Switching from ITIL V2 to ITIL V3
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How to Achieve the Switch from ITIL V2 to V3
The new ITIL V3 books are based very much on the principles known from ITIL V2, but unfortunately there are no detailed instructions for switching to the new set of “Service Lifecycle” processes. As a result, the only advice available is a rough outline of a two-step strategy for switching to V3:
- Take all existing ITIL processes and plug them into the new Service Lifecycle process structure
- Benchmark the existing processes against the new ITIL V3 recommendations and replace, add or improve processes as appropriate
An ITIL reference model, containing a complete ITIL V3 process framework, is able to support switching to the new ITIL version because existing V2 processes can be plugged into the new Service Lifecycle Structure.
An overview diagram of Problem Management, for example, presents how this process is interfacing with the other Service Operation processes. This makes it easy to decide where process interfaces must be modified, and any existing documentation on the Problem Management process can be incorporated into this structure.
When to Switch to ITIL V3
Because the new ITIL V3 books are based very much on the principles known from ITIL V2, there is no urgent need for action for any IT organization with ITIL V2 processes in operation. But you might want to look at ITIL V3 to see if it offers any hints about where to improve your processes.
However, before long there will be only one version of ITIL around - ITIL V3. This means that even in cases where the processes itself do not need to be changed, at one point in time a switch to the new Service Lifecycle process structure will have to be made. Such an alignment also offers the chance to benefit from the improvements of ITIL V3.
For anyone starting with ITIL there is no reason to begin with ITIL V2, because ITIL V3 is based on the same principles and contains all the processes from ITIL V2 plus a number of important improvements. Starting with ITIL V2 will only create additional work when finally switching to V3.
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