Customers often ask me, “What’s the difference between ITIL v2 and ITIL v3.”  Below are a few of the differences:

1. Improved Business Alignment.  ITIL v2 was heavily focused on improving processes.  In contrast, ITIL v3 is centered on a service lifecycle approach to help IT departments focus on providing business value.
2. Consolidation of Lifecycle Books. The ITIL v2 library was presented in seven core books: Service Support, Service Delivery, ICT Infrastructure Management, Planning to Implement Service Management, Application Management, The Business Perspective and Security Management. The ITIL v3 library is now presented in five core books: Service Strategy, Service Design, Service Transition, Service Operation and Continual Service Improvement.
3. Focus on Continual Improvement. ITIL v2 introduced a best practice improvement process called the Service Improvement Plan.  ITIL v3  expands this best practice method and introduces a new book which structures a seven-step improvement process as follows:

a) Define what you should measure
b) Define what you can measure;
c) Gather the data;
d) Process the data;
e) Analyze the data;
f) Presenting and using the data
g) Implement the corrective action.

For those who are currently implementing v2 you don’t have to start over.  Keep on going and just be aware of what’s new and what processes are applicable to your organization.

Related Posts

• August 3, 2009: ITIL ® Version 3 Foundation Exam Study Nugget: Models Referenced in ITIL
• May 19, 2009: ITIL v3 Foundation Certification Training
• May 15, 2009: What Really Matters in the May 2009 ITIL Exam Syllabus Update
• April 17, 2009: ITIL v3 Foundation Certification Training
• August 25, 2008: ITIL v3 Foundation Certification Training