ITIL Certification for Project Managers

Information Technology Infrastructure Library or ITIL is a framework that recommends a set of practices for IT service management. The set of practices includes a range of tasks, processes, procedures, and checklists that supports the governance and stability with organization. The ITIL framework can seamlessly integrate the company’s existing strategy while adhering to standards and delivering value to clients. There are many benefits of incorporating the ITIL framework into an organization as it can improve the quality of IT services. But this blog mainly talks about the value of ITIL certification for project managers. Before you start your ITIL 4 certification training, read this blog to learn about the importance of the ITIL certification for a Project Manager.

Why Do Project Managers Need ITIL Certification?  

ITIL certifications focus on service strategies, design aspects, transition, operation and continuous improvement of the service lifecycle which adds a lot of value in a Project Management environment. Project management involves the initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, controlling and closing of projects which is somewhat similar to what ITIL guidelines offer.
Most of the time, when a project ends, the service stage begins. For e.g.: when Apple releases a new version of the operating system for their devices, the new version requires servicing due to bugs reported by the user. This is where a project manager comes into play. They will design a service strategy and in addition improve the service lifecycle. The ITIL certifications will equip all the candidates with the necessary skills to manage operations in a better way.

Importance of ITIL Certification for Project Managers   

The ITIL certification for Project Manager improves the chances of the project manager to succeed in their domain. The project manager will be able to apply for jobs involving only project management skills (Project Manager, Project Engineer, etc.) or jobs that require both project management and ITIL skills (Transition Manager, Continuous improvement manager, etc.)
Some of the benefits and importance of ITIL certification for project management are mentioned below:

• Explains the significance of change management.
• Provides project managers with the skills to tackle issues and unforeseen events.
• Aids project managers to maintain a record of all products and services offered by the company.
• Handles and adapts to all alterations in the IT infrastructure.
• Improves the IT service management process.
• Promotes the use of common terminologies to project managers and to plan projects guided by ITIL recommendations.
• Provides a platform for all project divisions to work in a sync.

How to Get ITIL Certification as a Project Manager?  

You might be wondering what the best ITIL certification is. ITIL offers varying levels of certification namely levels Foundation, Specialist, Strategist and Master. However, you need to pass the ITIL 4 Foundation exam to qualify for the other examination levels of ITIL.
There are two methods for Project Managers to get an ITIL certification: 

Method 1  

• Enroll in ITIL 4 certification training from an accredited training organization and attend the two-day workshop. 

Method 2  

• Study and prepare for the ITIL exam on your own, apply for the exam and schedule the exam.
• You will need to score at least 65 % to pass this exam, post which you can download the ITIL 4 Foundation certificate.

Similarly, you can obtain the other higher-level ITIL certificates after obtaining the ITIL Foundation certificate. 

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How to Use ITIL Certification Effectively in Project Management?  

Below are some of the ways that you can use to implement ITIL certification with respect to Project Management lifecycle and its learnings effectively in the various phases of Project Management: 

1. Initiation  

ITIL consists of six major activities in the service value chain namely, planning, engaging, designing & transitioning, building, delivering & supporting and improving. These tasks represent the process of value creation in an organization.
Whereas, in Project Management, initiation refers to the early phase of a project in which the project charter is defined. The project charter includes the objectives, constraints, project statement, need for the project, stakeholders, risks, benefits, etc. If the Service Value System is applied to project management, the project manager can curate a project charter considering the ITIL Four Dimensions Model (Organizations and people, information and technology, partners and suppliers and value stream and processes). 

2. Planning 

The planning phase involves defining the scope, requirements, plan and risks associated with the project. In ITIL project management, this step will involve defining the value created by the service. The overall warranty and utility of the service must be assessed to decide if it will fulfill the requirements of the client and therefore creates value. 

• Utility is referred to as the functionality of an offer to fulfill a specific need. 
• Warranty can be described as how the offering performs and can also be utilized to evaluate whether an offering is appropriate for usage. 

Once the basic planning of a project is done, you need to plan the project more intricately. For the detailed project planning phase, you must follow the SMART methodology: Specific, Measurable, Acceptable, Realistic, and Time-based. 

ITIL principles can aid a project manager in defining the scope and requirements of a project. The guidelines suit all situations regardless of changes in the objectives, strategies, management structure, etc. ITIL recommends organizations implement continual improvement in all their processes. 

3. Execution  

The execution phase is the part where the product or service offering is produced. ITIL recommends some practices that include everything a project manager requires to create value. These practices are categorized into: 

• General Management Practice 
• Service Management Practice 
• Technical Management Practice 

The project managers can decide on the practices they want to implement to create value. 

In terms of Service Value Chain, we use the component of Deliver and Support.

4. Monitoring & Controlling  

This phase in the ITIL way of working requires controlling the various aspects of the project such as scope, cost, risk, quality and required changes. Transition, planning and support are also carried out and reviewed in this part of the project management. A project manager can face a lot of challenges during the service transition process:  

• Maintaining relationships with various stakeholders involved in this phase. 
• Coordinating new or altered services. 
• Paying attention to delay and failure of services, etc. 

The concepts of the ITIL service transition phase can help the project managers to deal with these challenges. KnowledgeHut also offers other IT Service Management courses online that can help you to excel in your career as an IT service professional. 

5. Feedback and Closure

The closing phase of the project management process involves receiving feedback from clients and collaborators on the project’s management aspects. Another objective of this phase is to ensure that the product or service was efficiently delivered into service operation processes. This phase involves taking care of user requests, fixing failures and issues and carrying out routine operational activities. Project Managers should implement the Service Value System and the ITIL four project management dimensions model into consideration. 

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Top ITIL Skills Used in Project Management  

Some of the top ITIL skills used in Project Management are as follows: 

1. Communication and Collaboration 

Communication refers to the process of exchanging or imparting information. PMI (Project Management Institute) reports that project managers spend 90 % of their time communicating with the collaborators of a project. One of the Primary responsibilities of a Project Manager is to allocate tasks to collaborators and communicate the progress of the project to the stakeholders. 

If you consider the range of roles within ITIL such as Service Portfolio Manager, Demand Manager, Change Manager, Service Level Manager etc., you will notice that these roles also require implementing efficient communication for the proper execution of ITIL recommendations. The skills of efficient communication and collaboration can be used to excel as a Project Manager and in a company that adheres to ITIL recommendations.

2. Change Management  

Project Managers are expected to be highly adaptive to changes in the project parameters such as budget, human resources, requirements, etc. Some of the examples of changes in a project are clients changing the requirements, stakeholders altering the timelines, management altering the budget allocation, etc. Managing and adapting to this change is very important to becoming a successful project manager. 

ITIL framework recommends best practices to document, implement and drive changes in an organization. Being proficient in the ITIL framework can help project managers to adapt and manage changes in a better way. It is important to note that ITIL does not only impact the processes with the recommended best practices, but it enhances the mindset of the team members and trains them to be more adaptive to changes.

Conclusion  

ITIL is an international framework that delineates the best practices in IT service management. On the other hand, project management involves the Initiation, Planning, Execution, Monitoring & Controlling and Closing of projects. There are various aspects in which both are in sync with each other. Hence, project managers can benefit a lot from obtaining an ITIL 4 project management certification. Enroll in KnowledgeHut’s ITIL v4 Certification training to boost your knowledge in the domain of IT service management.