ITIL Strategy

Overview

This three-day course explores how ITIL® Strategy enables organisations to define, direct, and sustain value creation in dynamic digital environments. It focuses on translating strategic intent into actionable change, navigating complexity through evidence-based decision making, and maintaining long-term strategic relevance through continuous learning and adaptation.

This course forms part of the ITIL® (Version 5) Strategic Leader pathway, supporting professionals responsible for shaping digital and organisational strategy. Learners will explore the ITIL Product and Service Lifecycle, the ITIL Value System, and the ITIL Guiding Principles while developing an understanding of digital strategy, transformation, and operating in volatile and uncertain environments. The course also explains how strategy connects across the four dimensions of product and service management and how ITIL integrates with modern ways of working, including DevOps and PRINCE2.

Prerequisites

Participants must hold one of the following certifications:

• ITIL (Version 5) Foundation Certificate
• Any ITIL 4 Certificate

Target audience

This course is designed for experienced professionals responsible for shaping or influencing organisational strategy and digital transformation, including:

• Leaders with strategic responsibility at all levels of the organization
• Professionals with tactical responsibility for implementing strategy
• Professionals with operational responsibility for supporting strategic objectives

Objectives

By the end of this course, learners will be able to:

• Recall core ITIL concepts including the guiding principles, products and services, the ITIL Product and Service Lifecycle, the ITIL Four Dimensions, and the ITIL Value System
• Describe key strategic concepts such as digital strategy, vision, values, digital transformation, and operating in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous environment
• Identify strategic considerations across organisations and people, partners and suppliers, information and technology, and value streams and processes
• Explain the ITIL Strategy Management Model and its strategy development and strategy implementation cycles
• Apply the strategy development and implementation cycles at a foundational level
• Understand how ITIL aligns with DevOps and PRINCE2 to support effective delivery of digital products and services

Outline

Module 1 – ITIL Foundation recap and value creation

• Defining digital products and digital services and their key characteristics
• Understanding how products and services create value through service offerings
• Exploring the ITIL Product and Service Lifecycle Model and its purpose
• Identifying value chain activities and how they contribute to value creation
• Clarifying the relationships between products, services, value co-creation, and lifecycle management

Module 2 – Key concepts of ITIL strategy

• Understanding strategy, digital strategy, vision, purpose, and values

• Exploring the role of digital strategy in enabling digital transformation
• Identifying the characteristics of effective strategy
• Understanding strategy within a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous environment
• Exploring business and operating models and how they support strategy

Module 3 – Strategy across the four dimensions of product and service management

• Examining organisational culture, structure, and capabilities in strategic planning
• Understanding the role of partners and suppliers in sourcing and strategic relationships
• Exploring the strategic role of information and technology in innovation and digital capability
• Understanding how value streams and processes are shaped by strategic direction

Module 4 – The ITIL strategy management model

• Understanding the purpose and structure of the ITIL Strategy Management Model
• Exploring the relationship between strategy development and strategy implementation cycles

Module 5 – Strategy development cycle

• Understanding the activities of observe, orient, decide, and plan
• Exploring how guiding principles support effective strategy development
• Analysing the influence of PESTLE factors on strategic direction
• Assessing how internal capabilities and resources shape strategic choices
• Applying the strategy development cycle at a foundational level

Module 6 – Strategy implementation cycle

• Understanding the purpose and outputs of the implementation cycle
• Translating strategic objectives into implementation initiatives
• Selecting execution approaches during implementation planning
• Balancing change initiatives with ongoing operations
• Maintaining long-term relevance and sustainability of strategy

Module 7 – Strategic capabilities

• Understanding the capabilities required to support long-term strategy execution
• Exploring leadership, governance, and organisational alignment
• Supporting continuous improvement and organisational learning
• Building resilience and adaptability within strategy execution

Module 8 – Integrating ITIL with other frameworks

• Understanding how ITIL complements DevOps across the product and service lifecycle
• Recognising collaboration between ITIL practices and DevOps ways of working
• Understanding the role of project management in applying ITIL practices
• Exploring how ITIL and PRINCE2 can be combined to deliver products and services effectively

Exams and assessments

This course includes a formal certification exam:

• 40 multiple-choice questions
• 90 minutes duration
• Open book (The official ITIL Strategy publication may be used during the exam, including notes made within the text. No other reference materials are permitted.)
• Pass mark: 28 out of 40 (70%)
• The exam is delivered online via PeopleCert and can be taken at the learner’s convenience

Hands-on learning

This course includes:

• Scenario-based group discussions exploring real-world strategic challenges
• Practical exercises applying the strategy development and implementation cycles
• Instructor-led workshops focused on strategic decision making and organisational alignment