What are the seven guiding principles of ITIL® 4?

The ITIL® 4 guiding principles serve as a set of recommendations and best practices to help support organisations through their IT service management (ITSM) processes. Adhering to these principles allows ITSM professionals to create a more effective, efficient and value-driven framework for service management that is capable of meeting modern business demands and delivering high-quality services to customers.

What is ITIL?

A sought-after certification for over 30 years, ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) is a comprehensive and adaptable framework for IT service management, designed to help organisations improve their ITSM practices and ensure these are aligned with business goals.

The seven guiding principles

The seven guiding principles in ITIL help guide organisations in the effective management of IT services. These principles are:

Focus on value

Value co-creation should be the driving force behind all decisions and activities in the service management lifecycle. To do this it is key that ITSM teams understand what value means for customers, and other stakeholders, and therefore what their expectations are for the product or service.

Example: A company is looking to redesign it’s IT helpdesk to make it more efficient. To ensure they deliver value for customers, the organisation asked for feedback from users to understand the issues and preferences of their customer base.

Start where you are

The first step in any ITSM timeline should be to consider where you are now. Observe your current situation and conclude what needs changing, and which elements can remain as they are. Building from this point will help to save time and avoid wasted effort.

Example: A company identifies that their incident management process is slow. Instead of overhauling the entire process, they start by analysing their current workflows and pinpointing specific problem areas allowing them to make targeted improvements.

Progress iteratively with feedback

Organise work into small, manageable sections, once one stage has been completed the processes and results should be reviewed to identify any issues or opportunities for improvement before moving onto the next iteration.

Example: A retail company wants to improve its online customer experience. They introduce new website features one at a time, such as enhanced search functionality and personalised recommendations. After each release, they collect customer feedback through surveys and usage analytics.

Collaborate and promote visibility

Collaboration shouldn’t just occur between the internal ITSM team, you also need to consider stakeholders, users, customers, vendors, and anyone else that may be related to the service. Being transparent is key, the complete team should be on the same page, they should understand what their responsibilities are and how their role contributes to the wider work effort.

Example: A company launches a major IT project involving multiple departments. They form a cross-functional project team with representatives from each department. Regular meetings are held to discuss progress, share insights, address issues and delegate actions collectively.

Think and work holistically

In successful IT service management, everything is connected. It is important to consider how your work will impact other departments in your organisation, and whether your processes are aligned with business objectives.

Example: A company is developing a business continuity plan. In doing so, they consider the impact of potential disruptions on all aspects of the business, including IT systems, supply chain, human resources, and customer communications.

Keep it simple and practical

Don’t overcomplicate things. Keep your processes as simple and clear as possible to avoid unnecessary confusion and challenges.

Example: When completing an IT service project there are extensive forms of documentation that can be included, the majority of which are unlikely to be read fully by stakeholders. As such, adopting a more minimalist approach focused on providing the key information may be more valuable.

Optimize and automate

Constantly look for ways to improve and optimize your processes to ensure all resources are used to their maximum potential. Consider where automation can be used to increase efficiency. Don’t use automation for the sake of it though, only do so when it will add value.

Example: An IT operations team implements automated monitoring tools that track system performance metrics in real-time. This proactive monitoring and alerts enable the IT team to identify and address issues before they impact service availability or performance.

What are the benefits of effectively applying the guiding principles?

Utilising the seven guiding principles of ITIL 4 has many benefits for an ITSM team, including:

• Helping to achieve value co-creation: The collaborative approach encouraged by the guiding principles ensures that both customers and the organisation contribute effectively to achieving shared goals, driving innovation and sustaining long-term success

• Improving efficiency and effectiveness: Principles such as ‘keep it simple and practical’ and ‘optimize and automate’ help streamline processes and reduce unnecessary complexity which improves efficiency and effectiveness

• Building better collaboration with other teams and departments: The guiding principles foster teamwork and transparency across departments, this improved communication and collaboration can lead to better decision-making and more effective problem solving

• Ensuring IT services are aligned with wider business objectives: Applying the principles ensures that IT services and initiatives are closely aligned with the organisation’s strategic goals and objectives, enhancing the IT department’s ability to contribute to business success

• Creating a tailorable, flexible approach to ITSM: The guiding principles provide a framework that organisations can adapt and use to continuously improve IT services, respond to changing demands, and deliver value to customers

• Leading to higher levels of customer satisfaction: By focusing on value, organisations can ensure their services are aligned with customer needs and expectations, leading to higher customer satisfaction

• And more!

How can organisations implement the ITIL 4 guiding principles?

Organisations can effectively implement the guiding principles laid out in ITIL 4 by following these key steps:

• Understand the principles: Ensure all relevant stakeholders understand the guiding principles and how each contributes to improving ITSM practices

• Align with organisational goals: Assess how each guiding principle aligns with the organisation’s strategic objectives. Identify specific areas where applying these principles can bring the most significant benefits, such as enhancing customer satisfaction, improving operational efficiency, or achieving compliance goals

• Integrate into existing practices: Embed the guiding principles into existing ITSM practices, assessing areas where integration may involve revising policies, procedures and workflows

• Promote adoption: Foster a culture that embraces the guiding principles throughout the organisation. Leadership support and effective communication are crucial for this

• Provide training and support: Equip ITSM practitioners with the necessary skills and knowledge to apply the guiding principles by offering training sessions, workshops and educational resources

• Measure and monitor progress: Establish metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) to track the impact of implementing the guiding principles, and request regular feedback from stakeholders and team members to identify areas of improvement

• Iterate and adapt: Continuously review and refine the implementation of the guiding principles based on feedback, changing business needs and evolving industry best practice

Want to learn more about the guiding principles and other elements of the ITIL syllabus? Check out our ITIL training options that include e-learning, live virtual classroom and face-to-face workshops.