ISO 20000 Lead Implementer

The exam maps to seven competency domains: fundamental principles and concepts of an SMS, SMS requirements, planning an SMS implementation based on ISO/IEC 20000-1, implementation, monitoring and measurement, continual improvement, and preparation for an SMS certification audit. Expect questions that test how you interpret and apply ISO/IEC 20000-1 requirements in an organizational context.

The agenda runs five days. Day 1 covers the ISO/IEC 20000 series and initiation of an SMS; Day 2 the implementation plan; Day 3 implementation of the SMS; Day 4 monitoring, continual improvement and preparation for the certification audit; Day 5 is the certification exam. Sessions combine theory, examples, case-study exercises and discussion.

PECB lists three prerequisites: a basic knowledge of ISO management system standards, a general understanding of ISO/IEC 20000-1, and an awareness of management system implementation principles. If any of these is weak, read the standard and a management system primer before the course so you can follow the case-study exercises.

In case of exam failure, the candidate can retake the exam once for free within 12 months following the initial exam date. Plan your schedule so a retake fits inside that window, and use your score report to target the domains where you lost the most marks before booking the second attempt.

No. Certification and examination fees are included in the price of the training course. What the course does not include is the professional experience and project experience PECB requires before a full credential is issued, so check the certification scheme table before you enroll.

You receive training material containing over 450 pages of information and practical examples, plus an attestation of course completion valid for 31 CPD (Continuing Professional Development) credits, issued to participants who have attended the training course. The attestation is not the credential; the credential follows a successful exam and meeting scheme requirements.

Passing the exam lets you apply for one of several credentials. Provisional Implementer requires no experience; Implementer requires two years, one in IT service management, plus 200 hours of project activities; Lead Implementer requires five years, two in ITSM, plus 300 hours; Senior Lead Implementer requires ten years, seven in ITSM, plus 1,000 hours. All require signing the PECB Code of Ethics.

Activities should follow best implementation practices and include drafting an SMS implementation plan, initiating an SMS implementation, implementing the SMS, managing, monitoring and maintaining the SMS, and identifying and acting upon continual improvement opportunities. Keep evidence for each activity, since assessors check that the hours map to real implementation work rather than general service desk duties.

Work in agenda order. Secure the vocabulary and concepts first, then planning, then implementation, then monitoring and continual improvement. Finish with certification audit preparation, because it draws on everything before it. Rehearse the case study: candidates commonly lose marks by reciting clause text instead of explaining how a requirement is applied in a specific organization.