Your options for transitioning to ITIL 4 from ITIL V3
The ITIL framework is one of the most popular frameworks used by IT professionals - in fact ITIL is the most number one held certification worldwide.
ITIL stands for the Information Technology Infrastructure Library. It was created in the 1980s by the UK Government, which was struggling to procure IT services of a consistent standard. The government agency that dealt with the then-emerging industry, the Central Computing and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA), was tasked with creating a standard catalogue of best practice for IT businesses.
There have been a few transitions over the years as generational shifts in the IT industry have occurred. V3 was published in 2007, only to be replaced in 2019 by V4. Version 4 has been released to adapt to the monumental changes that have taken place in the industry over the previous decade.
This month, due to the advancement in V4, the ITIL V3 Foundation Course – now 14 years old! - has been discontinued, so there is a large amount of new material.
It’s been such a long time since the widespread adoption of ITIL V3 and we have noticed there is some confusion among those already certified as to whether they need to start from scratch. Luckily, this is not the case. There are a range of transitional options available to those with varying levels of ITIL certification.
In this blog we wanted to explain more about the transitioning process.
I’ve invested a lot of time and money in ITIL V3 training, do I now need to start from the beginning with ITIL 4?
Not necessarily. If you are already an ITIL 3 Expert, you can take the ITIL 4 Managing Professional Transition Program. You will be able to build on the knowledge you already have to reach the status of Managing Professional in one program.
I’m not an ITIL V3 Expert but I have already completed several of the intermediate modules.
Not quite reached ITIL V3 Expert level yet? No problem. If you have 17 V3 credits but haven’t yet done Managing Across the Lifecycle course and exam that you need to gain V3 Expert level, you are still eligible for the V4 Transition course.
17 credits are achieved by having taken V3 Foundation and any five of the Lifecycle or Capability modules.
But I’ve only got 11 V3 credits so far?
ITIL V3 Foundation was retired at the end of June 2021 but the Lifecycle and Capability modules will be available until 31 December 2021, so you still have time to gain the required number of credits you need to take the ITIL 4 Managing Professional Transition course.
If you haven’t achieved the full 17 credits before ITIL V3 is retired in December, you will need to begin at V4 Foundation and either work through the modules individually or sign up to the full Managing Professional Program.
I’m completely new to ITIL, where do I start?
In this case, you will need to start from the beginning with ITIL 4 Foundation level. From there, depending on your role or aspirations, you can become a Managing Professional or Digital Leader, which will determine the modules of ITIL V4 you need to take.
To reach the very desirable height of ITIL 4 Master, you will need to sit all five modules associated with both Managing Professional and Digital Leader.
The graphic below is a road map of the steps required to reach your goals.
We really hope this information clarifies the somewhat complicated ITIL path! However, if you still have some questions or need some advice about what the right path is for you, please don’t hesitate in contacting us at Cyclopz - we will be more than happy to give you some guidance.