V3 or not V3 – that is the question

ITIL V3 may have officially retired in 2022, but it’s far from gone. Articles, forum posts, and countless practitioner discussions show that many organisations are still holding on, choosing familiar V3-based ways of working over ITIL 4. Ian MacDonald wonders why.

There seem to be three recurring themes when it comes to the choice between ITIL V3 to ITIL 4:

1. How ITIL 4 was branded and positioned.
2. How relatable (or not) it feels to day-to-day IT operations.
3. The broader scope, which some view as a step too far from V3’s focus.

So, lets look at each of these in turn:

• ITIL 4 branding

Back in 2007, when ITIL was first “versioned” into V3, there was lively debate about the change. But those concerns quickly faded once it became clear that V3 was a natural build on what organisations had already done to adopt ITIL best practice. The industry even retrospectively reclassified earlier editions as V1 and V2 much like how software moves from version to version without losing core functionality but adding valuable new features.

When ITIL 4 arrived, there was a conscious marketing decision not to call it “V4.” The strapline “ITIL 4 for the Fourth Industrial Revolution” framed it as part of a wider transformation but also created a perception that this was something entirely new. Instead of being seen as a natural upgrade to V3, it felt like a reinvention.

That branding choice, combined with how the framework was positioned, has perhaps inadvertently shaped how leaders perceived ITIL 4 as “something we’re not quite ready for yet.”

• Relatability

One consequence of positioning ITIL 4 as a step-change rather than a continuation is that it often feels less grounded in the day-to-day realities of IT operations. A common observation from students completing ITIL 4 courses is that it can seem more conceptual and less immediately applicable than V3.

V3 had a “roll up your sleeves and get on with it” practicality, its processes and guidance felt close to what many teams were already doing. ITIL 4, with its focus on the Service Value Chain, value streams, and practices, implies deeper changes to ways of working and managing people.

For long-established IT functions that are still organised in more traditional ways and for teams that have never mapped a value stream this shift feels a leap. Practitioners often leave ITIL 4 training struggling to see how its concepts map directly to their current structures, making adoption feel ‘too hard’. For many V3 remains their comfort blanket.

• Broader scope

And scope adds another layer of complexity. ITIL V3 (and earlier) focused squarely on service delivery and support, i.e. incident, problem, change, and the processes service teams lived every day. That practical focus made it accessible and “owned” by IT service teams.

 ITIL 4 widens the lens. With 34 practices versus 26 processes in V3, it shifts from service delivery and support to an enterprise-wide operating model. It embraces Agile, DevOps, and Lean principles, covering everything from strategy and architecture through to service desk and operations.

That’s a powerful step forward. But for leaders and V3 practitioners, the broader scope makes adoption feel like a much bigger lift requiring organisational change and confronting the cultural indifference to ITIL that often exists outside service teams. What should be ITIL 4’s biggest strength can, for some, feel like its biggest barrier.

TREAT IT AS AN UPGRADE

You don’t need to throw away V3. Think of ITIL 4 as an upgrade: keep what works, enhance what doesn’t, and gradually build new approaches and ways of working where they add the most value. The aim isn’t to start again, but to evolve.

Here’s how to make the shift practical, addressing the perceived barriers:

1. Tackle the perception (branding)
Help people see ITIL 4 not as a reinvention, but as a natural evolution:

• Run awareness sessions showing how V3 concepts map directly into ITIL 4.
• Create a mindset of “V3 plus” rather than something completely new.
• Position ITIL 4 as a way to protect and extend existing investments, not replace them.
• Emphasise the old adage of ‘Adopt and Adapt’ to evolve at your own pace.

2. Make it relatable (relatability)
Bring ITIL 4 concepts alive by connecting them to current ways of working:

• Explain why outcomes and value must be central to everything IT delivers for customers.
• Educate on the difference between service value and service quality and why it’s a commercial imperative to deliver value for money services to the businesses you serve
• Show how the guiding principles give teams practical direction to work smarter and focus on value.
• Demonstrate how the Four Dimensions improve planning by avoiding blind spots that undermine quality.

3. Apply ITIL 4 broadly, but incrementally (scope / broader application)
Focus on areas where ITIL 4 can enhance existing practices without triggering large-scale change:

Make improvement everyone’s responsibility

• Get it (Continual Improvement) into job descriptions, team goals and daily discussions.
• Encourage small, low-cost incremental changes that don’t need permission to proceed.
• Track progress and celebrate quick wins to build momentum.
• Recognise and reward contributions to reinforce the culture shift.

Turn principles into practice

• Move beyond awareness into application.
• Use them to guide decision-making on improvement opportunities and changes.
• Encourage teams to reflect on them in retrospectives and lessons learned reviews.
• Give confidence to allow teams to challenge ‘where is the value’ and seek more optimal ways of working.

See the whole picture with the Four Dimensions

• Make the Four Dimensions your template and lens for any changes to introduce, enhance or even retire IT services.
• Map existing IT KPIs against the dimensions to identify gaps and ensure balance and focus
• Reframe IT reporting as a Four Dimensions “scorecard” showing progress across each quadrant.

Focus on outcomes, not activity

• Take an ‘Outside In’ look at your “Top 10” services and define customer outcome-based measures to compliment internal IT SLA measures.
• Use the above measures to better convey the tangible benefits gained from Continual Improvement.
• Co-create value propositions with business stakeholders and communicate across IT to show what customers value from the IT services we provide.
• Emphasise expected outcomes over deliverables when setting objectives. Tools like OKRs can help reinforce this.

Approach ITIL 4 this way: you’re not replacing V3, you’re upgrading it.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

ITIL V3 gave us a solid foundation, but ITIL 4 gives us the tools to thrive in a world that demands speed, adaptability, and value. The longer you wait, the harder the leap will feel.

So, ask yourself: will you cling to what’s familiar, or start upgrading today?

The question isn’t V3 or 4. The reality is you need to evolve… and ITIL 4 gives you the tools to do it.