Is ITIL a good qualification?

Degree; MBA; MCTS; ACA; PMP………………

We are told from an early age we need good qualifications.  And in a volatile world where careers span many organisations, the need for professional certifications becomes imperative.

But what exactly is a good qualification? And moreover, how good is the ITIL service management qualification structure?

The perception of the value of professional qualifications will differ between employer and employee but the key attributes are largely shared. Qualifications should be:

1. Relevant
A qualification should signify knowledge and experience which is pertinent to the tasks and environment of the employee. 

2. Discriminating
Employers want to know that a prospective job candidate has special knowledge or ability.  Employees want to demonstrate their superior value.

3. Universal 
Adoption of standardised qualifications helps ensure that they are readily understood – and that the underlying knowledge allows individuals to interact effectively using common language and processes.

4. Practical
If cost or time commitments are excessive or inconvenient then perfectly able candidates (or their employers) will not choose to undertake the necessary investment in training and exams.

5. Current
The value of knowledge and experience can fade as the business environment moves on.  Qualifications need to be structured to ensure that skills are regularly refreshed.

ITIL provides internationally acknowledged best practice guidelines for the design and operation of IT services. ITIL V3, launched in 2007, introduced major improvements in terms of viewing service management in the context of lifecycle and continuous improvement, rather than as a set of independent processes.

The guidance is embodied in a set of five manuals – the Lifecycle Publication Suite. The new ITIL training and certification structure  involves three main tiers, and the journey to ITIL Expert involves accumulation of 22 ITIL credits.
  

Whilst there have been clear improvements in the ITIL guidance, the associated changes in training and certification have been a little less convincing. Let’s give a quick evaluation against the five criteria above.

1. Relevant: 9/10
The relaunch of ITIL has made it absolutely central to the success of modern organizations where IT systems drive efficiency in traditional businesses (for example health services) – or where IT systems form an integral part of what is delivered to customers (for example online banking).

The issue with the training and certification structure in terms of relevance relates more to the specific skill sets needed by hands on service management employees. The old Practitioner certificates such as change management and problem management were highly tailored to job roles. These processes are still there but they tend to be somewhat buried.

2. Discriminating:  8/10
The old Red Badge or ITIL Manager’s certificate demanded years of experience and completion of a standard 10 day’s of training and two 3 hour essay based exam papers. The new ITIL Expert qualification is based on credits obtained from a series of modular certificates.

The new structure certainly demands a high level of commitment and knowledge. The downside is that with multiple choice exam formats the candidate has to do less in terms of demonstrating ability to think creatively and apply the knowledge in a practical environment.

3. Universal:  9/10
ITIL is becoming more international, and ironically it is features such as the use of multiple choice exam papers which facilitates this.

ITIL has extended its close links both to other best practice guidance such as PRINCE2, and to other IT standards such as ISO/IEC20000 and COBIT.

4. Practical:  5/10
The V3 qualification structure is clearly designed by committee. It is overly complex and difficult to explain (or understand). It is a long journey to reach ITIL Expert level and you will suffer considerable repetition between the different modules.

It is the intermediate layer of ITIL training and qualifications which is most frustrating. By separating the lifecycle modules (aimed at managers) from the capability modules (aimed at practitioners) it becomes a real challenge for training providers to offer high quality and regular training for every option. The result seems to be a disproportionate number of candidates taking the lifecycle route – potentially missing learning and development opportunities which will instil immediately applicable skills.

5. Current:  6/10
This aspect has not really raised its head yet. There is no defined time restriction on the certifications. However, it is true that bridging paths were included within V3 to encourage existing ITIL certificate holders to migrate to the new scheme.

There is much which makes ITIL a very good qualification for professionals in the coming decade. I just hope that as well as the recently announced intention to upgrade the core manuals, there is the opportunity for common sense enhancements to the qualification and training structure.