Essential ITIL v3 Terms for a Basic Understanding of ITIL

Why do I care about ITIL v3 terms? How does understanding them help me?

Will two people, who speak different languages, be able to understand each other? The answer is NO!

Thus, terminology is important. In fact, you can think of this as your abbreviated Rosetta Stone for ITSM and ITIL v3 terms. This is necessary so that different users of ITIL understand each other. The terminology will cover standard words and categories within ITIL. The following will discuss more common terms, functions, roles, objects, and processes. It will not be all-inclusive or cover everything.

Essential ITIL v3 Terms

There are hundreds of ITIL v3 terms. In this post, you will learn about the most important, and common terms you will most likely use.

(Specific topics will list other sub-terminologies under them.)

IT Service Management (ITSM)

ITSM is about providing IT services in a controlled, client-centered, and cost-efficient way.

Baselines as ITIL v3 terms

Baseline refers to a point of reference for CI configuration, a service, or a project. Measurements from the baseline will identify the service improvement plan's effectiveness. It also shows how the IT operation is performing.

Performance Baseline

Measurement, from the baseline, of an IT service's performance over its lifetime.

Configuration Baseline

Used for restoring to the last known configuration if a release or change fails.

Business case as Defined in ITIL v3 Terms

This is about clarifying the profit and expense gained through change. Positive and negative risks, plus other factors affect change and profit margins.

Resources

With ITIL, resources refer to the elements needed to perform work or activities. This can include information, capital, applications, infrastructure, and people. They are all resources and can fall under that umbrella.
Capability/Capacity

This refers to the strength of your IT services and infrastructure. Capability/Capacity calculates service providers' efficiency and cost-effective on-time delivery. Resources needed to deliver IT services in one consideration when measuring capability. Another consideration is the requirements of the business.

Function Described in ITIL v3 Terms

A function is a collection of resources. These resources can be any combination of people, tools and other resources. These resources then perform processes and activities.

Role

A collection of authorities, responsibilities, and activities given to a person.

Process

The step by step activities needed to produce an output. A process takes supplier inputs and turns them into outputs for a customer. SIPOC Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, Customers) is the method used for producing process.

Process Owner

The person who handles ensuring a process completed. The process owner's responsibilities entail design, stability, and improvement of the process. They are also responsible for the metrics of the process.

Process Manager

Larger organizations may also separate process owners and process managers. The process manager's responsibility is to manage the operations of a process.

Service

Service refers to the way you deliver value to customers. A service delivers outcomes they want with the ownership of costs and risks. The word service can also refer to core service, IT service or service packages.

Service Owner

The person who handles ensuring delivery of a service. They are also responsible for ensuring the service is compliant with the SLA. Leading a team in delivering the service is also a responsibility. When negotiating OLAs, they are the counterpart of the service level manager.

Service Level Management (SLM) in ITIL v3 Terms

SLM is a framework for negotiating service level agreements with customers. SLM also ensures service delivery under agreed-upon service level targets. This management process also ensures the appropriateness of operational level agreements. It also ensures adherence to underpinning contracts. SLM also provides an overview of service levels.

CI (Configuration Items)

CI’s (Configuration items) generally refer to operational hardware and software. CI can also refer to documents, tools, process and workflows. CI’s need classified according to their attributes and relationship to other CI's. This information will need recorded in their configuration records and database.

CMDB (Configuration Management Database)

The configuration management database (CMDB) stores, tracks, and maintains attributes of CI’s. It also records the relationships between these CI's. The existence of an accurate CMDB is a requirement to carry out proper change management.

Change

This refers to anything that can alter IT services. This most definitely includes changes to the CI's and the IT services they support. Change can also encompass changes to processes, process flow, tools, metrics, and documentation.

CAB (Change advisory board)

Stakeholders, who meet with the change manager to assess, rank and schedule changes. The CAB consists of stakeholders from the IT organization, business, and appropriate third parties.

Risk as defined by ITIL v3 terminology

Risk is the events that you are uncertain of, and if they happen, it can be positive or negative for IT services. You read that sentence right; risks can be positive.

Conclusion of ITIL v3 Terms

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