New ITIL 4 Certification Scheme-EN

In November 2017, ITIL® announced a new version of their certification – ITIL 4 will be available the first quarter of 2019. However, only the ITIL 4 Foundation guide will initially be released. The rest of the guides will be published starting in the second half of the year.

Little has been announced regarding the content changes. As of now, we only know that the new version should address the challenges and practices that have emerged in the IT industry since 2007 such as DevOps, Agile, and Lean. (The current edition of ITIL that was released in 2011 was only a revision of V3 from 2007.)

What has become official is that the name ITIL 4 is representative of their objective to become the IT Operating Model for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

With its new approach, ITIL will break with the image that is in the slipstream of other trends and present itself as the umbrella that integrates them all into a new framework. This global, end-to-end framework encompasses the complete delivery of products and services, as well as their interconnectivity to drive the business strategy to a broader level.

ITIL® 4 Certification Scheme 

What Stays and What Goes

The V3 scheme is not “mappable” with version 4.

• Only the ITIL® Foundation and ITIL® Master certifications will continue.
• ITIL® Practitioner, ITIL® Intermediates (Lifecycle and Capability Modules) and ITIL® Expert will all cease to be issued.

Based on the transition plans from version 3 to 4 that ITIL has released, AXELOS equates the level of ITIL® Expert V3 certification with that of ITIL® Managing Professional (MP).

Two New Training Lines

• ITIL® Managing Professional (ITIL MP) aimed at professionals working in digital and technology teams, providing them with practical and technical knowledge on how to execute projects, equipment and workflows. It includes five modules:
  • ITIL® Foundation
  • ITIL® Specialist: Create, Deliver & Support
  • ITIL® Specialist: Drive Stakeholder Value
  • ITIL® Specialist: High Velocity IT
  • ITIL® Strategist: Direct, Plan & Improve *

• ITIL® Strategic Leader (ITIL SL) aimed at those professionals who have to influence the IT strategy and demonstrate how it guides the business strategy. It includes three modules:
  • ITIL® Foundation
  • ITIL® Strategist: Direct, Plan & Improve*
  • ITIL® Leader: Digital & IT Strategy

(*Both lines share the ITIL® Strategic Direct module, Plan & Improve module)

Transitioning from V3 to 4

Current Certification Held: Only ITIL®V3 Foundation

AXELOS encourages you to complete the ITIL®4 Foundation module due to the large amount of new concepts version 4. This path will be available during the first quarter of 2019.

Current Certification Held: ITIL®V3 Foundation + Some Other Practitioner or Intermediary Modules

This depends on the amount of credits you have received:

• If you have few credits (3 or 4 for example, in addition to the 2 of Foundation – an amount equivalent to a single intermediate module), Axelos proposes that you start with ITIL® Foundation 4 and continue your training in the scheme of version 4 when it becomes available.
• If you if you have more than 6 or 7 credits in addition to the Foundation 2 (or 2 or more intermediate modules), AXELOS encourages you to continue in version 3 until you reach 17 credits and then, complete the Managing Professional (MP) Transition module. This will allow you to obtain the ITIL® Managing Professional (MP) certification without having to take the Managing Across the Life Cycle (MALC) course of version 3. Note: if you also decide to carry out the ITIL® Leader Digital & IT Strategy module, you will obtain the ITIL® Strategic Leader (SL) certification. Since the Managing Professional (MP) Transition module will not be available until the second half of 2019, this option allows people to advance their path towards the ITIL® Managing Professional (MP) 4 certification in the interim.

Current Certification Held: ITIL® Expert

You have no choice but to wait for the Managing Professional (MP) Transition module. This will grant you the ITIL® Managing Professional (MP) certification. If you have completed the ITIL® Leader Digital & IT Strategy module, you will obtain the ITIL® Strategic Leader (SL) certification.

Remember, the Managing Professional (MP) Transition module will not be available before the second half of 2019.

Current Certification Held: ITIL® Master

As of now, all we know is that the candidate must have both ITIL® Managing Professional (MP) and ITIL® Strategic Leader (SL) certifications. Axelos hasn’t published the other conditions a candidate must fulfill. Remember, that in V3 the candidate was required to explain and justify how he has personally applied the knowledge, principles, methods, and techniques of ITIL® and supported management to achieve the desired results for the business in one or more practical jobs.

The transition module between V3 and 4 ITIL® Managing Professional (MP) Transition will be in force until at least one year after its launch. The V3 will gradually disappear. Axelos will maintain exams, and will continue to publish books based on V3 and accrediting candidates at least until June 2020.