ITIL Terminology

In a previous article, I wrote about the complexity of ITIL, especially with the advent of V3. Without a doubt ITIL is indeed very complex, and this complexity might be the cause of some confusion and misconceptions about the terminology used with ITIL.

In this article, I'll point out some of the more egregious examples of ITIL terminology misuse and provide definitions for some common ITIL terms. Lastly, I'll list the names of the ITIL V3 processes and functions.

An example I see most often is referring to installing or implementing ITIL like you would a software program. Since ITIL only describes good practices and outcomes for IT service management, it might be more accurate to use the terms adopt or apply. ITIL is generally not prescriptive and contains no prebuilt executable processes.

Also, ITIL is not a standard. So it's inaccurate to say products, services, organizations or even people comply with ITIL (again, adopt or apply is more accurate). However, people can be ITIL certified by passing exams given by accredited organizations such as EXIN. Products, services and organizations can't be ITIL certified, but organizations can be certified compliant with the ISO/IEC 20000 international standard for IT service management, which is based on ITIL.

The above examples might seem somewhat trivial. However, inaccurate terms tend to distort ITIL concepts. Even if the writer understands ITIL when they use these terms, it might mislead the reader into thinking ITIL is something it's not.

When ITIL V3 was published nearly two years ago, the library was restructured from process-oriented to lifecycle-oriented. A few processes were redefined and some were added, and the terminology was expanded. Although the restructuring ostensibly clarified the overall framework and better defined the relationships and inter-dependencies between ITIL's various components, it also made ITIL seem more complex.

V3 Books & Terms

To address some of the misconceptions surrounding ITIL terminology, I've complied a list of ITIL V3 terms and concepts gleaned from the V3 authors and other authoritative sources.

Here are the top ITIL terms and concepts:

1. ITIL V3 Books — The 5 core books, one for each lifecycle phase, are:
   
   • Service Strategy
   • Service Design
   • Service Transition
   • Service Operation
   • Continual Service Improvement
     


2. Service — "A means of delivering value to customers by facilitating outcomes the customers want to achieve without the ownership of specific costs or risks."
   


3. Value — "From the customer's perspective, value consists of...utility [what the customer receives] and warranty [how it is provided]."
   


4. Utility — "Fitness for purpose...functionality offered by a product or service to meet a particular need."
   
   
5. Warranty — "Fitness for use...a promise or guarantee that a product or service will meet its agreed requirements [availability, capacity, continuity, information security]."
   


6. Process — "A structured set of activities designed to accomplish a defined objective...processes are measurable, provide results to customers or stakeholders, are continual and iterative and are always originating from a certain event."
   
   
7. Function — "A team or group of people and the tools they use to carry out some or more processes or activities, specialized in fulfilling a specified type of work, and responsible for specific end results."
   
   
8. Procedure — As a component of a process, "a procedure is a specified way to carry out an activity or a process....describes the 'how' and can also describe the 'who' executes the activities."
   
   
9. Work Instructions — As a component of a process, "defines how one or more activities in a procedure should be executed in detail, using technology or other resources."
   

V3 Processes & Functions

Last but not least, here is a definitive list of the 27 processes and functions in ITIL V3 organized by lifecycle phase.

Service Strategy

1. Financial Management
2. Service Portfolio Management
3. Demand Management

Service Design

4. Service Catalog Management
5. Service Level Management
6. Capacity Management
7. Availability Management
8. IT Service Continuity Management
9. Information Security Management
10. Supplier Management

Service Transition

11. Transition Planning and Support
12. Change Management
13. Service Asset and Configuration Management
14. Release and Deployment Management
15. Service Validation and Testing
16. Evaluation
17. Knowledge Management
    
    Service Operation
    
18. Event Management
19. Incident Management
20. Request Fulfillment
21. Problem Management
22. Access Management
23. Monitoring and Control
    
24. IT Operations
25. Service Desk (function)
    
    Continual Service Improvement
    
26. The 7-step Improvement Process
27. Service Reporting
    

In future articles, I'll focus in on the terminology used with specific ITIL processes. Hopefully, with a common vocabulary, we will improve our ability to understand and apply ITIL to our IT service management processes.

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References:
Bon, J. van (chief editor) 2007. IT Service Management Based on ITIL V3. Zaltbommel: Van Haren Publishing for itSMF. ISBN 978-90-8753-102-7.

By Harry Hiles, HBH Technology LLC — 7 Mar 2009

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