ITIL 4 & ITSM – Core Vocabulary

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering the essential terms, roles, concepts, dimensions, principles, value chain activities and practices found in ITIL 4 and modern IT Service Management.

ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library)

A framework of best-practice guidance for IT Service Management that aligns IT services with business needs.

ITSM (Information Technology Service Management)

The discipline of designing, delivering, managing and improving the way IT is used inside an organization to meet customer needs.

ITIL 4

The current version of ITIL, emphasizing value creation, agility, and alignment with Agile, Lean and DevOps for digital transformation.

Service Value System (SVS)

ITIL 4’s holistic model that shows how all components and activities of an organization work together to create value.

Service Value Chain (SVC)

A set of six interconnected activities (Plan, Improve, Engage, Design & Transition, Obtain/Build, Deliver & Support) that transform demand into value.

Guiding Principles

Seven universal recommendations in ITIL 4 that guide organizational decisions and actions toward value.

Practice (in ITIL)

A set of organizational resources designed to perform work or accomplish an objective (replaces the older term ‘process’ alone).

Service Management

Specialized organizational capabilities for enabling value to customers in the form of services.

Value

Perceived benefits, usefulness and importance of something to stakeholders.

Value Co-Creation

Bi-directional collaboration where providers, consumers and stakeholders jointly create value.

Customer (ITIL role)

The person who defines service requirements and takes responsibility for service outcomes.

User (ITIL role)

The individual who actually uses the service.

Sponsor (ITIL role)

The person who authorizes the budget for service consumption.

Supplier

A stakeholder responsible for providing goods or services used by an organization.

Organization (ITIL definition)

A person or group of people with its own functions, responsibilities and relationships to achieve objectives.

Service

A means of enabling value co-creation by facilitating outcomes customers want without them managing specific costs and risks.

Product

A configuration of an organization’s resources that can potentially offer value to a consumer.

Service Offering

A description of one or more services designed to meet the needs of a target consumer group, possibly including goods, access and actions.

Output

A tangible or intangible deliverable produced by an activity.

Outcome

A result for a stakeholder enabled by one or more outputs.

Cost

The amount of money spent on a resource or activity, including costs removed from and imposed on the customer.

Risk

A possible event that could cause harm or hinder objectives; the uncertainty of outcome.

Value Equation

Value = Benefits – (Costs + Risks).

Service Relationship

Co-operation between service provider and consumer, including provision, consumption and relationship management.

Service Provisioning

Provider activities to supply services, manage resources, grant access and ensure performance.

Service Consumption

Consumer activities to use provider resources, request service actions and manage their own resources.

Service Relationship Management

Joint provider-consumer activities to ensure continual value co-creation based on agreed offerings.

Four Dimensions of Service Management

Organization & People; Information & Technology; Partners & Suppliers; Value Streams & Processes.

PESTLE Factors

External influences: Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, Environmental.

Goods (service component)

Tangible items transferred to the consumer with ownership.

Access to Resources

Licensed or granted use of provider resources without transfer of ownership.

Service Actions

Provider-performed activities to meet a consumer need according to agreement.

Plan (SVC activity)

Ensures shared understanding of vision, status and improvement direction across all products and services.

Improve (SVC activity)

Ensures continual improvement of products, services and practices across value chain activities.

Engage (SVC activity)

Provides stakeholder understanding, transparency and continual engagement.

Design & Transition (SVC activity)

Ensures products and services meet stakeholder expectations for quality, cost and time-to-market.

Obtain/Build (SVC activity)

Ensures service components are available when needed and meet specifications.

Deliver & Support (SVC activity)

Ensures services are delivered and supported according to agreed specs and expectations.

Continual Improvement (CI)

A recurring organizational activity to align practices and services with changing business needs.

Continual Improvement Register (CIR)

A structured record of all improvement ideas, prioritized and tracked through implementation and review.

CI Model – Step 1: What is the Vision?

Define how the improvement initiative supports organizational goals and future vision.

CI Model – Step 2: Where are We Now?

Assess the current state using measurements to establish a baseline.

CI Model – Step 3: Where Do We Want to Be?

Set SMART objectives, CSFs and KPIs to define the target state.

CI Model – Step 4: How Do We Get There?

Plan or experiment with iterative actions to reach the target state.

CI Model – Step 5: Take Action

Execute the improvement plan using waterfall, agile or hybrid approaches.

CI Model – Step 6: Did We Get There?

Measure and validate that objectives and value have been achieved.

CI Model – Step 7: How Do We Keep Momentum?

Embed changes, market successes and prepare for the next improvement cycle.

General Management Practices

14 practices adopted from business management (e.g., Strategy, Portfolio, Financial, Project, Workforce).

Service Management Practices

17 practices specific to service management (e.g., Incident, Change Enablement, Service Desk).

Technical Management Practices

3 practices adapted from technology domains (e.g., Deployment, Infrastructure & Platform, Software Dev & Mgmt).

Information Security Management

Practice that protects confidentiality, integrity, availability, authentication and non-repudiation of information.

Relationship Management

Practice establishing and nurturing strategic and tactical links with stakeholders.

Supplier Management

Practice ensuring suppliers and their performance support seamless, value-focused service delivery.

Optimize and Automate (Guiding Principle)

Systematically improve and streamline work through elimination of waste and use of technology.

Start Where You Are (Guiding Principle)

Assess the current state before making changes instead of starting from scratch.

Progress Iteratively with Feedback (Guiding Principle)

Work in smaller, manageable steps and use feedback to steer each iteration.

Collaborate and Promote Visibility (Guiding Principle)

Work together across boundaries and make work, results and issues transparent.

Think and Work Holistically (Guiding Principle)

Consider the whole system, not just parts, for effective solutions.

Keep It Simple and Practical (Guiding Principle)

Use outcome-based thinking, eliminate complexity and focus on what adds value.