ITIL (IT Infrastructure Library)

ITIL 4 replaced the rigid process chains of earlier editions with the Service Value System. At its centre sits the service value chain with six activities — plan, improve, engage, design and transition, obtain/build, and deliver and support — combined into different value streams depending on the demand. Added to that are seven guiding principles, among them focus on value, start where you are, progress iteratively with feedback and keep it simple and practical, plus four dimensions: organisations and people, information and technology, partners and suppliers, and value streams and processes.

One practical point matters: ITIL is a framework, not a certifiable standard. Individuals get certified; an organisation seeking an audited certification of its service management should look to ISO/IEC 20000-1. Nor is ITIL meant to be adopted wholesale — in mid-sized environments a handful of practices carry operations: incident management, service desk, change enablement, service level management, service request management and monitoring and event management.

Anything further is added on demand. With ITIL (Version 5), whose Foundation module PeopleCert released in February 2026, the framing shifts toward a digital product and service lifecycle including governance for AI-enabled environments. PeopleCert presents the edition as an evolution: existing ITIL 4 certificates remain valid and a bridge module covers the gap. Moving across is therefore an evolution of the operating model, not a rebuild.