In 2017, two years before ITIL 4 hit the scene, I wrote Become ITIL Foundation Certified in 7 Days. When ITIL 4 was announced in 2018, I felt that I was hit by a crater. I had dodged several requests from publishers over the years, and when I finally decided to write a book on ITIL, the version was coming to a premature end. Nevertheless, my ITIL foundation book became an instant success within the year of publication and my publisher was soon knocking on my door again to write the second edition. I am thankful to all the readers of the first edition for extending their support in making my book the premier guide for taking up the ITIL Foundation examination. ITIL V3 may have been officially upgraded to ITIL 4, but the framework lives on. The logical sequence of developing a service from nothingness to a full-blooded beast is a journey that lives on in most organizations, and its greatest strength is that its application is still relevant to non-IT organizations. ITIL V3 is a beautiful framework that is evergreen and provides a strong foundation for ITIL 4 and DevOps to flourish.

When my publisher approached me for the second edition, I told them that the first and second editions are worlds apart. An edition change would generally have updates that are overshadowed by the remaining content of the book. In contrast, the book that I was asked to write as the second edition was going to be the polar opposite. I was going to rewrite at least 80 percent of the book; such was the change between the two ITIL versions.

Between my first and second editions, I wrote a book in 2018 on an ITIL framework that would work in DevOps projects. Reinventing ITIL in the Age of DevOps was built on ITIL V3 and considered tweaks and customizations to the organization structures, and most ITIL processes went under the scanner for DevOps refitting. Plus, special emphasis and opportunities were identified where technology and automation could be employed for increasing efficiency and reducing defects. The framework tweak that I proposed in the book is relevant with ITIL 4, as some of the tweaks that I had preempted in my framework have been considered in ITIL 4 and blend seamlessly.

One of the core principles of ITIL is to give liberty for service architects to come up with a framework design that fits the organization. Reinventing ITIL in the Age of DevOps adapts the ITIL framework to work for DevOps, in the process prescribing ITIL for projects that work in a DevOps mode. If you are looking to get into ITIL or transition into ITIL 4 from ITIL V3, Become ITIL 4 Foundation Certified in 7 Days is your go-to book. If you are looking to implement ITIL in a DevOps setting, Reinventing ITIL in the Age of DevOps should be your best bet.

I started my ITIL journey way back in 2005-2006 with the second version of ITIL. I grew rapidly from being an ITIL practitioner to an ITIL consultant and undertook several ITIL implementations over the years. My perspective of the world of services changed as I started donning the role of a service architect and then eventually the ITIL Expert track that I embarked on. As I started to explore ITIL and manipulate services to get the intended results, the ITIL framework workings seemed like second nature to me. I headed the training and consulting practice in an organization and conducted hundreds of Foundational and Expert-level trainings. I gained fame and positions of authority, and then something happened.

An organization change resulted in me getting grouped with DevOps consultants and the DevOps practice. At around the same time, my manager who was familiar with my expertise (which was ITIL at the time and not DevOps) quit the organization. A new manager took over and one day while I was packing up, walked up to me and said: “Abhinav, I am looking at you to be one of the DevOps trainers.” I could have told him that I am not DevOps, but ITIL. I remained silent and accepted the assignment. For the next month and a half, I ate, slept, and dreamed DevOps and DevOps alone. I studied everything on DevOps that I could get my hands on. In those days, DevOps resources were few and far between, unlike today.

The assignment started and I began with a bang. Combined with my training prowess, DevOps knowledge that I had acquired made me an instant success. I started training IT developers and testers across multiple continents for the next 12 months on various DevOps concepts and processes. My life had changed the moment I remained silent, and I never looked back at my decision to jump ship from one segment of IT to another. As I delved deeper into DevOps, it was apparent that DevOps and ITIL were not worlds apart, and there was a bridge that was believed to be too far. Through this and my Reinventing book, I hope that I have brought the two parcels of IT together.

As the world is getting flatter, so are the different branches in IT. They all seem to be converging under the DevOps umbrella. Prior to my DevOps career, I would have sworn that you are either in service management or in project management (development) and your career will go into either of these areas. These days, I see the convergence. I have designed DevOps architectures where both development and service management happen in the same hut, and the same set of people are responsible for both. When you read Become ITIL 4 Foundation Certified in 7 Days, have an open mind. Do not be of the view that this is something that you do not do, so it is not important. You may not be doing it today, but tomorrow’s responsibilities are anybody’s guess.

This book does not only prepare you for the exam, but a world that is dauntingly getting unified with DevOps. The book will help you become a fully rounded IT professional who is set for what the future has to offer.

Predictability is a critical quality of planning in IT. Preparing for an IT certification is no different. I have tried to imbue this quality in Become ITIL 4 Foundation Certified in 7 Days. Working professionals need to know the kind of time commitments that need to be set aside for taking up new trainings for certification exams. The entire book is sliced into 7 unequal parts, and I have suggested how you could read the book and complete it in 7 days. I have gone one step ahead and also estimated the time that you may require to read and understand every chapter. This will give you a decent handle on planning your learning activities.

I must also remind you that ITIL is nonprescriptive; in the same spirit, the 7 days that I have put forth is a suggestion and not a prescription. I have considered a common working IT professional who has about an hour a day after office hours. If you have more time on your hands, then you can finish it faster. If you have only weekends, then two weekends may be what you need. Plan your study to suit your needs. At the end of the day, there is no point in getting stressed over setting targets that are not achievable. As they say, we must plan toward achieving success and not make the target so steep that failure seems imminent.

If you are new to ITIL, you might find the going a little rough getting used to the service management concepts. To help you wade through these waters, Chapters 1, 2, and 3 are especially for you. I have explained the basics of ITIL and DevOps with day to day examples to help you grasp the concepts.

ITIL 4 gets going from Chapter 4. If you are coming from ITIL V3, you will find that the concepts such as service value system, service value chain, and four dimensions are completely new. Yes, they have been introduced in ITIL 4. They are, however, not completely novel; they are derived from the service lifecycle that you are familiar with. When you read through Chapters 4 and 5, you will realize that ITIL V3 and ITIL 4 are not much different after all.

What we used to call processes in ITIL V3 is referred to as practices in ITIL 4. It is not the same though. There are no functions. ITIL 4 takes a different view of clubbing process and functions together to come up with practices.

Every chapter (3-14) ends with exercises. They are aimed toward helping you recollect the chapter contents and to prepare you for the upcoming examination. Remember that definitions are especially important in ITIL Foundation exams; this one is no different. Understanding concepts is necessary and, alongside memorizing the definitions, helps you in easy recall. Axelos provides a sample paper as well, which you must plan to attempt before the certification exam. I have provided these details in Chapter 14. For those who have questions on ITIL-based careers, I have answered a select few frequently asked questions in Chapter 14.

There are 34 practices in ITIL, and you will not be studying all of them for the examination. Fifteen practices are considered in the syllabus for ITIL 4 Foundation examination. If you are interested in the practices that are outside the scope of the exam, head over to my blog (http://abhinavpmp.com ) where the remaining practices are laid out.