ITIL 4 is the result of a great amount of global research and development work across the IT and service management industries. It has been designed to help organisations meet the increasing challenges of today’s complex digital environment by integrating concepts from Agile, DevOps and Design Thinking. ITIL 4 represents an advanced guidance that prepares organisations for success in their digital transformation journey by focusing on creating and delivering value to their customers.
The new scheme has been designed to be backwards compatible with ITIL v3 (the term that most people use to refer to the previous ITIL) and has been streamlined to encourage conversion beyond ITIL Foundation level. Though ITIL v3 remains completely relevant, the general recommendation is for organisations to embark on the new ITIL 4 sooner rather than later. ALC offers training in both versions.
You can get a good idea of the new ITIL 4 Certification Scheme in the diagram below. The Scheme comprises a number of modules:
There are three high-level designations that can be attained:
To obtain the ITIL Managing Professional (MP) or ITIL Strategic Leader (SL) designations you must complete all modules in each stream, with ITIL Strategist being common to both.
ITIL 4 Foundation is available immediately. The other modules will progressively become available starting late 2019.
NOTE: There is no transition module (bridging course) from ITIL v3 Foundation to ITIL 4 Foundation. If you already have ITIL v3 Foundation and wish to take an ITIL 4 Specialist/Strategist/Leader course, then the recommended approach is to first take ITIL 4 Foundation in order to be able to transition to the new scheme.

If you have a large base of staff already trained in ITIL v3, it is perfectly valid to continue to train new staff in ITIL v3 at Foundation level and to do a phased transition to ITIL 4.
We will continue to offer ITIL v3 Foundation training according to demand. We will also continue to offer the ITIL v3 Capability courses for a limited time. Please contact us for dates and to discuss the options that will best suit your needs.
The aim of the ITIL 4 Foundation course is for each participant to be able to:
5.1 General Management Practices
5.2 Service Management Practices
5.3 Technical Management Practices
Face-to-face classroom training
Fees include:
The ITIL 4 Foundation Certificate is an internationally-recognised qualification and is a prerequisite for further qualifications in ITIL.
The Foundation exam is paper-based and is held in class at the end of Day 2. The exam comprises:
There are no pre-requisites for this course.
I am currently ITIL v3 Foundation certified only. I am looking at a career development in IT Service Management.
Recommendation: Take the ITIL 4 Foundation in order to transition to the new scheme as there is no bridging course at the Foundation level.
I am currently ITIL v3 Foundation certified only. My organisation has been practicing ITIL for many years.
Recommendation: Take the direction from your organisation on any decision to embark on ITIL 4 now or later. ITIL v3 remains relevant. However, ITIL 4 is the result of a great amount of global research and development work across the IT and service management industries. It also integrates concepts from Agile, DevOps and Design Thinking. ITIL 4 is an advanced guidance that prepares organisations for success in their digital transformation journey by focusing on creating and delivering value to their customers. We would recommend organisations to embark on the new ITIL 4 sooner rather than later.
I am ITIL v3 Foundation certified and have obtained one ITIL v3 Intermediate level certification. And I prefer to find out more about ITIL 4 first.
Recommendation:
Option 1: Take the 2-day ITIL 4 Foundation course now to have a foundational understanding of the new ITIL 4. And continue to take the other Specialist, Strategist or Leader modules when they are progressively available, leading to the either the designation of ITIL? Managing Professional or ITIL Strategic Leader.
Option 2: Continue with more ITIL v3 Intermediate modules to obtain at least 17 credits (including v3 Foundation), to be eligible to attend the transition module “Managing Professional Transition” when it is released end of 2019. You will be awarded the designation of ITIL Managing Professional when you pass the Managing Professional Transition module. ITIL v3 Intermediate modules will be available till June 2020.
I am ITIL v3 Foundation certified and have obtained two or more ITIL v3 Intermediate level certifications.
Recommendation: Continue with more ITIL v3 Intermediate modules to obtain at least 17 credits (including v3 Foundation), to be eligible to attend the transition module “Managing Professional Transition” when it is released end of 2019. You will be awarded the designation of ITIL? Managing Professional when you pass the Managing Professional Transition module. ITIL v3 Intermediate modules will be available till June 2020.
I am v3 ITIL Expert. What if anything should I do?
Recommendation:
Option 1: Take the ITIL4 Foundation for an understanding of the new ITIL 4 Service Value System. ITIL 4 Foundation is not a pre-requisite for a v3 ITIL Expert to transition to the ITIL Managing Professional. Thereafter, 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 you are interested in pursuing the ITIL Strategic Leader designation, you would only need to complete the ITIL Leader Digital & Strategy module. Once you have completed both streams, you are eligible to move towards ITIL Master.
Option 2: 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 you are interested in pursuing the ITIL Strategic Leader designation, you would only need to complete the ITIL Leader Digital & Strategy module. Once you have completed both streams, you are eligible to move towards ITIL Master.