Book Review: ITIL Lifecycle Publication Suite

Authors: OGC
Publisher: The Stationery Office Books

[For your convenience, you can find links to the product at Amazon.co.uk (UK residents) and Amazon.com (US residents) at the end of this article.]


We've previously seen the changes made from v2 to v3, in terms of the core library. Now, here are the books themselves, available from Amazon. If you are looking for the main manuals on ITIL and the different stages of the ITIL Service Lifecycle, this package already includes all five of them for your convenience.

Namely, the suite includes:

- Service Strategy
- Service Design
- Service Transition
- Service Operation
- Continual Service Improvement

I have had the chance to read both the main books and the pocket guides. While you may find many of the original graphics and diagrams in the pocketbooks, only in the five core manuals will you have access to all the full information and detailed explanations. And detailed they are, since each manual is composed of hundreds of pages, complete with diagrams that make each stage and its processes clear. Each book is well organized, handling one process at a time, making it rather easy to find what you are looking for.

For in-depth knowledge. What more could an ITIL enthusiasts or scholar ask for?


Order it today from Amazon.co.uk:
ITIL Lifecycle Publication Suite: 5 vols: Service Strategy WITH Service Design AND Service Transition AND Service Operation AND Continual Service Improvement

Or, if you live in the USA, you can order from Amazon.com:
Itil Lifecycle Publication Suite, Version 3: Continual Service Improvement, Service Operation, Service Strategy, Service Transition, Service Design

Highly recommended.

Core Publications

ITIL v2 was composed of several publications, better known for their colors. There were eight books to read from (the first two were the IT Service Management sets and the remaining six were dedicated to operational guidance):

- Service Delivery
- Service Support

- ICT Infrastructure Management
- Security Management
- The Business Perspective
- Application Management
- Software Asset Management

As of May 2007, the IT Infrastructure Library was re-designed... thus came to be ITIL v3, with a more coherent and integrated format. An updated and improved body of knowledge was published. V3 is currently composed of five core publications, namely:

- Service Strategy
- Service Design
- Service Transition
- Service Operation
- Continual Service Improvement

Each of these refers to a stage of the Service Lifecycle, all of them explored in detail, along with the processes that compose them. A must for everyone considering the study of these best practices.

Glossary - Part 1

Terminology relevant to the topics discussed up to this point, as described in the official ITIL glossary (v3.1.24, May 2007):

IT Service Management (ITSM)
The implementation and management of Quality IT Services that meet the needs of the business. IT Service Management is performed by IT Service Providers through an appropriate mix of people, process and information technology.

IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL)
A set of Best Practice guidance for IT Service Management. ITIL is owned by the OGC and consists of a series of publications giving guidance on the provision of Quality IT Services, and on the processes and facilities needed to support them.

IT Service
A service provided to one or more customers by an IT Service Provider. An IT Service is based on the use of information technology and supports the customer's business processes. An IT Service is made up from a combination of people, processes and technology and should be defined in a Service Level Agreement.

Best Practices
Proven activities or processes that have been successfully used by multiple organizations.


Source: Official ITIL Glossary (v3.1.24, May 2007)

Benefits of the IT Infrastructure Library

Many people ask, understandably, "why should you care about ITIL?". Well, potentially, the IT Infrastructure Library …

- Leads to a higher IT services user / costumer satisfaction
- Facilitates an improved service availability (linked to increased business profits and revenue)
- Reduces rework or lost time, and improves resource management and usage (which brings financial savings)
- Increases your time to market for new products and services
- Improves decision making and optimized risk

You could also wonder if the implementation of ITIL guidelines would benefit your company.

The answer is: if your business has acquired enough complexity to require IT service management, then you can probably benefit from adhering to best practices. Furthermore, by definition, best practices are activities or processes that have proven themselves successful in a large number of organizations, spanning various characteristics, dimensions, and areas of business. Regardless of your area, the improvement of your IT services (if you require them) can bring many benefits to the overall business.

However, the process of implementation is seldom an easy one. It requires training and commitment, and various degrees of effort, depending on how attuned to these best practices your company already is. For some, it may be a veritable culture-shock, but the end results may just prove to be worthwhile. Most companies, once adapted to the recommended practices, can’t even conceive of a different way to work.

What is ITIL?

A very concise description...

The Information Technology Infrastructure Library, also known as ITIL, is a public framework that groups together the best practices in IT service management. It started as a British government initiative circa 1985, and has since that time developed and acquired worldwide acceptance. Today, it is managed by the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), who holds the intellectual property rights.

It is currently the most widely accepted approach to IT service management.