management. The revamped ITIL® V3 has been released June 2007 by APMG promoting a service lifecycle phased approach to achieving business value, effectiveness and efficiency through the implementation and use of different service phases, namely:

• Service Strategy
• Service Design
• Service Transition
• Service Operation
• Continual Service Improvement

Examination Institutes

Professional qualifications based on ITIL® are offered by Examination Institutes, such as Loyalist Certification Services (LCS). LCS is an Examination Institute (EI) accredited by the APM Group through the ITIL® Qualifications Board. LCS is permitted to operate an ITIL® examination scheme through Accredited Training Organisations such as Ahead Technology.

Grey Market - Beware!

There are many organizations claiming to offer ITIL® qualifications which are not approved or recognized under the licensing scheme run by the Official Accreditor, APM Group. Students are urged to ensure that when buying training that they check that the organization delivering the service is an Accredited Training Organization or Accredited Training Associate.

ITIL® Qualification Scheme

The information provided below is a summary of the ITIL® V3 Qualification Scheme. See the official ITIL® V3 Qualification Scheme document.

Foundation level

This entrance level offers a general awareness of the Service Lifecycle and the key elements within. Learning objectives and competencies are focused on an understanding of the overall linkages between the stages in the Lifecycle, the processes used and their contribution to Service Management practices. The purpose of the ITIL® Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management is to certify that the candidate has gained knowledge of the ITIL® terminology, structure and basic concepts and has comprehended the core principles of ITIL® practices for Service Management. The ITIL® Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management is not intended to enable the holders of the certificate to apply the ITIL® practices for Service Management without further guidance.

Target Group - The target group of the ITIL® Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management is drawn from:

• Individuals who require a basic understanding of the ITIL® framework and how it may be used to enhance the quality of IT service management within an organization
• IT professionals who are working within an organization that has adopted and adapted ITIL® who need to be informed about and thereafter contribute to an ongoing service improvement programme

Intermediate Level

The Intermediate Level is a dual stream modular certification series, each with a set of certifications and a normalization certification. The Service Lifecycle series will be of interest to candidates wishing to obtain knowledge of V3 practices within the Service Lifecycle context. The prime focus is the Lifecycle itself, the use of process and practice elements used within it and the management capabilities needed to deliver quality Service Management practices in an organization. The Service Capability series will be of interest to candidates who wish to be certified in a deep level understanding of V3 processes and roles. Attention to the Service Lifecycle is illustrated as part of the curriculum; however the primary focus is the process activities,, execution and use throughout the Service Lifecycle.

Target Group

• Individuals who require a deeper understanding of the ITIL® Service Management Practice elements of the ITIL® Service Lifecycle and how they may be implemented to enhance the quality of IT service management within an organization
• IT professionals working in roles associated with strategic planning, execution and control within a service-based business model, seeking a deeper understanding of the functions and processes of the ITIL® Service Lifecycle
• Individuals seeking the ITIL® Expert level certification in ITIL® Service Management for which these are prerequisite modules
• Individuals seeking progress towards the ITIL® Master standing in IT Service Management for which the ITIL® Expert certification is a prerequisite
• Individuals who wish to specialize in any of the Service Lifecycle and Capability Areas.

Service Lifecycle Modules

The Service Lifecycle series is focused on each stage of the Lifecycle and syllabuses are matched to each of the five core practice areas. A certificate exam is given for each module.

The Lifecycle modules are:

• Service Strategy
• Service Design
• Service Transition
• Service Operation
• Continual Service Improvement

Each module of the Lifecycle series covers an introduction to the Service Lifecycle, the principles, processes, functions and activities within that stage of the ITIL® Service Management Lifecycle, along with technology and implementation considerations. Each ITIL® Service Lifecycle Stream Module is a free-standing qualification, and comprises one of six modules that lead to the ITIL® Expert Level certification in IT® Service Management. The purpose of these modules and the associated exams is, respectively, to impart, test, and validate the knowledge of industry practices in Service Management and the Service Lifecycle as documented in the ITIL® Service Management Practices Core Publications. These certificates will also be of interest to individuals simply seeking a better grasp of the business fundamentals that drive the need for IT services and justify investments. The Service Lifecycle Module Certificates expose such individuals to essential aspects of Management, Marketing, Operations, and Organization Management useful to appreciate the concerns of their business counterparts within a Service Management context.

Upon successful completion of the education and examination related to this certification, it is reasonable to expect a better understanding of the content of the ITIL® Service Management Practices, which form the core of the ITIL® Service Lifecycle.

Service Capability Modules

The Service Capability series is focused on role based clusters in a modular set, each with a certification. Each cluster contains groupings of processes and roles from within ITIL® IT Service Management, intended to offer candidates a balanced knowledge of ITIL® practices which have direct interaction and dependencies in their daily use. The Capability modules and their respective subject areas are:

Planning, Protection and Optimization

• Availability Management
• Capacity Management
• IT Service Continuity Management
• Demand Management
• Risk Management
• Information Security Management

Service Offerings and Agreements

• Service Portfolio Management
• Service Level Management
• Service Catalogue Management
• Demand Management
• Supplier Management
• Financial Management

Release, Control and Validation

• Change Management
• Service Release and Deployment Management
• Service Validation and Testing
• Service Asset and Configuration Management
• Knowledge Management
• Request Fulfilment
• Service Evaluation

Operational Support and Analysis

• Event Management
• Incident Management
• Request Fulfilment
• Problem Management
• Access Management
• Service Desk
• Technical Management
• IT Operations Management
• Application Management

Managing Across the Lifecycle

This certification completes the Lifecycle and Capability streams by focusing on the ancillary knowledge required to implement and manage the necessary skills associated with the use of the Lifecycle practices and includes:

• Introduction to IT Service Management Business and Managerial Issues
• Managing the Planning and Implementation of IT Service Management
• Management of Strategic Change
• Risk Management
• Managerial Functions
• Understanding Organizational Challenges
• Lifecycle Project Assessment
• Understanding Complementary Industry Guidance

To reach ITIL® Expert level this certification and accredited course is mandatory for all candidates, unless they are exempt through the bridging option available to candidates currently certified at V1 or V2 Service Manager Level.

NOTE: No credits are given for duplicate modules and Manager and Practitioner credits cannot be added together to gain an exemption or an ITIL® Expert certification.

ITIL® Expert in IT Service Management Certification

This certification is achieved by accumulating credits through the first two levels of the Scheme. There is no examination required for this level; however candidates must achieve credits through a selection of balanced subject areas which represent and are examined across the full spectrum of the ITIL® Service Management.

Practice areas.
To achieve the certification, candidates must obtain a minimum of twenty two (22) credits, two (2) of which must be from the Foundation module which is a mandatory first step, and five (5) of which must be from the ‘Managing Across the Lifecycle’ module which is a mandatory final step.

Candidates can choose modules from the Capability (4 credits per module) or Lifecycle (3 credits per module) streams to gain the other 15 credits, but are expected to choose a balanced programme overall.

Candidates who hold a V1 or V2 Managers Certificate (17 credits) and attend the mandatory V3 Managers Bridge course and pass the examination (5 credits) will also obtain the ITIL® Expert certification.

No credit will be given for repeated modules. Candidates who may wish to go forward to the ITIL® Master Level (in development) will be assessed to ensure that they have gained credits for the full Service Lifecycle.

Any candidate wishing to gain the ITIL® Service Management Expert certification using credit exemptions must successfully complete the relevant Bridge course and exam.

ITIL® Master Level (In Development)

The details provided in this section are subject to change and are presented for information only. Candidates for the ITIL® Master Level will be required to have achieved the ITIL® Service Management Expert certification and be able to demonstrate practical application experience through a peer evaluation scheme. They will be assessed on the broader issues of ITSM implementations, including, but not limited to:

• Managing cultural and organizational change
• Responding to industry change
• Continual improvement of ITSM capability
• Preparing an organization for audit and certification
• Preparing to become and ITSM consultant and/or an ITIL® trainer

In addition, candidates wishing to achieve ITIL® Master Level standing are likely to require a minimum of eight years of ITSM experience and to have achieved the ITIL® Expert certification. The Master Level certification will be based on a combination of ITSM theory and experiential evidence. Testing methods may include:

• Standardized case studies
• Open book written exams
• Combination of multiple choice, short question and essay type questions
• Defensive thesis
• Simulations

The Master Level certification will be based on a combination of ITSM theory and experiential evidence. Examination testing will be at Bloom’s level 5 and 6 (analysis and synthesis) and candidates will be required to identify solutions to realistic situations. It is expected that in future, the ITIL® Master Level certification will be recognized by external professional industry bodies such as the Institute of Service Management, the Institute of Certified Service Managers and National Computer Societies. Similarly, the Master Level certification scheme may elect to recognize a candidates standing with these types of bodies as a credit towards eligibility.