What You Need to Know About the ITIL 4 Book Portfolio

If you’re taking the ITIL 4 exams or simply want to update yourself on the new body of IT service management (ITSM) best practice guidance, then it can still be difficult to understand what’s available in ITIL 4 book-wise. In particular, where to find the detail of the 34 ITIL management practices that every ITIL 4 blog seems to call out.

If you want to know more, then this blog is for you. Because, over the next 1000 words or so, I’ve written about the six key ITIL 4 books. Yes, there are six books and another 34 PDFs! And this is why I’ve written this blog.

This blog by @Joe_the_IT_Guy delves into the six key ITIL 4 books and 34 PDF publications – to help cover off everything you need to know about ITIL 4. #ITSM #ITIL4 Share on X

A brief overview of the current ITIL 4 publication portfolio

I get into the detail further below; this is just a starter so you can see what’s coming and appreciate how the books map onto the ITIL 4 qualifications:

1. ITIL Foundation, ITIL 4 Edition – this was the first ITIL 4 book, released in 2019 to support the updated ITIL Foundation qualification.
2. Create, Deliver and Support – this was released in early 2020 and supports the ITIL Managing Professional qualification.
3. Drive Stakeholder Value – this was released in early 2020 and also supports the ITIL Managing Professional qualification.
4. High-velocity IT – this was released in early 2020 and also supports the ITIL Managing Professional qualification.
5. Direct, Plan and Improve – this was released in early 2020 and supports both the ITIL Managing Professional and ITIL Strategic Leader qualifications (please see the qualification overview image later in this blog).
6. Digital & IT Strategy – this book will be published later in 2020 and supports the upcoming ITIL Strategic Leader qualification.

Also, and importantly, if you’re looking for the 34 ITIL 4 management practices that replace ITIL v3/2011’s 26 processes and four functions, then you need to look outside of these six publications. This practice guidance is not published in physical book form. Instead, it’s available online as updatable PDFs – accessible via an annual subscription – at http://axelos.com/my-axelos/my-itil. You can also learn more about it in this SysAid blog by ITIL 4 author Stuart Rance: ITIL 4 Practices – What’s New and Changed.

Did you know that if you're looking for the 34 ITIL 4 management practices that replace ITIL v3/2011’s 26 processes & four functions, then you need to look outside of the six #ITIL4 publications says @Joe_the_IT_Guy. #ITSM Share on X

1. ITIL Foundation, ITIL 4 Edition

This book maps to the entry-level ITIL qualification but is aimed at a wide range of roles – from students to seasoned ITSM professionals. It explains the new value-based approach of ITIL (more on this can be read in my earlier “10 Key Changes in ITIL 4 (and My Take on Them)” blog). And there are few pages dedicated to each of the 34 ITIL 4 management practices.

Not only does it explain the concepts of service management and the ITIL approach, but it can also be used as a quick reference guide for both ITSM and ITIL 4. Importantly, the associated qualification is a required steppingstone to the higher-level ITIL 4 qualifications (unless someone already has an earlier and still-relevant ITIL qualification).

2. Create, Deliver and Support

The ITIL 4 Create, Deliver and Support book covers the Design & Transition, Obtain/Build, and Deliver & Support activities – i.e. the central cube – within the ITIL service value chain (shown below).

There is, of course, a cross over between the book’s content and many of the 34 management practice guides. This is probably best considered via the management practices that are included within the Create, Deliver and Support exam:

• Change enablement
• Deployment management
• Incident management
• Knowledge management
• Monitoring and event management
• Problem management
• Release management
• Service design
• Service desk
• Service level management
• Service validation and testing
• Software development and management.

In terms of specific guidance and advice contained within this book, examples are:

• Creating and improving value streams
• Service quality and improvement methods
• Creating a culture of collaboration
• How to employ service integration and management (SIAM) for multi-sourcing environments
• The exploitation of tools and information for the delivery and support of services.

Want to create and improve value streams, and create a culture of collaboration, but have no idea which #ITIL4 publication can help you? Here @Joe_the_IT_Guy explains. #ITSM Share on X

3. Drive Stakeholder Value

The ITIL 4 Create, Deliver and Support book focuses on the conversion of demand into value and hence covers the Engage and Value elements within the ITIL service value chain. The content is built around the customer journey (which is also the supplier journey from the service provider perspective). This journey consists of the following steps or stages:

• Explore. Which is about considering the potential for a future service relationship between the service provider and service consumer.
• Engage. Where a relationship is formed between the two parties.
• Offer. Where the service provider creates a service offering that reflects the requirements defined by the service consumer.
• Agree. Where both parties enter into a service agreement that details how value will be co-created.
• Onboard. Where the two parties start working together.
• Co-create. Where value is co-created through the two parties working together.
• Realize. Where the co-created value is measured and reported, and continually improved.

There is again, of course, a cross over with many of the 34 management practice guides, with the following management practices included within the Drive Stakeholder Value exam:

• Business analysis
• Portfolio management
• Relationship management
• Service catalog management
• Service desk
• Service level management
• Service request management
• Supplier management.

You’ll notice already that management practices can apply to multiple Managing Professional publications and qualifications.

4. High-velocity IT

This book is all about how digital organizations use digital operating models to deliver high-velocity environments. Unlike the previous two Managing Professional books, the High-velocity IT publication covers the whole of the ITIL service value chain’s core. Laying out the required behaviors for a modern, high-velocity organization. Sharing the principles, concepts, models, and techniques that contribute to five High-velocity IT objectives:

1. Valuable investments
2. Fast development
3. Resilient operations
4. Co-created value
5. Assured conformance.

In terms of the crossover with the 34 management practices, the High-velocity IT exam includes:

• Architecture management
• Availability management
• Business analysis
• Capacity and performance management
• Deployment management
• Information security management
• Infrastructure and platform management
• Monitoring and event management
• Portfolio management
• Problem management
• Relationship management
• Risk management
• Service continuity management
• Service design
• Service desk
• Service validation and testing
• Software development and management.

This long list of practices reflects the book covering the whole of the ITIL service value chain’s core and thus the associated capabilities required.

Did you know that unlike the two #ITIL4 Managing Professional books, the High-velocity IT publication covers the whole of the ITIL service value chain’s core? Here @Joe_the_IT_Guy explains. Share on X

5. Direct, Plan and Improve

As its name suggests, the ITIL 4 Direct, Plan and Improve publication covers the plan and improve activities of the ITIL service value chain. It also covers some aspects related to governance (which is part of the ITIL service value system – again, please see my earlier blog for more details on this).

In terms of links to the 34 management practices, the Direct, Plan and Improve exam only looks at the content from two ITIL 4 management practices:

• Continual improvement
• Organizational change management.

A lot of ground is covered within the book though, with the publication guiding the creation of a service value system across:

• Strategy and direction
• Assessment and planning
• Measurement and reporting
• Continual improvement
• Communication and organizational change management
• Service value system creation.

6. Digital & IT Strategy

If you cast your mind back to the publication of the original ITIL 4 qualification overview – shown below – you’ll notice that the ITIL Managing Professional qualification is not the only “next step” after ITIL Foundation. There’s also the ITIL Strategic Leader qualification, for which there are two books – the aforementioned Direct, Plan & Improve publication and the to-be-published Digital & IT Strategy.

At the time of writing, there’s little information to be found on this currently unpublished book. However, its release is imminent and there is already information available on the related training module. Plus, the book’s content is also referenced in the Strategy Management ITIL 4 Practice Guide PDF, from which the following image is taken:

In terms of what to expect from the new Digital & IT Strategy publication, in the absence of an official book synopsis, there are some interesting AXELOS quotes related to the associated exam that give us insight into its content:

• “…will focus on the alignment of digital business strategy with IT strategy.”
• “…adds a new perspective to the ITIL suite and elevates the discussion around ITIL concepts to a strategic level among business leaders and aspiring leaders.”
• “…will help IT leaders and aspiring leaders build and implement effective IT and digital strategy that can tackle digital disruption and drive success.”

It certainly looks to be new territory for ITIL, and I look forward to the book’s publication sometime later in 2020.

The #ITIL4 Digital & IT Strategy publication looks to be 'new territory' for ITIL, says @Joe_the_IT_Guy. Here he posts some insights into its content. #ITSM Share on X

For further information on ITIL 4, you can also check out these blogs:

• • Everything You Officially Need to Know About ITIL 4
  • Your ITIL 4 Questions – Answered!
  • The 7 Guiding Principles of ITIL 4: Practical advice to help you make decisions
  • 5 Tips for Adopting ITIL 4’s Continual Improvement Management Practice
  • ITIL 4 value system, value chain, value stream: what’s the difference?
  • ITIL 4 Practices – What’s New and Changed
  • 10 Key Changes in ITIL 4 (and My Take on Them)
  • An A-Z of ITIL 4
  • What’s Changed with Change in ITIL 4? 
  • What’s New with the ITIL 4 Books and Content

So, that’s my quick overview of the ITIL 4 publication portfolio. If you’d like to know any more, please let me know in the comments.