If you’re taking the ITIL 4 exams or simply want to update yourself on the new body of IT service management (ITSM) best practice guidance, then it can still be difficult to understand what’s available in ITIL 4 book-wise. In particular, where to find the detail of the 34 ITIL management practices that every ITIL 4 blog seems to call out.

If you want to know more, then this blog is for you. Because, over the next 1000 words or so, I’ve written about the six key ITIL books. Yes, there are six books and another 34 PDFs! And this is why I’ve written this blog.

This blog by @Joe_the_IT_Guy delves into the six key ITIL 4 books and 34 PDF publications – to help cover off everything you need to know about ITIL 4. #ITSM #ITIL4CLICK TO TWEET
A brief overview of the current ITIL 4 publication portfolio
I get into the detail further below; this is just a starter so you can see what’s coming and appreciate how the books map onto the ITIL 4 qualifications:

ITIL Foundation, ITIL 4 Edition – this was the first ITIL 4 book, released in 2019 to support the updated ITIL Foundation qualification.
Create, Deliver and Support – this was released in early 2020 and supports the ITIL Managing Professional qualification.
Drive Stakeholder Value – this was released in early 2020 and also supports the ITIL Managing Professional qualification.
High-velocity IT – this was released in early 2020 and also supports the ITIL Managing Professional qualification.
Direct, Plan and Improve – this was released in early 2020 and supports both the ITIL Managing Professional and ITIL Strategic Leader qualifications (please see the qualification overview image later in this blog).
Digital & IT Strategy – this book will be published later in 2020 and supports the upcoming ITIL Strategic Leader qualification.
Also, and importantly, if you’re looking for the 34 ITIL 4 management practices that replace ITIL v3/2011’s 26 processes and four functions, then you need to look outside of these six publications. This practice guidance is not published in physical book form. Instead, it’s available online as updatable PDFs – accessible via an annual subscription – at http://axelos.com/my-axelos/my-itil. You can also learn more about it in this SysAid blog by ITIL 4 author Stuart Rance: ITIL 4 Practices – What’s New and Changed.

Did you know that if you're looking for the 34 ITIL 4 management practices that replace ITIL v3/2011’s 26 processes & four functions, then you need to look outside of the six #ITIL4 publications says @Joe_the_IT_Guy. #ITSMCLICK TO TWEET

ITIL Foundation, ITIL 4 Edition
This book maps to the entry-level ITIL qualification but is aimed at a wide range of roles – from students to seasoned ITSM professionals. It explains the new value-based approach of ITIL (more on this can be read in my earlier “10 Key Changes in ITIL 4 (and My Take on Them)” blog). And there are few pages dedicated to each of the 34 ITIL 4 management practices.

Not only does it explain the concepts of service management and the ITIL approach, but it can also be used as a quick reference guide for both ITSM and ITIL 4. Importantly, the associated qualification is a required steppingstone to the higher-level ITIL 4 qualifications (unless someone already has an earlier and still-relevant ITIL qualification).

Create, Deliver and Support
The ITIL 4 Create, Deliver and Support book covers the Design & Transition, Obtain/Build, and Deliver & Support activities – i.e. the central cube – within the ITIL service value chain (shown below).

ITIL4 SERVICE VALUE CHAINSource: AXELOS, ITIL Foundation ITIL 4 Edition (2019)
There is, of course, a cross over between the book’s content and many of the 34 management practice guides. This is probably best considered via the management practices that are included within the Create, Deliver and Support exam:

Change enablement
Deployment management
Incident management
Knowledge management
Monitoring and event management
Problem management
Release management
Service design
Service desk
Service level management
Service validation and testing
Software development and management.
In terms of specific guidance and advice contained within this book, examples are:

Creating and improving value streams
Service quality and improvement methods
Creating a culture of collaboration
How to employ service integration and management (SIAM) for multi-sourcing environments
The exploitation of tools and information for the delivery and support of services.
Want to create and improve value streams, and create a culture of collaboration, but have no idea which #ITIL4 publication can help you? Here @Joe_the_IT_Guy explains. #ITSMCLICK TO TWEET
Drive Stakeholder Value
The ITIL 4 Create, Deliver and Support book focuses on the conversion of demand into value and hence covers the Engage and Value elements within the ITIL service value chain. The content is built around the customer journey (which is also the supplier journey from the service provider perspective). This journey consists of the following steps or stages:

Explore. Which is about considering the potential for a future service relationship between the service provider and service consumer.
Engage. Where a relationship is formed between the two parties.
Offer. Where the service provider creates a service offering that reflects the requirements defined by the service consumer.
Agree. Where both parties enter into a service agreement that details how value will be co-created.
Onboard. Where the two parties start working together.
Co-create. Where value is co-created through the two parties working together.
Realize. Where the co-created value is measured and reported, and continually improved.
There is again, of course, a cross over with many of the 34 management practice guides, with the following management practices included within the Drive Stakeholder Value exam:

Business analysis
Portfolio management
Relationship management
Service catalog management
Service desk
Service level management
Service request management
Supplier management.
You’ll notice already that management practices can apply to multiple Managing Professional publications and qualifications.

High-velocity IT
This book is all about how digital organizations use digital operating models to deliver high-velocity environments. Unlike the previous two Managing Professional books, the High-velocity IT publication covers the whole of the ITIL service value chain’s core. Laying out the required behaviors for a modern, high-velocity organization. Sharing the principles, concepts, models, and techniques that contribute to five High-velocity IT objectives:

Valuable investments
Fast development
Resilient operations
Co-created value
Assured conformance.
In terms of the crossover with the 34 management practices, the High-velocity IT exam includes:

Architecture management
Availability management
Business analysis
Capacity and performance management
Deployment management
Information security management
Infrastructure and platform management
Monitoring and event management
Portfolio management
Problem management
Relationship management
Risk management
Service continuity management
Service design
Service desk
Service validation and testing
Software development and management.
This long list of practices reflects the book covering the whole of the ITIL service value chain’s core and thus the associated capabilities required.

Did you know that unlike the two #ITIL4 Managing Professional books, the High-velocity IT publication covers the whole of the ITIL service value chain’s core? Here @Joe_the_IT_Guy explains.CLICK TO TWEET
Direct, Plan and Improve
As its name suggests, the ITIL 4 Direct, Plan and Improve publication covers the plan and improve activities of the ITIL service value chain. It also covers some aspects related to governance (which is part of the ITIL service value system – again, please see my earlier blog for more details on this).

In terms of links to the 34 management practices, the Direct, Plan and Improve exam only looks at the content from two ITIL 4 management practices:

Continual improvement
Organizational change management.
A lot of ground is covered within the book though, with the publication guiding the creation of a service value system across:

Strategy and direction
Assessment and planning
Measurement and reporting
Continual improvement
Communication and organizational change management
Service value system creation.
Digital & IT Strategy
If you cast your mind back to the publication of the original ITIL 4 qualification overview – shown below – you’ll notice that the ITIL Managing Professional qualification is not the only “next step” after ITIL Foundation. There’s also the ITIL Strategic Leader qualification, for which there are two books – the aforementioned Direct, Plan & Improve publication and the to-be-published Digital & IT Strategy.

ITIL Strategic LeaderSource: AXELOS
At the time of writing, there’s little information to be found on this currently unpublished book. However, its release is imminent and there is already information available on the related training module. Plus, the book’s content is also referenced in the Strategy Management ITIL 4 Practice Guide PDF, from which the following image is taken:

Strategy Management ITIL 4 Practice GuideSource: AXELOS, Strategy Management ITIL 4 Practice Guide PDF (2020)
In terms of what to expect from the new Digital & IT Strategy publication, in the absence of an official book synopsis, there are some interesting AXELOS quotes related to the associated exam that give us insight into its content:

“…will focus on the alignment of digital business strategy with IT strategy.”
“…adds a new perspective to the ITIL suite and elevates the discussion around ITIL concepts to a strategic level among business leaders and aspiring leaders.”
“…will help IT leaders and aspiring leaders build and implement effective IT and digital strategy that can tackle digital disruption and drive success.”
It certainly looks to be new territory for ITIL, and I look forward to the book’s publication sometime later in 2020.