The ITIL® 4 dictionary: Explore the key terms and concepts of the methodology

Whether you are an experienced IT service management professional or new to the industry, training in ITIL® 4 will introduce a wealth of new language and concepts. To help you understand this key terminology we’ve curated a list of the core definitions you need to learn before you take your exam.

ITIL 4 key terms

• IT Service Management (ITSM): Refers to the implementation and management of IT services in line with the organisation’s needs and objectives. It encompasses the policies, processes and procedures required to design, deliver, manage, and improve IT services
• Service: In ITIL 4, a service is a means of delivering value to customers by facilitating desired outcomes
• Configuration item (CI): A configuration item is any component or asset that needs to be managed in order to deliver IT services
• Incident: An incident refers to any unplanned interruption or reduction in the quality of an IT service
• Problem: A problem is the underlying cause of one or more incidents
• Change: A change refers to the addition, modification, or removal of any configuration item within the IT infrastructure
• Guiding principles: ITIL 4 introduces seven guiding principles that organisations should follow to guide their decisions and actions. These principles include focus on value, start where you are, progress iteratively with feedback, collaborate and promote visibility, think and work holistically, keep it simple and practical, and optimise and automate
• Practices: ITIL 4 includes 34 practices that organisations can adopt to improve their service management capabilities. These practices fall into three categories general management practices, service