ITIL v5 Designations

Certification Architecture

ITIL v5 organizes advanced certifications into three designations and one mandatory module. Each designation represents a professional role with specific competencies.

Certification Path Overview

The Three Designations

1. ITIL Practice Manager (PM)

Target audience: Practice owners, process managers, team leads, ITSM coordinators

Competencies gained:

• Design and optimize ITSM processes and workflows
• Measure practice performance with meaningful KPIs
• Apply continual improvement to specific practices
• Integrate practices with value streams
• Use automation and AI capabilities within practices

When to choose this path:

• You manage one or more ITSM practices
• You are responsible for process efficiency and compliance
• You want to deepen tactical execution skills
• Your organization needs practice-level maturity improvement

2. ITIL Managing Professional (MP)

Target audience: Service managers, product managers, delivery managers, senior IT professionals

Competencies gained:

• Manage the full Product and Service Lifecycle (8 stages)
• Lead cross-functional teams in a product-centric model
• Design and manage value streams
• Integrate multiple practices into coherent workflows
• Measure and improve end-to-end service performance
• Apply human-centred design to service and product development

When to choose this path:

• You are responsible for the overall quality of IT services or digital products
• You manage cross-functional teams spanning development and operations
• You need to integrate technical practices with business outcomes
• You want to progress toward IT leadership roles

3. ITIL Strategic Leader (SL)

Target audience: CIOs, CTOs, IT Directors, VPs of Engineering, digital strategists

Competencies gained:

• Develop and execute digital strategy aligned with business objectives
• Design governance models appropriate to organizational context
• Lead organizational transformation using complexity-aware approaches
• Make informed decisions about AI adoption and governance
• Manage stakeholder relationships at the executive level
• Balance innovation velocity with risk and compliance requirements

When to choose this path:

• You are in or aspiring to a senior IT leadership role
• You are responsible for IT strategy and governance
• You need to communicate IT value to the board
• You are leading a digital transformation initiative

Mandatory Module: ITIL Transformation

Content areas:

• The ITIL Transformation Model (4 layers, 12 stages)
• Complexity-driven transformation planning
• Governance for transformation initiatives
• Initiation, execution, and embedding change
• Toolbox of supporting methods and techniques
• Contextual guidance: adapting the model to your organization

Extension Module: ITIL AI Governance

Content areas:

• AI opportunity assessment using the 6C Model (Creation, Curation, Clarification, Cognition, Communication, Coordination)
• Responsible AI principles and ethical governance
• Human and AI collaboration models
• AI risk evaluation and mitigation
• AI compliance with emerging regulations (EU AI Act, sector-specific requirements)
• Data governance for AI-enabled services

When to take this module:

• Your organization is deploying or evaluating AI tools in ITSM
• You need to establish AI governance policies
• You are responsible for AI risk and compliance

Designation Comparison

Choosing the Right Path

Related Pages

• ITIL Foundation (entry-level certification details)
• Study Guide (preparation strategy)
• Team Training Strategy (planning certification for your organization)
• ITIL 4 to v5 Transition (migration guide)