ITIL V3 seeks to integrate, rather than simply align, business objectives with IT service strategy, implementation and operations. It provides a lifecycle approach for the holistic development, deployment and improvement of services by optimizing the relationships among people, processes, technology, knowledge and governance around an improved value-based, business-focused model. The ITIL V3 refresh has been an international effort—with heavy involvement from vendors; professional agencies; and councils such as ISACA (Information Systems Audit and Control Association), ISO SC7 (Sub-committee 7), TSO (The Stationery Office), OGC, and APM Group. Other stakeholders include business customers representing major industry sectors, nonprofit organizations and government agencies. In addition, the OGC allowed people not represented in the OCG to serve as quality reviewers of the lifecycle structure and content. The thorough planning, depth of expertise and methodical development of V3 will undoubtedly bring improvements to ITIL. While V2 certifications remain valid, the curriculum and basis for the certification will phase out over the next couple years as a new schema is introduced, providing a modular path toward a new ITIL diploma.

In the world of IT service management, the IT Infrastructure Library is the de facto king of best practices. Problem is, ITIL v2, released in 1999, took a one-size-fits-all approach. Version 3, adopted in May by the Office of Government Commerce, seeks to be more flexible and adaptable, addressing differences among IT organizations with practical services solutions tailored to specific industries, organizational scales, and regulatory and standards landscapes, and taking into account emerging technologies. IT organizations that embrace ITIL v3 will benefit from this more customized approach to integrating business objectives and IT services.

Sounds good, but there's a big potential pitfall: Because v2 will be phased out over the course of a year, OGC will support both versions concurrently. This could present complications to companies looking to implement ITIL as the support community makes the transition. And, because many U.S. companies are just now getting hip to v2, convincing management to hold out—or expend the resources to upgrade—may be tough.

Guiding Light

Originally established by an agency of the British government, ITIL defines the relationships and structures organizations should have in place to run an IT group and handle IT-related activities.

ITIL V3 provides an enhanced roadmap for businesses to meet regulatory compliance or distinguish themselves from competitors via their IT services. It also provides guidance for IT to obtaining company resources by framing projects in business terms, and outlines measurable objectives based on lifecycle milestones and performance criteria. And, because it's important to measure the ROI of IT projects, methods to quantify these contributions are more clearly communicated in this release.

Beyond those benefits, v3 excels in providing direct guidance rather than general descriptions; this enables IT to rely less on external expertise to guide ITIL implementations. The focus on knowledge management—and the widely accepted model of the migration from data to information, then knowledge and, ultimately, wisdom—articulates new value for IT services within the business domain.

Sneak Peekers

While OGC's v3 planning and development efforts have been very public, the resulting lifecycle content was guarded as zealously as the final Harry Potter book. Then, in early January, select IT service management practitioners were allowed to view and comment on portions of the new text. There's also been heavy commercial sponsorship of numerous ITIL v3 information sessions, Webinars and whitepapers, with the goal of easing concerns that v3 will require big organizational changes.

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Problem is, the uneven playing field between those given early access and those just now familiarizing themselves with v3, combined with coexistence of both versions, present obstacles to organizations considering significant ITIL implementations in the near future. During the transition, companies may choose to pursue certification for either version. Training providers will have to adapt curriculum around ITIL v3 while also supporting v2.

Now, organizations that invested heavily in v2 needn't worry about the refresh; most core processes and principles remain unchanged. Eventually, you'll need to get staff trained, update underlying processes, and modify assessment programs, and that does present resource challenges, but it won't be a monumental undertaking on the scale of an initial ITIL implementation.

So is it worth doing? ITIL v2 assessments, while still entirely valid, won't include some aspects of the service lifecycle and modified or new process activities. Those with ongoing or planned assessments may wish to reconsider their timing: Addressing an assessment's findings for v2 may well mean an incomplete baseline, and in the future a likely v3 gap assessment. Convincing management to hold out for v3 is a particular challenge within the United States, where business and even some IT leaders largely consider v2 "new." Getting buy in will be particularly tough for organizations in the early stages of an ITIL v2 implementation, after initial communications and awareness campaigns but before firm examples of ROI.

And indeed, ITIL v2 principles and best practices remain valid. Don't feel compelled to rush into a major upgrade; instead, consider incremental changes give subject matter experts time to become more familiar with ITIL v3. It's worth the effort—ITIL v3 codifies and lends credibility to the lifecycle-oriented approaches espoused by leading practitioners and will generate new best practices. Its emphasis on knowledge management delivers business insight for better decisions, improving the agility and speed with which both the business and IT can respond to a changing environment.

Russell R. Herrell is a principal ITSM consultant and instructor at Windward Consulting Group, a firm that helps organizations improve IT operational efficiency. His related certifications include ITIL Manager, Six Sigma, PMP and ISO/IEC 20000. Write to him at rherrell@windwardcg.com.