The Next Evolution of ITIL is Here
ITIL Version 5 represents a significant step forward in the world's most widely adopted IT service management framework. Designed for AI-driven, digital-first organisations, ITIL Version 5 expands the scope of ITIL beyond traditional ITSM to encompass the full management of digital products and services.
At the heart of this evolution is a recognition that products and services are two sides of the same coin. Products are what organisations build; services are how value is delivered and supported. ITIL Version 5 unifies these into a single, integrated lifecycle.
The Managing Professional Designation
The ITIL (Version 5) qualification scheme features three professional designations - Practice Manager, Managing Professional, and Strategic Leader. Each earned by completing a defined set of modules. Those who achieve all three are awarded the prestigious ITIL Master status.
The ITIL Managing Professional (Version 5) designation is designed for professionals who operate at the intersection of delivery, management, and improvement. To earn this designation, candidates must complete:
• ITIL Foundation (Version 5)
• ITIL Product
• ITIL Service
• ITIL Experience
• ITIL Transformation
This stream develops advanced capability across product delivery, service management, experience management, and organisational improvement, making it one of the most comprehensive and practically valuable qualifications available for digital professionals today.
In this article, we take a closer look at the three distinctive new modules that form the core of the Managing Professional stream: ITIL Product, ITIL Service, and ITIL Experience.
ITIL Product (Version 5)
Manage the full digital product lifecycle, from concept to value realisation.
What Is This Course About?
The ITIL Product module provides practical, end-to-end guidance on managing digital products throughout their entire lifecycle. It integrates product thinking with service management principles, giving professionals a unified approach that spans strategy, design, development, delivery, and ongoing improvement.
The course covers every stage of the product lifecycle, including: Discover, Design, Acquire, Build, Transition, Operate, Deliver, Support, and Lifecycle Management. It equips candidates with the tools to navigate the complexity of product delivery and ensure that what is built genuinely delivers measurable business value.
Who Is It For?
This module is designed for professionals working at the intersection of product development and service delivery. Target roles include:
• Product managers and digital delivery professionals
• Service management and delivery roles
• Architecture and design roles
• Software and application development teams
Whether you are managing a digital product from the ground up or looking to align your existing delivery practices with ITIL principles, this module provides the structured approach to do so effectively.
Key Learning Outcomes
By completing this module, candidates will be able to:
• Apply ITIL principles across the full digital product lifecycle, from business analysis and product design through to release, deployment, and continual improvement
• Translate customer and business needs into clearly defined, value-creating digital products
• Reduce organisational silos and align product initiatives with evolving business goals
• Integrate product development and delivery activities to enable a culture of velocity, innovation, agility, and value creation
• Position product and service management as a strategic, tactical, and operational enabler that aligns investment with outcomes
Assessment & Prerequisites
Exam Format: Multiple choice, open book - 40 questions in 90 minutes
Prerequisites: ITIL 4 Foundation certification, or ITIL Foundation (Version 5), plus accredited training or official eLearning
Training duration: 3 days
See the full course outline and see upcoming course dates
ITIL Service (Version 5)
Design, deliver, and improve services that create consistent, measurable value.
What Is This Course About?
The ITIL Service module provides a comprehensive, practical framework for managing the full service lifecycle with clarity and confidence. Where the Product module focuses on what is built, the Service module focuses on how value is delivered, supported, and continuously improved.
It takes a unified approach to service management, aligning people, processes, and technology across the entire lifecycle to drive resilience, responsiveness, and improved customer satisfaction. The course covers the same lifecycle stages as the Product module (Discover through to Lifecycle Management), but with a primary lens on service-related activities, practices, and outcomes.
Who Is It For?
This module is aimed at professionals responsible for managing and improving services in digital and complex environments. Target roles include:
• Service management and service delivery professionals
• Product and digital delivery roles
• Architecture and service design roles
• Software and application development teams
It is particularly valuable for organisations modernising their service management practices in digital, product-led, or AI-enabled environments.
Key Learning Outcomes
By completing this module, candidates will be able to:
• Apply ITIL principles across incident, request, problem, change, and continual improvement practices, improving reliability, resilience, and measurable value delivery
• Break down organisational silos by aligning service delivery with business objectives and supporting continual improvement
• Leverage automation to enhance service performance and responsiveness
• Position service management as a strategic, tactical, and operational enabler, linking investment decisions directly to business outcomes
• Design and deliver services that meet customer needs and support high-quality experiences end to end
Assessment & Prerequisites
Exam Format: Multiple choice, open book - 40 questions in 90 minutes
Prerequisites: ITIL 4 Foundation certification, or ITIL Foundation (Version 5), plus accredited training or official eLearning
Training duration: 3 days
See the full course outline and see upcoming course dates
ITIL Experience (Version 5)
Design experiences that customers feel, and organisations can measure.
What Is This Course About?
The ITIL Experience module is a brand-new addition to the ITIL framework, and arguably its most forward-thinking. It moves beyond transactional service and product delivery to focus on something that is increasingly central to business success: the human experience of digital products and services.
This module focuses on human-centric design and the management of customer, user, and employee experiences across the entire service journey. It introduces candidates to experience-driven value co-creation, the idea that great digital services are not just functional, but meaningful, usable, and emotionally resonant.
Key themes include embedding user-centric thinking into product and service initiatives, aligning operational processes with emotional, cognitive, and social experiences, and recognising that employee experience is a key predictor of the quality of user experience.
Who Is It For?
This module is relevant to a broad range of professionals who influence how digital products and services are designed, delivered, or improved. Target roles include:
• Strategy professionals shaping digital direction and customer value propositions
• Product professionals responsible for product design and development
• Service professionals focused on delivery quality and customer satisfaction
Anyone involved in designing, managing, or improving digital experiences, at any stage of the product or service lifecycle, will find this module directly applicable to their work.
Key Learning Outcomes
By completing this module, candidates will be able to:
• Design, deliver, and continually improve meaningful digital experiences by embedding experience thinking into products and services
• Connect decision-making to real-world outcomes, improving business returns, sharpening market positioning, and strengthening executive alignment
• Reduce rework and improve time to market by increasing the relevance, usability, and satisfaction of what is delivered
• Build trust by treating experience as an integral part of the service, making digital technology more human and reducing the frequency of issues
• Align operational processes with emotional, cognitive, and social dimensions of customer and employee experience
Assessment & Prerequisites
Format: Multiple choice, open book, 40 questions in 90 minutes
Prerequisites: ITIL 4 Foundation certification, or ITIL Foundation (Version 5), plus accredited training or official eLearning
Training duration: 3 days
See the full course outline and see upcoming course dates
Why the Managing Professional Designation Matters
Together, these three modules represent a holistic, modern approach to digital delivery. ITIL Product gives you the lifecycle framework to build the right things. ITIL Service ensures those things are delivered and improved reliably. And ITIL Experience brings in the human dimension, ensuring that what is built and delivered actually resonates with the people who use it.
For organisations looking to accelerate digital transformation, improve service quality, and deliver exceptional customer outcomes, the ITIL Managing Professional (Version 5) designation equips your teams with a genuinely integrated, future-ready skillset.
Ready to Get Started?
All three modules require ITIL Foundation (Version 5) or ITIL 4 Foundation certification as a prerequisite, along with accredited training or official eLearning. Each is assessed via an open-book, multiple-choice examination of 40 questions in 90 minutes.
To find out more about upcoming course dates, pricing, or how to map your existing ITIL certifications to the Version 5 pathway, get in touch with our team.
