ITIL 4 Foundation key terms

A way of delivering value to customers by helping them reach the outcomes they want, while the provider takes on some of the associated costs and risks on the customer's behalf.

The part of a service's value that comes from what it does - the functionality it offers to meet a particular need. Often summed up as whether the service is fit for purpose.

The part of a service's value that comes from how well it performs - the assurance of availability, capacity, continuity and security. Often summed up as whether the service is fit for use.

A person or organization that sets out the requirements for a service and is accountable for the outcomes the service is meant to achieve.

A person who actually uses a service in their day-to-day work. Users are often different from the customer who agrees to or pays for the service.

The idea that value is not handed over by a provider alone but emerges from interaction between provider and consumer, with both sides contributing resources and capabilities.

A result for a stakeholder that is made possible by one or more outputs. Outcomes describe what the customer actually wants, such as higher revenue or lower risk.

A configuration of an organization's resources built to offer value to customers. Products usually bundle goods, services and the resources needed to deliver them.

A way of describing what a provider makes available to a target group of customers, possibly combining physical goods, access to the provider's resources, and actions performed for the customer.

The overall model showing how all the components and activities of an organization work together to enable value creation, including guiding principles, governance, the service value chain and practices.

The need or wish for products and services coming from customers and other stakeholders. Demand enters the service value system and triggers the activities that create value.

An option or possibility that could add value for customers or the organization, such as a new service, a new market, or a better way of working.

The means by which an organization is directed and controlled: setting direction, monitoring performance and making sure people are accountable and follow agreed policies.

The four perspectives that must be considered together when designing and managing services: organizations and people, information and technology, partners and suppliers, and value streams and processes.

The dimension covering structure, roles, responsibilities, culture, skills and staffing, and how people interact in order to deliver services effectively.

The dimension covering the information, knowledge and data needed for services, together with the technologies, applications and infrastructure that support them.

The dimension covering the other organizations and people involved in designing, delivering and improving services, including their relationships, agreements and dependencies.

The dimension covering how work flows through an organization: the steps, activities and interactions that turn inputs into valuable outcomes for customers.

A set of seven recommendations that can steer an organization in almost any situation, whatever its objectives, strategies or circumstances, and that support continual improvement.

A guiding principle reminding people to understand what matters to customers and stakeholders, and to make decisions that directly or indirectly support that value.

A guiding principle advising that existing services, processes and knowledge should be assessed and reused where they are useful, rather than building everything from scratch.

A guiding principle of splitting work into small, manageable pieces, delivering it in steps, and using feedback to adjust direction as understanding improves.

A guiding principle about working across boundaries with stakeholders, sharing information openly and building trust so that decisions rest on a shared understanding.

A guiding principle about seeing services as parts of one system, so that changes in one area take account of effects on other teams, suppliers and processes.

A guiding principle advising that work should stay as simple as possible, with unnecessary steps removed and the minimum number of activities used to reach the outcome.

A guiding principle stating that work should first be made as effective and efficient as it can be, and only then automated where automation genuinely adds value.

A set of six connected activities - plan, improve, engage, design and transition, obtain/build, and deliver and support - used by an organization to turn demand into value.

A series of steps and activities an organization uses to create and deliver products and services to a consumer, showing how value flows from demand to outcome.

A set of organizational resources designed for performing work or meeting an objective. Practices include roles, processes, tools and information, not just written procedures.

An unplanned interruption to a service, or a reduction in its quality. Incidents are recorded and handled so that normal service is restored as quickly as possible.

A cause, or a possible cause, of one or more incidents. Problem management investigates such causes in order to reduce the likelihood and impact of future incidents.

A problem that has been analysed and now has a documented root cause and a workaround, helping staff resolve related incidents more quickly.

The single point of contact between a service provider and its users, capturing incidents, service requests and other routine communications and routing them to the right place.

A request from a user for something that is part of normal service delivery, such as information, access to a resource, or a routine pre-approved action.

The practice of making sure changes to services are assessed, authorised and scheduled so that the benefits are realised while risk and disruption are kept under control.

The practice of aligning services with changing business needs by regularly identifying and carrying out improvements to products, services, practices and the way work is done.

A written agreement between a provider and a customer that records which services are expected and what quality, availability or support level the customer should receive.

An internal agreement between parts of the same organization describing how they will support service delivery so that agreed service levels with customers can be met.

A measurement of something that matters for managing services. Metrics may be technical, process-based or service-based, and they support sound decision-making.

A metric selected as especially important for judging how well an organization, service or practice is achieving its most critical objectives.