mibisystems

The release of ITIL v3 in 2007 raises questions about what it is and what is it's relationship to v2.  What is to be done?  Here are my thoughts, having carefully studied and taught both.

First, what is different in version 3?  The biggest difference is the placing of IT Service Management in a lifecycle framework.  In a concept perhaps borrowed from systems theory, IT services, like organisms, are born, live and die.  ITIL v3 places the processes and activities of Service Management in a life-cycle framework.  It also raises the idea of Continuous Improvement from a "Service Improvement Programme" within each service to an overarching process throughout the life cycle. So it's really a matter of reorganization and clarification of ideas and processes--not something entirely new.  That's the big picture look: in the details there are lots of changes that refine, clarify and improve on what has gone before.

Second, what to do about version 2?  If you're in the middle of implementing ITIL v2 processes, don't stop.  What you're doing won't be undone by v3.  But you may want to begin to look at v3.  Some things, such as the introduction and planning for new services makes a lot more sense with viewed through the v3 lifecycle prism.  The people who write ITIL have eaten their own dog food in the economist's colorful phrase and have applied Continuous Improvement to the IT Service Management guidance itself.