Is this an update or a new version?
ITIL 2011 is an update, not a new version. The updates to the publications are designed to:

• Resolve any errors or inconsistencies in the text and diagrams, both in content and presentation.
• Improve the publications by addressing issues raised in the Change Control Log, as analysed and recommended by the change advisory board (CAB) and approved by the Cabinet Offi ce, part of HM Government. These are largely to do with clarity, consistency, correctness and completeness.
• Address suggestions for change made by the training community to make ITIL easier to teach.
• Review the Service Strategy publication to ensure that the concepts are explained in the clearest, most concise and accessible way possible. There is no notion of simplifying the concepts; rather, improving the exposition of the ideas.

By the time the update is published, ITIL V1 will no longer be in existence and V2 will be actively removed from the market over a period of time, therefore the core publications will be referred to as ITIL. In order to distinguish between the 2007 and the 2011 editions, the latest edition will carry a ‘2011 Edition’ fl ash.

When will ITIL 2011 publish?
The publication date is 29 July 2011 for the hard copies.
Electronic formats including eBook, downloadable PDF and Online Subscription will follow soon after.

Why is ITIL being updated?
The reason for the update is to incorporate comments and suggestions received from the Change Control Log, which is located at www.best-management-practice.com/ChangeLog/
Since publication we have received over 500 suggested changes, plus additional suggestions on roles, process fl ows, inputs and outputs from both users and trainers.
All publications have been through the continual service improvement (CSI) process, and ultimately, this is what makes
ITIL what it is – a best-practice framework.
We are committed to the principles of ITIL and key to this is CSI.
This update is a direct result of feedback from the community that reads, uses and trains from this guidance. We have updated the guidance based on feedback from key stakeholders, and the end result will be guidance that is easier to navigate, read, translate, adopt and teach.

How do you ensure ITIL remains best practice?
A CAB has been established to monitor the changes that are logged for the ITIL core publications. The CAB reviews the comments placed on the Change Control Log and either accepts or rejects the issue. Accepted issues are discussed with the Cabinet Offi ce who balance the frequency of change against the need to keep the guidance up-to-date.

Is Sharon Taylor involved?
Sharon Taylor is the Technical Advisor to the Project Board and called upon to review issues that have been escalated by the authors and mentors. Sharon’s technical focus for the ITIL update has been on advising the Project Board on escalated issues related to content development, on assessing impacts of the update on the qualifi cation scheme, and on ensuring that qualifi cation products are aligned with core guidance content.

Will my software tool need to be updated?
This update should not affect the tool vendors, any impact will be minor. The scheme is administered by the APM Group (the Accreditor), on behalf of the Cabinet Offi ce. For full details on the ITIL Software Scheme visit www.itil-offi cialsite.com

How can I keep up-to-date with all developments?
Simply register for the ITIL Elert Service at
www.best-management-practice.com/ITILRegister

How can you be sure this update will stay in line with the original principles from ITIL 2007?
Maintaining the purity of the ITIL concepts, i.e. continuity between editions, is a prime responsibility of the mentors and Technical Advisor, who were all authors of the 2007 edition or 2007 ITIL glossary. Finally, the Project Board will also consider the views of the Review Group before authorizing publication, so any concerns will have been raised and considered.

Who should I contact if I have any further questions?
Please contact the APM Group Service Desk:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call +44 (0) 1494 452450

ITIL Publications
How will the update benefit the end user?
The updated publications will be easier to read and understand, having addressed errors and inconsistencies, and issues raised in the Change Control Log and by the training community.
The project’s primary objective was to respond to users’ feedback and requirements, and provides them with an improved product.

What updates have been made to the publications?
The authors have provided a short summary for each of the publications to give you an overview of these updates:

ITIL Service Strategy
The concepts within the publication have been clarifi ed, without changing the overall message. The updated publication includes more practical guidance and more examples where relevant.
The newly defi ned process of strategy management for IT services is responsible for developing and maintaining business
and IT strategies, and there are now separate descriptions of business strategy and IT strategy. Financial management has been expanded, and business relationship management and demand management are now covered as processes.

ITIL Service Design
Throughout the updated ITIL Service Design publication, there has been particular focus on alignment with ITIL Service Strategy.
A number of concepts and principles have been clarifi ed, most signifi cantly the fl ow and management of activity throughout the overall service design stage with the addition of the ‘design coordination’ process. Other signifi cant clarifi cations include the five aspects of service design, the design of the service portfolio and the terminology related to views of the service catalogue.

ITIL Service Transition
The structure, content and relationships of the confi guration management system (CMS) and service knowledge management system (SKMS) have been clarifi ed to help the reader to understand these key concepts.
There is new content explaining how a change proposal should be used. The evaluation process has been renamed ‘change evaluation’ and the purpose and scope have been modifi ed to help clarify when and how this process should be used. The service asset and confi guration management process has additional content relating to asset management, and there are improvements in the fl ow and integration of a number of processes, including change management, release and deployment management, and change evaluation.

ITIL Service Operation
Process fl ows have been updated or added for all processes including request fulfi llment, access management and
event management.
Key principles – including guidance around service requests and request models, and proactive problem management – have been clarifi ed. The publication has been updated to explain how basic events fl ow into fi lters and rule engines to produce meaningful event information. The relationship between application management activities versus application development activities is also clarifi ed.
Other clarifi cations include an expanded section on problem analysis techniques, procedure fl ow for incident matching and further guidance for escalating incidents to problem management. In addition, the guidance for managing physical facilities has been expanded.

ITIL Continual Service Improvement
The seven-step improvement process – and its relationship with the Deming ‘Plan-Do-Check-Act’ cycle and knowledge management – has been clarifi ed. The CSI model has been renamed the CSI approach and the concept of a CSI register has been introduced as a place to record details of all improvement initiatives within an organization.
Minor changes have been made throughout the book to clarify the meaning and to improve readability. Particular emphasis has been made on documenting the interfaces from CSI to other lifecycle stages.

How can I find out more about these updates?
Best Management Practice are working on a free, downloadable ‘Summary of Updates’, which will be available upon publication
of the core books. Simply register for the Elert Service at:
www.best-management-practice.com/ITILRegister to be the fi rst to get access to these documents.

Will Online Subscriptions receive the update free of charge?
Yes. The update to the core text will be available to everyone with an active Online Subscription from TSO, the Offi cial Publisher of ITIL. Subscribers will be notifi ed of when the updated subscription will be available and will receive the updated text at no additional cost.

Will the publications look different?
Users will be able to distinguish between the current publications and the updated ones by the ‘2011 Edition’ fl ash on the front cover. Imagery and colours will remain largely unchanged.

What will happen to the translations of the core publications?
The priority languages are Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish. Work will begin on these projects as soon as the updated English editions are published.

Are the translated glossaries going to be updated?
Work has begun on updating all 23 translated glossaries and we hope to have these available around the same time as the English version.

Will the prices for the publications remain the same?
Yes, the prices for hard copies and all electronic formats will remain the same as the 2007 editions.

ITIL Examinations
Do I need to be re-certified? Will I have to take a bridging exam for the update?
Candidates who hold existing ITIL certifi cation will not need to become re-certified.
The Accreditor has no plans to introduce any bridging examinations for the impending update, as the core ITIL process areas and principles will not change signifi cantly.

Will this affect the Intermediate exams?
This update reflects the evolution of best practices. Whilst the basic principles and concepts of ITIL remain the same, the supporting processes and practices evolve to ensure they continue to be relevant and useful in today’s service management environment. ITIL qualifi cations are continually evolving as well with new service offerings and improvements to the basic scheme, and the ITIL update will result in changes.
The degree of change among the various qualifi cation modules is aligned with the degree of change to the guidance. For example, ITIL Service Strategy has the largest number of updates to its structure and content. These updates will be refl ected in the qualifi cations. It is important to note that structural changes predominantly include reorganizing existing content, as well as some new content. This means that while qualifi cations are being updated to refl ect the updates to the publications, the changes often include moving the content within or between learning units of a qualifi cation, rather than adding new content.
Because the basic principles of ITIL are intact, ITIL qualifi cations remain relevant for any prior and current released versions.
There is no need to retake a qualifi cation, and all qualifi cations will continue to be recognized across the industry.

When will the updated examinations be available?
The updated syllabuses and examinations will be available on 8 August 2011.

Should I take the Foundation exam now or should I wait until the update is published in 2011?
Any examination candidate who is currently preparing to take their examination should take it now and not wait until the update has been published. In accordance with the scope for the update, core ITIL process areas and principles will not change signifi cantly, so candidates’ understanding of the ITIL principles will be the same regardless of when they take the exam.