21 June 2007

ABN: 42 006 674 791 Head Office: Level 4, 60 Albert Road South Melbourne VIC 3205 Tel AUS: 1300 880 911 Tel NZ: 0800 115 656 e-mail: info@proactiveservices.com.au

Dear Customer,

MOVING FROM ITIL V2 to V3 CERTIFICATION

You may or may not be aware that ITIL V3 (V3) was launched at the end of May by the UK-based Office of Government Commerce (OGC) and their partners. Changes to certification and additional supporting documentation will be launched over the next few months. You might also be aware that ProActive was responsible for the introduction of ITIL training in 1995 and we have established a reputation for quality, innovation and value for money in that period. We have already spent many weeks reviewing what is in ITIL V3, particularly in relation to the Foundation Certificate, as it is the “first cab off the rank” in terms of V3 certification. This letter is to provide our recommendation as to what we see as the best way to transition from V2 certification to V3, in particular for new students that need to complete ITIL training. The proposed approach was verified by the panel of authors at the recent itSMF V3 launch in Sydney as a sensible and practical approach, pending the release of further V3 qualifications. Whilst we fully support V3, we want to ensure that organisations who are already implementing ITIL do not lose momentum during the transition period. There is a lot of interest and ‘hype’ about V3 – ProActive’s aim is to ensure customers are fully briefed on the facts and to offer a balanced view about the recommended approach for both organisations and individuals to transition from V2 to V3. To do this, this letter requires some explanation about what is in V3 and the impact that has on current course syllabi. Firstly, it is important to remember that all V2 certification remains valid, but the scope and type of changes introduced in V3 means that some training in V3 at some stage makes sense. Whilst there are few really significant changes to what was contained and taught in V2, the main change is that processes have been re-ordered into a ‘lifecycle approach’. This approach reflects what happens in the ‘real world’ of IT. Whilst V2 was all about the implementation of IT Service Management, the books and training tended to approach this as a series of process silos. V2 of ITIL was released over a period of time, starting with Service Support and Service Delivery with other books added over a period of time including:-

Planning to Implement ITSM Security Management The Business Perspective ICT Infrastructure Management Application Management

Whilst many, in our experience, were familiar with Service Support and Delivery and that is where most of the training was to be found, there was much less visibility of many of the other books and in some cases, training has only recently been available. V3 has been implemented in a holistic manner and is based on requirements from the market and in a timeframe that allowed for time for it to be developed in a considered manner. The five (core) books in V3 that define the “Lifecycle” are as follows:-

Service Strategy Service Design Service Transition Service Operation Continual Service Improvement

The Foundation Certificate is the “first cab off the rank” in terms of V3 certification. The proposed approach in this letter was verified by the panel of authors at the recent itSMF V3 launch in Sydney as a being sensible and practical. All V2 certification remains valid, but the scope and type of changes introduced in V3 means that some training in V3 makes sense. Many are familiar with Service Support and Service Delivery, but there has been much less visibility of the other books in V2. V3 has been implemented in a holistic manner and define the “lifecycle”.

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Whilst all the processes you know and love are still there, they are spread across the lifecycle depending on their function. However, it is important to remember that V3 is less process-centric than V2 and is more focused on functions and how everything fits together. One of the main differences for many ITIL Practitioners is that the processes from all of the other V2 books are brought into the V3 lifecycle in their appropriate places. For example, Service Operation includes processes from Service Support, ICT Infrastructure and Applications Management. A number of processes are not confined within one V3 book but span across all books. New Training Scheme

V3 is less process-centric than V2 and is more focused on functions and how everything fits together.

Qualifications The V3 Foundation Certificate is significantly different from the V2 version – simply by virtue of the fact that this training now needs to cover a much larger syllabus. The course will still be three days in duration, but to cover all the new information, this course will provide a high level view in order to introduce ITIL. It will be of value to senior IT managers and business managers, as it incorporates sections on Strategy and Implementation which were not previously covered. This will show how ITIL will offer value to the Business. Those of you familiar with the V2 Foundation Certificate course know that Service Support and Delivery were covered in some detail. Now, in V3, Incident, Change, Service Level Management and Service Desk are covered in some detail and Problem Management to a lesser level. Hence the learning outcomes of the course are different. These differences need to be appreciated to avoid any surprises.

Foundation Training As neither the ‘intermediate’ V3 training modules of IT Service Capability & Service Lifecycle (see diagram) are available yet, ProActive recommends, that in the short term, students complete the V2 Foundation Certificate. This is for a number of reasons, namely: 1) The larger scope of the V3 Foundation Certificate will require more students undergo

training in the Capability Modules to get a deeper level of understanding (similar to the Practitioner level in V2). This potentially means more days of training will be required to achieve a ‘foundation’ level of ITIL knowledge equivalent to what was achieved in the V2 Foundation Certificate.

V3 Foundation needs to cover a much larger syllabus. It will be of value to senior managers and the Business, as it incorporates sections on strategy and implementation which were not previously covered. ProActive recommends that in the short term, students complete the V2 Foundation Certificate training.

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2) The Capability Modules are not yet released and students wanting to continue with V3 training may have to wait some considerable time to undertake further training. Whilst a lot of the V2 Practitioner training will be carried across into Capability Modules the starting point is now different as the Foundation Certificate course has more information to impart.

3) As the V3 Foundation Certificate examination will be new, it is to be expected that it will take some time before they get to be proven to the same level as the V2 examinations with the consequential high pass-rates.

4) The V2 certification offers a more comprehensive understanding of the main processes that many organisations are currently implementing. This, when combined with ITIL Refresh training (see below), will provide students with a Foundation level understanding of V2 processes plus comprehension of the V3 lifecycle approach.

Recommended Approach: ProActive recommends a training path of V2 Foundations plus the V3 Refresh session. This is more cost- and time-effective approach to getting the right levels of information on both V2 and V3 of ITIL. Those students attending Foundation Certificate courses in this interim period will be eligible for a discount on the price of the refresh day if booked at the same time.

Practitioner Training What is currently, at V2, termed Practitioner training will become the Capability Modules stream at V3, and this will sit at an ‘Intermediate’ Level. At this stage, no Capability Modules have been released, but is expected to draw on current V2 courses. Recommended Approach: It is our recommendation that students still undertake the V2 Practitioner training as it will be some time before any V3 intermediate training course syllabi and examinations are released. The V2 Practitioner courses will still earn credits towards achievement of the ITIL Diploma PLUS they will give attendees a comprehensive understanding of a discrete process or processes which will help in day to day roles NOW without running the risk of losing momentum whilst waiting for the V3 courses. We also recommend that students consider undertaking the ITIL Infrastructure Management and Application Management courses now to get the bigger lifecycle-related picture. These ‘domains’ have now entered the mainstream in ITIL V3. Once more students will gain V3 credits for achieving these certifications as well as getting a better understanding of the V3 lifecycle.

V3 Refresh The V3 Refresh is a session primarily for Foundation Certificate holders to get up to speed with ITIL V3 and the changes it brings. This is the perfect bridging course, held over one full day, to get you quickly up to speed with V3 at the FC level! This session is a comprehensive day of learning – a day that will provide attendees with an understanding of the ITIL framework and its lifecycle driven approach. Attendees will also discover the main differences between V2 and V3, plus enough information will be provided to ensure students understand what would be required of them should they be interested in sitting the V3 Foundation Certificate exam. This is, however, not a mandatory requirement as all V2 certification remains valid. Recommended Approach: If you are interested in what’s new with V3 and have a Foundation level of knowledge, then we highly recommend this session. It’s the most cost- and time-effective way to get up to speed with V3 quickly before the new certification scheme comes into play.

V2 certification offers a more comprehensive understanding of the main processes that organisations are currently implementing. ProActive recommends a training path of V2 Foundations plus the V3 Refresh Session – this is a more cost- and time-effective approach. Attendees will get a comprehensive understanding of processes, helping in day to day roles NOW without running the risk of losing momentum whilst waiting for V3 courses. V2 Practitioner and specialist courses (Infrastructure Management and Application Management) will still earn credits towards achievement of the ITIL Diploma. A comprehensive day’s training for V2 Foundation Certificate holders to discover the main differences between V2 and V3 and get quickly up to speed with V3 overall.

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Managers Certificate The Manager’s Certificate, as it is known in V2, will be renamed the ITIL Diploma in V3. The ITIL Diploma is potentially going to take 15 contact days. The syllabus for this course will not be released until September 2007, meaning that the ITIL Diploma will not be offered by training providers until at least 2008. The Diploma can be gained in a number of ways, however, not all details are yet available. The scheme is based on the achievement of a certain number of “credits” that can be gained from V2 and V3 training. The number of credits likely to be needed is 22. Naturally a core of V3 training is needed to achieve the Diploma. Some options include:- 1) V2 MC and then the V3 bridging course (2 to 3 days) 2) V2 FC, V2 Practitioner, V2 to V3 Bridging course 3) V3 FC, then either V3 Service Lifecycle or Service Capabilities Modules.

The V3 Lifecycle Modules are similar to the V2 Manager’s Certificate training, but will now take longer due to the extra information now contained within Mainstream V3. Recommended Approach: If organisations want to keep their ITIL implementation going, then our recommendation is that students continue to undertake the V2 Manager’s Certificate, and then if required, to sit the Bridging / Refresh Manager’s Certificate course that will prepare students to sit the V3 ITIL Diploma examinations.

In summary: ProActive fully endorses V3, as:

our pioneering work with ITIL Infrastructure Management and Applications Management means that we have been dealing with the lifecyle, as it was at V2, for some time.

it is an important evolutionary step in ITIL. it allows users to build on the successes of V2 but take IT service management to the

next level. it makes the link between ITIL’s good practice and business benefits both clearer and

stronger. the lifecycle approach, as opposed to the process ‘domains’ , reflects how

organisations work in the real world. We look forward to offering all the new V3 certifications, but in the meantime our priority is to ensure that organisations who are already implementing ITIL do not lose momentum. As such, we will continue to provide the right advice and services to best meet our individual customers’ needs. Should you have any questions or require help in the best direction for your staff in terms of certification, please do not hesitate to contact me or any of the ProActive team. Our free call phone numbers are 1300 880 855 for Australia, and 0800 11 56 56 for New Zealand. We look forward to continue working with you to achieve good practice in IT Service Management, as identified in ITIL V2 AND V3. Yours sincerely

Bob Philipson Managing Director

The Diploma can be gained in a number of ways, however all details are not yet available. If organisations want to keep their ITIL implementation going, then students should continue to undertake the V2 Manager’s Certificate, and then if required, to sit the Bridging Certificate course that will prepare students for the V3 Diploma.