ITIL 4 CERTIFICATION SCHEME CANDIDATE TRANSITION JOURNEY
ITIL 4 CERTIFICATION SCHEME
ITIL 4 has been designed to help organizations meet the increasing demand from the current complex digital environment. The new scheme is aligned with ITIL v3 and has been streamlined to encourage conversion beyond ITIL Foundation level. This document outlines the recommended journeys for ITIL v3 candidates to transition across to ITIL 4
The benefits of a candidate moving to ITIL 4 are:
• Demonstrates that a candidate has the knowledge to navigate the modern digital landscape
• Shows that a candidate’s certification/skills are up-to-date
We have created recommended routes that allow candidates to transition while still gaining the skills and knowledge needed to understand the core concepts of ITIL 4.
ITIL V3 FOUNDATION
If a candidate has taken only ITIL v3 Foundation, then the recommended approach is to take ITIL 4 Foundation in order to be able to transition to the new scheme.
There is a large amount of new material in ITIL 4 Foundation therefore a new single exam is required to assess endlearners knowledge of the new ITIL 4 Foundation guidance. ITIL 4 Foundation is scheduled for
release in Q1 2019.
ITIL V3 INTERMEDIATE (3 OR 4 CREDITS ACHIEVED)
End- learners holding a low number of credits beyond Foundation have two recommended options to transition to ITIL 4 dependent on what they want to achieve in the scheme.
OPTION 1: They are encouraged to take ITIL 4 Foundation and a further module in their preferred area of interest, becoming either an ITIL Specialist, Strategist or Leader.*
OPTION 2: They are encouraged to achieve 17 credits from ITIL v3 to become eligible to take the ITIL
Managing Professional transition module. The examinable modules for ITIL Managing Professional and ITIL Strategic Leader will be available in H2 2019.
OPTION 1
If a candidate has no intention of pursuing the ITIL Managing Professional designation, there are still options to be offered among the ITIL Specialist modules and/or ITIL Strategist module. The recommended route for these candidates would be to take the most relevant module in their area of practice/interest.
This will enable candidates to show that their ITIL designation is current and also to gain a deep -dive into a particular specialism related to their field.
If a candidate chose to take the ITIL Strategist module, they would also have the benefit of this being a
universal module that is relevant to both ITIL Managing Professional and ITIL Strategic Leadership streams.
OPTION 2
If an end – learner would like to work towards achieving the ITIL Managing Professional (ITIL MP) designation and they have completed one or more v3 module beyond ITIL v3 Foundation, they will need to continue collecting v3 credits until they have achieved the required 17 credits.
End – learners are then eligible to take he ITIL Managing Professional transition module. The benefit of this is that they are eligible to fast track past the v3 Managing Across the Lifecycle course and exam.
• End- learners can continue collecting credits before ITIL Managing Professional examinable modules are launched
• Fast -track past MALC exam
• Demonstrates practical and technical knowledge for managing IT teams in the digital age.
ITIL INTERMEDIATE/PRACTITIONER (6 OR MORE CREDITS ACHIEVED BEYOND FOUNDATION)
If an end- learner has achieved 6 credits or more since v3 Foundation, then it is in their interest to continue collecting v3 credits to prepare them for an easy transition to ITIL 4 and gain the ITIL Managing Professional designation.
They will need to reach 17 credits to be eligible to take the ITIL Managing Professional transition module. This benefits endlearners as they will then become eligible to fast track past the v3 Managing across the Lifecycle course and exam.
ITIL V3 EXPERT
If an end – learner has achieved ITIL v3 Expert, they can take the ITIL Managing Professional transition module as soon as it is released to achieve the ITIL Managing Professional designation.
After achieving the ITIL Managing Professional designation, if the end- learner is interested in pursuing the ITIL Strategic Leader stream, they would only need to complete the ITIL Leader Digital & Strategy module.
Once they have completed both streams they are eligible to move towards ITIL Master. Further details about the release of ITIL Master will be released at a later date.
The new updated ITIL guidance will be called ITIL 4. This name reflects the role ITIL 4 will play in supporting individuals and organizations to navigate the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
IT is at the core of every business in today’s world. The update will allow ITIL to reflect the fast-paced and complex environment we live in, and new ways of working and emerging practices, all of which are essential not only for ITSM professionals, but also for a wider range of professionals working in the digital transformation world.
ATOs must be accredited in the usual way according to the scheme brochure which can befound on the Global Partner Portal.
The accreditation process for trainers has not changed. To become an ITIL 4 Foundation trainer, trainers will be required to pass the ITIL 4 Foundation examination and provide evidence that they:
• Hold the ITIL 4 Foundation Certificate
• Be a current ITIL Expert or hold a minimum of six credits from ITIL v3 Intermediate/Practitioner qualifications
• Meet PeopleCert’s delivery requirements.
Details about accreditation will be released with the launch of ITIL Foundation. We will take a consistent approach with our existing accreditation policy.
The full certification scheme has now been released. Please refer to the separate communication that was released to you w/c 3 September 2018 for further detail about the certification scheme.
The ITIL Certification Scheme comprises of the following levels:
• ITIL Foundation
• ITIL Specialist modules (3)
• ITIL Strategist
• ITIL Leader
• ITIL Master
One of the main characteristics of the new ITIL 4 certification scheme is that it is now formed by two different designation streams; ITIL Managing Professional (ITIL MP) and ITIL Strategic Leader (ITIL SL). These two streams are intended to provide end-learners with greater clarity about how and where they can improve their skills and set them apart from peers.
The two streams are made up of five modules.
To become an ITIL Managing Professional (ITIL MP) end-learners must complete the
following modules:
• ITIL 4 Foundation
• ITIL Specialist: Create, Deliver & Support
• ITIL Specialist: Drive Stakeholder Value
• ITIL Specialist: High Velocity IT
• ITIL Strategist: Direct, Plan & Improve*
To become an ITIL Strategic Leader (ITIL SL) end-learners must complete the following
modules:
• ITIL 4 Foundation
• ITIL Strategist: Direct, Plan & Improve*
• ITIL Leader: Digital & IT Strategy
*Universal module for both ITIL designation streams.
In order to be eligible to become an ITIL Master, end-learners must have both the ITIL Managing Professional (ITIL MP) and ITIL Strategic Leader (ITIL SL) designations. Further details about how to become an ITIL Master will be released at a later time.
Due to the structure of ITIL 4 Foundation, there will not be a transition module at the Foundation level. There is a large amount of new material in the ITIL 4 Foundation therefore a single exam is required to assess end-learners knowledge of the new ITIL 4 Foundation guidance.
AXELOS has not mandated training for ITIL Foundation, however we encourage candidates to partake in training to fully understand the new material.
The Managing Across the Lifecycle (MALC) exam currently requires end-learners to have gained a total of 17 credits from ITIL Foundation, Intermediates, and or ITIL Practitioner. To keep a consistent approach and recognize any previous investment end-learners have in ITIL v3, the same amount of credits will be required for those wishing to transition from v3 to ITIL 4 via the ITIL Managing Professional Transition Module. Having gained the required credits from ITIL v3, end-learners will be able to take the ITIL Managing Professional Transition Module without needing to take the MALC exam.
ITIL Practitioner will no longer be a separate module in the ITIL 4 certification scheme, however the knowledge and principles from the ITIL Practitioner guidance will be fundamental to all modules in ITIL 4. Candidates can also use their ITIL Practitioner credits to continue their ITIL journey. If a candidate has collected 17 credits they will be eligible to take the ITIL Managing Professional Transition Module without taking the MALC exam.
ITIL Practitioner will no longer be a separate module in the ITIL 4 certification scheme, however the knowledge and principles from the ITIL Practitioner guidance will be fundamental to all modules in ITIL 4. Candidates can also use their ITIL Practitioner credits to continue their ITIL journey. If a candidate has collected 17 credits they will be eligible to take the ITIL Managing Professional Transition Module without taking the MALC exam.
The ITIL 4 modules will be released according to the below top-level timelines. More detailed release dates of the modules and new exams will be released to ATOs with the launch of ITIL 4 Foundation. ATOs will be provided with accreditation details, guidance and sales enablement information in sufficient time to be able to support the release of the further ITIL 4 modules.
ITIL Foundation – Q1 2019
ITIL Specialist modules (3) – H2 2019
ITIL Strategist – H2 2019
ITIL Leader – H2 2019
ITIL Master – details to be released at a later date.
Publications associated with ITIL Specialist, Strategist and Leader will be released along with the modules in H2 2019.
AXELOS has now made the following documents available to ATOs to provide ATOs with the necessary information needed to create courseware.
• Draft syllabus, diagram pack, uncorrected proof of the Foundation manual, and IP guidelines
• ITIL 4 Foundation sample papers will be released w/c 15 October 2018. Courseware providers will communicate with you separately when their courseware is available to purchase.
Yes, you will need to reaccredit your courseware. You can do this in the usual way as outlined in the scheme brochure. Fees for courseware reaccreditations will be communicated by PeopleCert.
No, AXELOS will not be releasing vanilla courseware. AXELOS has provided documents to support courseware creation – (draft syllabus, diagram pack, uncorrected proof of the Foundation manual, and IP guidelines) for you to be able to create courseware. If you wish to purchase courseware, please speak to your preferred courseware provider.
Documents to support courseware creation – (draft syllabus, diagram pack, uncorrected proof of the Foundation manual, and IP guidelines) have now been released to ATOs only. The core guidance will be available for purchase from the official ITIL publisher in sufficient time to allow ATOs to prepare for launch in Q1 2019.
They will be released w/c 15 October 2018.
AXELOS will be equipping our ATOs and partners with a new marketing campaign designed to support ITIL generally (i.e. not just ITIL 4), and to prepare the market for the launch of ITIL 4.
AXELOS released a communication in July 2018 asking trainers to register their interest in our Train the Trainer events. These sessions will commence from 29 October 2018. We received a very positive response to this email and are currently working to accommodate as many people as possible for the Train the Trainer events.
When we confirm an individual’s place on a session, we will send that person a separate email with the information required including location, date and time. An ITIL 4 Foundation exam will be included in the Train the Trainer sessions. You will be required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement confirming that you will not publicly share the information communicated in the Train the Trainer sessions.
The online Train the Trainer modules and exam will be available in mid-November 2018. You will not need to register in advance.
Unfortunately, the time for registration has now passed and you will be receiving formal invitations to attend your assigned Train the Trainer session in the coming weeks. Invitations will be sent via an automated system. Although unlikely, some of the invites may go into junk email folders, please ask your trainers to regularly check these folders as we need to have final confirmation of attendance by 22 October 2018. To participate in the Train the Trainer sessions you need to be an ITIL v3 Foundation accredited trainer, and fulfil the following criteria:
• Be a current ITIL Expert or hold a minimum of six credits from ITIL v3 Intermediate/Practitioner qualifications
• Meet PeopleCert’s delivery requirements.
If you meet these requirements but are unable to attend a session, we will also offer an online option which will include the ITIL 4 Foundation exam. If you have any further questions, please email partnerask@AXELOS.com.
Whilst ITIL 4 retains many of the core elements of ITIL v3, and much of the existing guidance will be recognisable in parts of ITIL 4, there are no direct like-for-like modules between the two certification schemes.
The transition will be a gradual process, allowing our partners to have enough time to move from ITIL v3 to ITIL 4 and for end-learners to continue collecting their ITIL v3 Intermediate credits to enable transition to ITIL Managing Professional.
AXELOS will therefore not discontinue ITIL v3 (stop maintaining exams, publishing books or accrediting candidates) before June 2020. We will also not discontinue any product with less than 6-months’ notice.
When we talk about ITIL v3 we are referencing the current version of ITIL. We are aware that v3 was updated in 2011 but as this is an edition rather than a version we reference v3 for the sake of clarity.
The first 4 translations of ITIL 4 Foundation will be German, French, Japanese and Spanish. More information regarding non-English language guidance and related timings will be released in Q1 2019.
AXELOS has not updated its IP guidelines. The guidelines that are currently on AXELOS.com are valid. For the avoidance of doubt, ITIL remains a registered trademark of AXELOS and the registered symbol should be used when referring to ITIL in the first instance. ITIL 4 does not have a separate logo, however when written in the first instance, it should be displayed as ITIL® 4. References after this are permitted as ITIL 4.
We will release a minimum of one sample paper but we will aim to release two papers in total.
We do not mandate contact hours for training courses but we recommend 12 hours of training time.
Price incentives will be communicated by PeopleCert.
Many of the ITIL 4 Lead Architect Team are closely involved with ISO 20000 so we are able to ensure that ITIL 4 maps across the standard to an adequate level.
The ITIL Managing Professional Transition Module will remain valid for at least one year after its launch.
We will be releasing further information about the modules beyond Foundation with the launch of ITIL Foundation in Q1 2019.
We recognise that the ITIL Maturity Model is an important asset for many professionals and will need to align to the updated ITIL framework. We will schedule the update to the Maturity Model once we have released the entire ITIL 4 scheme.
AXELOS understands that ATOs may be updating sales brochures and preparing for the launch of ITIL 4. To support this activity, we have prepared a key message matrix. You can use this matrix to prepare public messages for your customers. It is available on the AXELOS Partner Portal.
We have now also shared the certification scheme publicly and so this is now considered public information. ATOs are strongly advised to use the transition journey messaging that was provided to you in the communication released w/c 10 September 2018. Any and all other information released to you, intended to support you for the launch of ITIL 4, is still considered confidential and embargoed for release.
We will release further information and public messages w/c 15 October 2018.
AXELOS appreciates all feedback and comments that we receive. Alongside the release of these FAQs, AXELOS has also provided ITIL 4 content feedback forms.
Please note that this is the official channel for feedback about the ITIL 4 manuscript, syllabus, glossary, diagram pack and sample papers. Feedback received about the items listed will not be considered if not provided through this channel.
Comments and feedback will be considered for future development of ITIL 4. Please note we will not respond to all feedback received, but we may contact you if we have any specific questions regarding your comments.
If you have any sales enablement questions (e.g. accreditation, go-to market, sales and marketing, messaging etc.) in the first instance you are directed to the information that has already been provided to you through the recent communications.
You are also encouraged to attend the upcoming webinar with ITIL Product Manager, Heigor Freitas. Recordings of this webinar will be made available to the ATO network. Should you still have further questions regarding sales enablement, you are then invited to contact your Partner Account Manager or email partnerask@axelos.com. We will respond to you as soon as possible.