Will There Be a Fast Path to ITIL V4?

The Feb. 28 release of the ITIL Foundation ITIL 4 Edition book illustrates that big changes are coming to ITIL, bringing fear, uncertainty and doubt to those who have invested in ITIL and achieved certifications.

It all comes down to how far along someone is in the ITIL V3 certification process. For those that have achieved a level of ITIL V3 Expert, the fast path to ITIL V4 may consist of simply taking the ITIL Managing Professional Transition class (once it is released) and then passing the associated MP exam. However, both the class and the exam may not be available until the third quarter of 2019.

Under ITIL v3, candidates garner two credits for passing the ITIL V3 Foundation exam. Continuing on a certification track means taking intermediate classes to earn more credits. However, the ITIL v3 intermediate tracks are divided into two different paths, Lifecycle and Capability. The Lifecycle track addresses the readiness aspects of adopting ITIL, while the Capability track focuses on actual ITIL processes. Lifecycle classes reward candidates with three credits and capability classes are four credits. A candidate must take a combination of classes and pass the associated exams to earn the prerequisite 17 credits before taking the Managing Across the Lifecycle (MALC) exam to become a recognized ITIL Expert.

ITIL V4 uses a different scheme when it comes to certification, which introduces some confusion into the certification situation. ITIL V4 starts with ITIL V4 Foundation, but the tracks change to ITIL Managing Professional (MP) and ITIL Strategic Leader (SL) paths. However, very little information has been released regarding these tracts or the associated courses.

How much of a rush, then, should certification candidates be in to garner a ITIL V4 certification? Should they continue on their ITIL V3 certification path and then transition to V4 after they have become a V3 expert? Or should those candidates put everything on hold until more of the V4 training and exams come to light?

Currently, as far as ITIL V4 is concerned, the only class and exam available in the near future is for ITIL V4 Foundation, so those who are on the V3 Intermediate track may have to wait and see what training and exams become available. Some ITIL pundits are recommending that those who already have achieved V3 foundation certification and earned six or more credits on the ITIL V3 Intermediate path stay the course and continue to take ITIL v3 Intermediate classes until earning at least 17 credits. Once that accomplishment is achieved, candidates should move on to taking the Managing Professional Transition module.

Nancy Van Elsacker Louisnord, president of TOPdesk USA, offered some sage advice: “There are several changes introduced in ITIL V4, all of which impact the core guiding principles. Learning skills such as how to focus on value, adopt collaboration, improve iterative progression and working holistically will be critical for fully understanding ITIL V4. Embracing those changes and leveraging new educational resources as they become available will become the key to moving forward on any ITIL journey.”

While there is still much uncertainty around when additional ITIL V4 training and certifications will become available, one thing is certain, and that is change. ITIL practitioners will want to get ahead of that change to maintain their skill sets and increase their market value, while also acquiring the skills to work in a world that is quickly becoming more agile and DevOps-orientated.

— Frank Ohlhorst