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Where to Go from Here
When students have earned the ITIL Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management, they will have earned two credits toward the ITIL Expert certification which requires 22 credits.
To earn additional ITIL credits, students must take intermediate level ITIL classes from an accredited training organization; there is no self-study option available. Intermediate classes come in two flavors: Service Lifecycle classes and Service Capability classes.
Service Lifecycle classes are worth three ITIL credits each and typically last three days each. Students earn ITIL credits only when they pass the exam given at the end of class. These courses each focus on one of the five ITIL books, and the focus of these courses is on the introduction and implementation of the specific Lifecycle phase being taught, and coverage of the principles, processes, and related activities. Classes offered are Service Strategy, Service Design, Service Transition, Service Operation, and Continual Service Improvement.
Service Capability classes are typically five-day courses and are geared towards IT professionals who seek to implement ITIL in their organizations; classes are worth four ITIL credits each. Students only earn ITIL credits when they pass the exam given at the end of class. Service Capability classes are hands-on, intensive courses that lead students through practical exercises, focusing on detailed process implementation and management. Course content is offered within clustered groupings:
- PP&O (Planning, Protection and Optimization): Capacity Management, Availability Management, IT Service Continuity Management, Security Management, Demand Management and Risk Management
- SO&A (Service Offerings and Agreements): Service Portfolio Management, Service Level Management, Service Catalogue Management, Demand Management, Supplier Management and Financial Management
- RC&V (Release, Control and Validation): Change Management, Release & Deployment Management, Service Validation & Testing, Service Asset & Configuration Management, Knowledge Management, Request Fulfillment and Evaluation
- OS&A (Operational Support and Analysis): Event Management, Incident Management, Request Management, Problem Management, Access Management, Service Desk, Technical Management, IT Operations Management and Application Management
Managing Across the Lifecycle is the capstone class that ensures students have an understanding of the entire service lifecycle; this is typically a five-day class and a passing score on the exam earns the student five ITIL credits. The ITIL Expert certification cannot be achieved without this class.
When 22 ITIL credits have been earned in the correct combination, the ITIL Expert Certificate in IT Service Management is awarded. As of this writing, this is the highest level of ITIL V3 certification available. Students can track their progress towards the ITIL Expert Certification by using the official Credit Profiler System.
Also as of this writing, the ITIL® Master certification is currently under development and in a pilot phase in Europe, but there is no official release date.
Have you taken the ITIL V3 Foundation Exam? Share your experiences by posting to the ITIL thread in our forums.
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