ITIL Practices: All 34 Practices Explained (ITIL 4 and ITIL 5)

ITIL 4 defines 34 management practices, organized into three groups — general management, service management, and technical management — and ITIL 5 keeps the same 34. Each practice is a set of resources and capabilities for carrying out a specific kind of work, from incident handling to supplier relationships. This article lists all 34, explains what each one is for, and covers what changes for practices in ITIL 5.

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What are ITIL practices?

In ITIL, a practice is a set of organizational resources — people, workflows, tools, and knowledge — brought together to carry out a specific type of work. The framework groups 34 of them to cover the full scope of IT Service Management, from front-line support to strategy and supplier relationships.

Earlier versions of ITIL organized this work as a set of processes. ITIL 4 shifted the language to “practices” to capture something broader than a sequence of steps — the resources, roles, and capabilities that make the work happen. Teams moving from ITIL v3 can still map each practice back to the processes it grew out of.

The 7 ITIL Principles and how to Apply Them

ITIL 4 practices categories

ITIL 4 groups its 34 practices into three categories based on their focus:

General Management Practices: 14 practices adapted from general business management to support service management. Help organizations manage their people, resources, risks, and overall operations.
Service Management Practices: 17 practices, focused on planning, delivering, supporting, and improving IT services.
Technical Management Practices: 3 practices, concerned with the technical aspects of managing IT infrastructure and technology.

General Management practices

Practice	What it’s for
Strategy Management	Aligns IT direction with business goals.
Portfolio Management	Prioritizes services and investments to maximize value.
Architecture Management	Keeps IT architecture aligned with business and operational needs.
Service Financial Management	Handles budgeting, accounting, and charging for IT services.
Workforce and Talent Management	Builds and retains the skills needed to deliver services.
Continual Improvement	Drives ongoing enhancement of services and processes.
Measurement and Reporting	Tracks service performance through KPIs and reporting.
Risk Management	Identifies, assesses, and reduces risks to IT services.
Information Security Management	Protects information assets and supports compliance.
Knowledge Management	Captures and shares knowledge so teams decide faster.
Organizational Change Management	Manages the people side of change.
Project Management	Plans and delivers projects to their goals.
Relationship Management	Maintains strong links with customers, partners, and suppliers.
Supplier Management	Ensures suppliers deliver value and meet their commitments.

Service Management practices

Practice	What it’s for
Business Analysis	Translates business needs into service requirements.
Service Catalogue Management	Maintains a single source of truth for live services.
Service Design	Designs new and changed services to meet requirements.
Service Level Management	Defines and monitors service level agreements (SLAs).
Availability Management	Keeps services available to agreed targets.
Capacity and Performance Management	Ensures services can meet current and future demand.
Service Continuity Management	Keeps services running through disasters and major incidents.
Monitoring and Event Management	Detects and responds to events across the environment.
Service Desk	Gives users a single point of contact for issues and requests.
Incident Management	Restores normal service operation as quickly as possible.
Service Request Management	Fulfills user requests efficiently and consistently.
Problem Management	Finds and removes the root causes of incidents.
Release Management	Plans and controls the rollout of new and changed services.
Change Enablement	Assesses and authorizes changes while limiting disruption.
Service Validation and Testing	Confirms services meet requirements before release.
Service Configuration Management	Keeps accurate records of components and their relationships.
IT Asset Management	Manages the lifecycle of IT assets to protect value and compliance.

Technical Management Practices

Practice	What it’s for
Deployment Management	Moves new and changed components into live environments.
Infrastructure and Platform Management	Manages the technology that services run on.
Software Development and Management	Builds and maintains the software that delivers value.

ITIL practices in ITIL 5

ITIL 5, released in 2026, retains all 34 ITIL 4 practices and their original names. The main structural change is the removal of the separate Technical Management category, bringing those practices into the broader practice structure. The underlying practices remain part of the framework, so ITIL 4 certifications remain valid and the practices covered in this guide continue to apply.

How InvGate Service Management supports ITIL practices

InvGate Service Management is an ITIL-accredited tool under PeopleCert’s Accredited Tool Vendors (ATV) programme.

It holds Bronze accreditation covering 15 of the 34 practices: Incident Management, Problem Management, Change Enablement, IT Asset Management, Knowledge Management, Capacity & Performance Management, Deployment Management, Information Security Management, Measurement & Reporting Management, Release Management, Service Request Management, Service Level Management, Service Catalogue Management, Service Configuration Management, and Supplier Management.

A framework only pays off once its practices are running in a tool people actually use day to day, and that’s where InvGate Service Management fits: it gives IT teams a single place to operationalize the practices, with ticket handling and configurable workflows, service level tracking, a service catalogue, self-service and a knowledge base, and analytics that keep the work consistent and visible across teams.

ITIL practices give IT teams a shared language for everything from incident handling to strategy, and a clear path to standardize how work gets done. Want to put them to work? Start a free trial of InvGate Service Management, or talk to our team about where to begin.

ITIL history

ITIL originated in the 1980s as a set of IT Service Management guidelines developed by the UK government. Over time, it evolved into a globally recognized framework maintained by AXELOS and now owned by PeopleCert. Each new version reflects changes in technology and organizational needs. Released in 2019, ITIL 4 introduced a broader approach to service management, incorporating concepts from Agile, DevOps, and digital transformation. It also introduced the Service Value System to explain how organizations create value through service management. ITIL 5 followed in 2026.

ITIL certifications

ITIL certifications give professionals a shared foundation in the framework, helping individuals understand its concepts, terminology, and practices. They also provide a common reference point for teams, making it easier for people in different roles to communicate and apply consistent service management principles.

ITIL 4 follows a tiered certification path, starting with Foundation and continuing through Managing Professional and Strategic Leader.

ITIL 5 introduces ITIL Foundation (Version 5), as well as a Foundation Bridge for professionals who already hold an ITIL 4 credential and want to update their qualification.

invgate-service-desk-certificacion-itil-peoplecert

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is ITIL?

ITIL is a globally recognized framework for IT Service Management (ITSM) that provides guidance and best practices for managing, delivering, and continually improving IT services.

How can I obtain ITIL certification?

Start with ITIL Foundation to learn the core concepts, then move up through Managing Professional and Strategic Leader. Under ITIL 5, you can take ITIL Foundation (Version 5), and if you already hold ITIL 4, a Foundation Bridge lets you update your credential.

What is the difference between ITIL v3 and ITIL 4?

ITIL 4 broadens ITIL v3 with a more holistic, flexible approach — shifting from processes to practices, adding the Service Value System, and incorporating modern ways of working like Agile and DevOps.

How many ITIL practices are there?

ITIL 4 has 34 practices, split into general management (14), service management (17), and technical management (3). ITIL 5 keeps the same 34.

Is ITIL 4 still relevant?

Yes. PeopleCert continues to offer ITIL 4, and its certifications remain valid, including after the release of ITIL 5.

What are the 7 guiding principles of ITIL?

ITIL’s seven guiding principles are: focus on value; start where you are; progress iteratively with feedback; collaborate and promote visibility; think and work holistically; keep it simple and practical; and optimize and automate.