ITIL v4 is extension of ITIL v3 since many approaches can already be found in the third ITIL edition from 2011. What’s new in ITIL v4 is the four-dimension model of service management, but service management is also presented as a system-based approach in ITIL v3. In addition, staff, information, technology, partners, and processes are all important aspects in the third edition of the guide.
The service value system of ITIL v4, which describes the interaction of the individual components and activities in the organization, is not an entirely new principle either. With its various processes, functions, and guidelines, ITIL v3 also offers a basic description of interaction. With its Service Value System, however, ITIL v4 not only provides a more holistic approach, but also a much more flexible one that gives IT managers greater freedom to define customized solutions.
The service life cycle known from the third edition is hardly mentioned in ITIL v4, but continuous improvement continues to play an important role, for example in the context of the ITIL service value chain. Instead of the 26 processes in ITIL v3, ITIL v4 presents a total of 34 different practices, some of which are new, while the majority lean on processes described in previous editions.