ITIL (Version 5) advanced modules:
A practitioner’s view on transformation and professional transition

John Custy, President, JPC Group

I’ve approached the new advanced ITIL Transformation and ITIL Managing Professional Transition (Version 5) modules with the perspective of someone who has witnessed frameworks evolve over time – especially how they extend existing concepts into emerging areas.

The modules set the stage for addressing new and different challenges in the future. And having this capability enables organizations to work with change more deliberately, rather than respond to it after the fact.

Expanding readiness for emerging technologies

One of the most notable features of the advanced modules is their focus on emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence. Where AI previously sat at the edge of service management thinking, it is now embedded into structured guidance.

This allows organizations to manage the AI aspect more effectively, as ITIL now offers a framework to address it and consider future possibilities.

As organizations must operate in environments where change is constant and unpredictable, structured guidance becomes less about prediction and more about informed response.

What matters is having a framework that prepares you for whatever comes next.

Strengthening the experience perspective

Alongside AI, the expanded focus on experience as a key enhancement in ITIL (Version 5) shifts the emphasis from service execution to how stakeholders perceive outcomes.

This is one of the areas I find most impressive, as it addresses something that was previously missing: it reaffirms that value is shaped not only by delivery performance, but by perception, expectations, and trust. Making experience explicit helps practitioners connect operational activity with outcomes that matter.

Clarifying the relationship between products and services

The clearer distinction between products and services is a practical improvement in ITIL (Version 5). Separating how we view products from how we view services is a beneficial clarification, as many people still struggle with how service concepts apply to products.

This clarity supports more consistent application of service management principles across different functions, and it shows how service management applies throughout the organization and gives teams more flexibility in how they apply these ideas.

Bringing structure to transformation

Transformation has become a defining feature of modern organizations, so the ITIL Transformation module introduces models and patterns that help organizations structure change more effectively.

The models they include are conceptually strong and help organizations assess their current position and define direction. But equally important is the integration of governance across business-as-usual operations and transformation initiatives, enabling organizations to maintain change without losing stability.

It provides a consistent method for managing operations alongside transformation efforts.

Supporting practitioners through professional transition

For experienced professionals moving to ITIL (Version 5), the ITIL Managing Professional Transition module plays an important role in maintaining continuity of understanding.

The transitional piece feels like an evolution, and it builds naturally on what was already familiar.

For experienced practitioners, this reinforces existing knowledge while simultaneously extending it. For those earlier in their careers, the structured approach makes complex ideas more accessible.

Advancing organizational maturity

Beyond individual learning, ITIL (Version 5) reflects the need for organizations to operate at greater scale and complexity. It supports progression by building on established practice rather than replacing it.

I think ITIL (Version 5) takes a more considered approach, moving organizations forward while retaining what already works.

This cumulative approach reflects how organizations typically evolve through refinement rather than reinvention. And it brings together many of the concepts we’ve referenced over the years and integrates them into the core guidance.

As a growing foundation for individual, professional capability, the learning offered here is more about applying principles in context. It requires engagement, reflection, and practical interpretation.

Looking ahead

The ITIL Transformation and Managing Professional Transition modules reflect how organizations are adapting to change, technology, and value creation in a more structured way.

ITIL continues to evolve in a way that supports both stability and adaptability. By addressing emerging technologies, deepening experience, and clarifying core concepts, the modules provide practitioners with practical tools for complex environments.

This feels like a logical step forward, building on what we know and helping us deal with what comes next. In an environment defined by constant change, structured adaptability remains a critical capability.