Editor's Note: This post was originally published November 2018 and has recently been updated and revised for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
For those of you who are already progressing deep into ITIL v3 there is path to transition to ITIL 4 without having to start from square one. The ITIL Managing Professional Transition Module covers the core elements from the ITIL Managing Professional stream. There is a mandatory training element and exam associated with this module, enabling you to transition your existing designations into the new ITIL 4 certification scheme. Successful completion of this module provides you with the ITIL Managing Professional designation.
Q: I have my ITIL Foundation certification. How should I transition to ITIL4?
A: Due to the structure of ITIL 4 Foundation, there will not be a transition module at the Foundation level from ITIL v3. And since there is a large amount of new material in ITIL 4 Foundation, a new exam is required to assess your knowledge of the new ITIL 4 Foundation guidance. So, you will want to obtain this new credential.
Q: When will ITIL v3 be discontinued?
A: The transition will be a gradual process, allowing for students in the midst of their ITIL v3 journey, to continue collecting their ITIL v3 Intermediate credits to enable transition to the coming ITIL Managing Professional Transition module. AXELOS will therefore not discontinue ITIL v3 (stop maintaining exams, publishing books or accrediting students) before June 2020.
Q: What is the ITIL Managing Professional Transition course?
A: This is designed for ITIL Experts, and those people with 17 points in the ITIL v3 scheme. It will be released in the coming year. It will serve as the transition course for qualified individuals to migrate their ITIL v3 expert status to the new ITIL 4 Managing Professional credential.
Q: Should I stop my ITIL v3 training and wait for ITIL4?
3 or 4 ITIL v3 Intermediate/Practitioner credits, and you are interested in ITIL4
OPTION 1: Take ITIL 4 Foundation and an additional module in a preferred area of interest, becoming either an ITIL Specialist, Strategist or Leader.
OPTION 2: You can continue working towards collecting 17 credits from ITIL v3 to become eligible to take the ITIL Managing Professional Transition module. The benefit of this is that you are eligible to fast track past the v3 Managing Across the Lifecycle course and exam.
6 or more ITIL v3 Intermediate/Practitioner credits, and you are interested in ITIL 4
If you have 6 credits or more since v3 Foundation, you will probably want to continue collecting ITIL v3 credits to prepare for an easy transition to ITIL 4 and gain the ITIL Managing Professional designation.
ITIL Expert, and you are interested in transitioning to ITIL 4
You can take the ITIL Managing Professional Transition module as soon as it is released to achieve the ITIL Managing Professional designation. After achieving the ITIL Managing Professional, if you are interested in pursuing the ITIL Strategic Leader stream, you would only need to complete the ITIL Leader Digital & Strategy module. So, once you have completed both streams you will then be eligible to move towards ITIL Master. Details about the release of ITIL Master will be released sometime in 2019, and we’ll let you know the details as soon as they’re available.
Q: Where is ITIL Practitioner in ITIL 4 Update?
A: ITIL Practitioner will no longer be a separate module in the ITIL 4 certification scheme, however the knowledge and principles from ITIL Practitioner guidance will be fundamental to all modules in ITIL 4. Students can also use their ITIL Practitioner credits to continue their ITIL journey. If a student has collected 17 credits, they will be eligible to take the ITIL Managing Professional Transition module without taking the MALC exam.
