Product Description

This Pocket Guide is a concise summary of the ITIL version 3. A quick, portable reference tool to this leading standards within the Service Management community. What are the key service management processes? What is the ‘lifecycle’ approach?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7287 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 150 pages

Customer Reviews

ITIL for the rest of us
I have been working with ITIL v2 since the end of the 90's. I had both titles from OGC (Service Delivery and Service Support) and used both extensively. I bought the previous version of this ITSMF book in 2003, and from then on, I barely opened the OGC publications. It served me very well over 5 years. Now that ITIL v3 is available I decided to invest in this ITSM book rather than invest over 5 times as much in the OGC versions. Like its predecessor, this ITSMF text is a gem: it contains all I need to know about the 5 process groups, the new processes, and how I should go about introducing v3. I would heartily recommend it.

an excellent guide but don't rely solely on it if you need to pass the exam
Having read the reviews I bought this book, along with the OGC publication Passing your ITIL foundation exam: the official study aid: The Official ITIL Foundation Study Aid (see separate review) and decided to take the open access exam (£155 inc. VAT) rather than opting for one of the various courses that were available (ranging from £595 to £1080 + VAT).
It's a long time since I've had to study from a book for anything but I figured that with 30 years in the industry, most of that spent in outsourcing and 3rd party services, that I would walk it.
I spent the first week studying this handbook, believing that a thorough understanding of ITIL V3 end-to-end would leave me perfectly placed to take the foundation exam. I then read the first couple of chapters of the OGC "official study aid", followed by a stab at the sample questions which that has at the end of each section.
Disaster! I scored abysmally and started to think that NOT taking one of the paid courses had been a false economy.
Then I realised that what the foundation exam is really looking for is correct terminology.
Now I don't necessarily believe that being able to name all the different parts of a car engine will make you a better driver but I have to concede that if the aim here is to improve the quality of Service Management (and in 30 years I've seen some bad examples of it, believe me) then establishing a common language and defining some agreed demarcation lines is as good a place to start as any.
So I put this handbook to one side and focused on the official OGC study aid instead. I concentrated on terminology and definitions and also found some sample papers on the Internet. I did a test paper every 2 or 3 chapters, along with the sample questions in each section of the OGC book.
My results improved over the course of the next few days and I took the open access exam during the second week of February. I learned today that I passed with a score of 92%.
My advice? If you want an excellent, comprehensive reference guide for ITIL V3 end-to-end, buy this handbook.
If you want to pass the foundation exam, buy the OGC study guide.
If you want to pass the exam AND understand the bigger picture, buy them both.
Either way, if you want to pass the exam, GET HOLD OF SOME SAMPLE PAPERS AND DO SOME PRACTICE.
I went through 5 papers in all. The OGC book contains one (caution: in my edition there was a typo in the answer to question 5), you get one sent to you when you register for the exam and I found 3 on the Internet.
I hope you found this review helpful. Good luck!

Every ITIL Consultant/Manager MUST own this pocket book
I am an ITIL Consultant and an ITIL Trainer, with MBA in Technology Management. When I first looked at version 3, I smelled MBA style of Service Management and no doubt, ISEB released a Diploma there after.

I wanted some text that could tell me exactly and precisely, like a summary of ITIL v3 life-cycle approach and how each process fits in the life cycle; without going over the five fat books.

And I found this. I based my buying decision on other buyer's comments on amazon; however found that this book is invaluable.

I now use it before the meetings to prepare my list of questions and of course, its so small in size that I have it in my pocket most of the time at work.

Buy it.....and you will not regret your purchase.