ITIL

Term	Definition
Agile	An umbrella term for a collection of frameworks and techniques that together enable teams and individuals to work in a way that is typified by collaboration, prioritization, iterative and incremental delivery, and time-boxing. There are several specific methods (or frameworks) that are classed as Agile, such as Scrum, Lean and Kanban.
asset register	A database or list of assets, capturing key attributes such as ownership and financial value.
availability	The ability of an IT service or other configuration item to perform its agreed function when required.
availability management practice	The practice of ensuring that services deliver agreed levels of availability to meet the needs of customers and users.
best practice	A way of working that have been proven to be successful by multiple organizations.
business case	A justification for expenditure of organizational resources, providing information about costs, benefits, options, risks and issues.
business relationship manager (BRM)	A role responsible for maintaining good relationships with one or more customers.
capability	The ability of an organization, person, process, application, configuration item or IT service to carry out an activity.
change	The addition, modification, or removal of anything that could have a direct or indirect effect on services.
change authority	A person or group responsible for authorizing a change.
change control practice	The practice of ensuring risks is properly assessed, authorizing changes to proceed, and managing a change schedule in order to maximize the number of successful IT changes.
change model	A repeatable approach to the management of a particular type of change.
change schedule	A calendar that shows planned and historical changes.
confidentiality	A security objective that ensures information is not made available or disclosed to unauthorized entities.
configuration	An arrangement of configuration items (CIs) or other resources that work together to deliver a product or service. Can also be used to describe the parameter settings for one or more CIs.
configuration item (CI)	Any component that needs to be managed in order to deliver an IT service.
configuration management database (CMDB)	A database used to store configuration records throughout their lifecycle. The CMDB also maintains the relationships between configuration records.
configuration management system (CMS)	A set of tools, data and information that is used to support service configuration management.
configuration record	A record containing the details of a configuration item (CI). Each configuration record documents the lifecycle of a single CI. Configuration records are stored in a configuration management database.
continual improvement practice	The practice of aligning an organization’s practices and services with changing business needs through the ongoing identification and improvement of all elements involved in the effective management of products and services.
control	A means of managing a risk, ensuring that a business objective is achieved, or that a process is followed.
cost	The amount of money spent on a specific activity or resource.
critical success factor (CSF)	A necessary condition for the achievement of intended results.
culture	A set of values that is shared by a group of people, including expectations about how people should behave, ideas, beliefs, and practices.
Customer	A person who defines the requirements for a service and takes responsibility for the outcomes of service consumption.
customer experience (CX)	The sum of functional and emotional interactions with a service and service provider as perceived by a service consumer.
deliver and support	The value chain activity that ensures services are delivered and supported according to agreed specifications and stakeholders' expectations.
demand	Input to the service value system based on opportunities and needs from internal and external stakeholders.
deployment	The movement of any service component into any environment.
deployment management practice	The practice of moving new or changed hardware, software, documentation, processes, or any other service component to another (live?) environment.
design and transition	The value chain activity that ensures products and services continually meet stakeholder expectations for quality, costs, and time to market.
DevOps	An organizational culture that aims to improve the flow of value to customers. DevOps focuses on culture, automation, Lean, measurement, and sharing (CALMS).
emergency change	A change that must be introduced as soon as possible.
engage	The value-chain activity that provides a good understanding of stakeholder needs, transparency, and continual engagement and good relationships with all stakeholders.
error	A flaw or vulnerability that may cause incidents.
error control	Problem management activities used to manage known errors.
escalation	The act of sharing awareness or transferring ownership of an issue or work item.
event	Any change of state that has significance for the management of a service or other configuration item.
external customer	A customer who works for an organization other than the service provider.
four dimensions of service management	The four perspectives that are critical to the effective and efficient facilitation of value for customers and other stakeholders in the form of products and services.
governance	The means by which an organization is directed and controlled.
improve	The value chain activity that ensures continual improvement of products, services, and practices across all value chain activities and the four dimensions of service management.
incident	An unplanned interruption to a service, or reduction in the quality of a service.
incident management	The practice of minimizing the negative impact of incidents by restoring normal service operation as quickly as possible.
information and technology	One of the four dimensions of service management. Includes the information and knowledge used to deliver services, and the information and technologies used to manage all aspects of the service value system.
information security management practice	The practice of protecting an organization by understanding and managing risks to the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information.
information security policy	The policy that governs an organization’s approach to information security management.
integrity	A security objective that ensures information is only modified by authorized personnel and activities.
internal customer	A customer who works for the same organization as the service provider.
IT asset	Any valuable component that can contribute to the delivery of an IT product or service.
IT asset management practice	The practice of planning and managing the full lifecycle of all IT assets.
IT service	A service based on the use of information technology.
ITIL	Best practice guidance for IT service management.
ITIL guiding principles	Recommendations that can guide an organization in all circumstances, regardless of changes in its goals, strategies, type of work, or management structure.
ITIL service value chain	An operating model for service providers that covers all the key activities required to effectively manage products and services.
Kanban	A method for visualizing work, identifying potential blockages and resource conflicts, and managing work in progress.
key performance indicator (KPI)	An important metric used to evaluate the success in meeting an objective.
known error	A problem that has been analysed but has not been resolved.
Lean	An approach that focuses on improving workflows by maximizing value through the elimination of waste.
major incident	An incident with significant business impact, requiring an immediate co-ordinated resolution.
metric	A measurement or calculation that is monitored or reported for management and improvement.
model	A representation of a system, practice, process, service, or other entity, that is used to understand and predict its behaviour and relationships.
monitoring and event management practice	The practice of systematically observing services and service components, and recording and reporting selected changes of state identified as events.
obtain/build	The value chain activity that ensures service components are available when and where they are needed, and that they meet agreed specifications.
organization	A person or a group of people that has its own functions with responsibilities, authorities and relationships to achieve its objectives
organizations and people	One of the four dimensions of service management. Ensures that the way an organization is structured and managed, as well as its roles, responsibilities and systems of authority and communication, are well-defined and support its overall strategy and operating model.
outcome	A result for a stakeholder enabled by one or more outputs.
output	A tangible or intangible deliverable of an activity.
outsourcing	The process of having external suppliers provide products and services that were previously provided internally.
partners and suppliers	One of the four dimensions of service management. Encompasses the relationships an organization has with other organizations that are involved in the design, development, deployment, delivery, support and/or continual improvement of services.
partnership	A relationship between two organizations, which involves working closely together to achieve common goals and objectives.
plan	The value chain activity that ensures a shared understanding of the vision, current status, and improvement direction for all four dimensions and all products and services across an organization.
policy	Formally documented management expectations and intentions, used to direct decisions and activities.
practice	A set of organizational resources designed for performing work or accomplishing an objective.
problem	A cause, or potential cause, of one or more incidents.
problem management practice	The practice of reducing the likelihood and impact of incidents by identifying actual and potential causes of incidents, and managing workarounds and known errors.
process	A set of interrelated or interacting activities that transform inputs into outputs. A process takes one or more defined inputs and turns them into defined outputs. Processes define the sequence of actions and their dependencies.
product	A configuration of an organization’s resources designed to offer value for a consumer.
production environment	See live environment.
quick win	An improvement that is expected to provide a return on investment in a short period of time with relatively small cost and effort.
relationship management practice	The practice of establishing and nurturing links between an organization and its stakeholders at strategic and tactical levels.
release	A version of a service or other configuration item, or a collection of configuration items, that is made available for use.
release management practice	The practice of making new and changed services and features available for use.
request for change (RFC)	A description of a proposed change used to initiate change control.
resolution	The action of solving an incident or problem.
resource	A person, or other entity, that is required for the execution of an activity or the achievement of an objective.
risk	A possible event that could cause harm or loss, or make it more difficult to achieve objectives. Can also be defined as uncertainty of outcome and can be used in the context of measuring the probability of positive outcomes as well as negative outcomes.
service	A means of enabling value co-creation, by facilitating outcomes that customers want to achieve, without the customer having to manage specific costs and risks.
service configuration management practice	The practice of ensuring that accurate and reliable information about the configuration of services, and the configuration items that support them, is available when and where needed.
service consumption	Activities performed by an organization to consume services. Includes the management of the consumer’s resources needed to use the service, service use actions performed by users, and may include the receiving (acquiring) of goods.
service desk	The point of communication between the service provider and all of its users.
service desk practice	The practice of capturing demand for incident resolution and service requests.
service level	A set of measurable parameters defining expected or achieved service quality.
service level agreement (SLA)	A documented agreement between a service provider and a customer that identifies both services required and the expected level of service.
service level management practice	The practice of setting clear business-based targets for service performance, so that the delivery of a service can be properly assessed, monitored and managed against these targets.
service management	A set of specialized organizational capabilities for enabling value for customers in the form of services.
service offering	A description of one or more services, designed to address the needs of a target consumer group. A service offering may include goods, access to resources, and service actions.
service provider	A role performed by an organization in a service relationship to provide services to consumers.
service provision	Activities performed by an organization to provide services. Includes management of resources, configured to deliver the service, access to these resources for users, fulfilment of the agreed service actions, service performance management and continual improvement. It may also include the supply of goods.
service relationship	A co-operation between a service provider and service consumer. Service relationships include service provision, service consumption and service relationship management.
service relationship management	Joint activities performed by a service provider and a service consumer to ensure continual value co-creation based on agreed and available service offerings.
service request	A request from a user, or a user’s authorized representative, that initiates a service action agreed as a normal part of service delivery.
service request management practice	The practice of supporting the agreed quality of a service by handling all pre-defined, user-initiated service requests in an effective and user-friendly manner.
service value system	A model representing how all the components and activities of an organization work together to facilitate value creation. The purpose of the ITIL SVS is to ensure that the organisation continually co-creates value with all stakeholders through the use and management of products and services
sponsor	A person who authorizes budget for service consumption. Can also be used to describe an organization or individual that provides financial or other support for an initiative.
stakeholder	A person or organization that has an interest or involvement in an organization, product, service, practice, or other entity.
standard change	A low-risk, pre-authorized change that is well-understood and fully documented and which can be implemented without needing additional authorization.
supplier	A stakeholder responsible for providing services that are used by an organization.
supplier management practice	The practice of ensuring that an organization’s suppliers and their performance are managed appropriately to support the provision of seamless, quality products and services.
system	A combination of interacting elements organized and maintained to achieve one or more stated purposes.
systems thinking	A holistic approach to analysis that focuses on the way that a system's constituent parts work, interrelate and interact over time, and within the context of other systems.
technical debt	The total rework backlog accumulated by choosing workarounds instead of system solutions that would take longer.
test environment	A controlled environment established to test products, services and other configuration items.
user	A person who uses services.
utility	The functionality offered by a product or service to meet a particular need.
value	The perceived benefits, usefulness and importance of something.
value stream	A series of steps an organization undertakes to create and deliver products and services to consumers.
value streams and processes	One of the four dimensions of service management. Defines the activities, workflows, controls and procedures needed to achieve agreed objectives.
vision	A defined aspiration of what an organization would like to become in the future.
warranty	Assurance that a product or service will meet agreed requirements.
workaround	A solution that reduces or eliminates the impact of an incident or problem for which a full resolution is not yet available. Some workarounds reduce the likelihood of incidents.

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