ITIL (Version 5): A practitioner’s view on holistic value creation
For professionals who have built their careers in service management, ITIL has always been a dynamic framework that has continuously evolved and reflected market changes. Zsolt Varga, who began his IT career in Hungary in 2003, sees ITIL (Version 5) as the next step of that evolution, and a framework he wishes he had encountered earlier in his career.
When Zsolt Varga’s colleagues returned from Finland with an itSMF UK pocketbook related to ITIL v3 he was “mesmerised”.
“I had always wanted to deliver better service to my customers, but I didn’t know how. I could learn from certain managers, but their attitude and position always influenced their approaches. I wanted some neutral guidance, and this was it. The lifecycle elements all supported each other; everything was in symbiosis.”
From that moment on, ITIL became a reference point independent of individual management styles or organizational politics, offering a common language and systemic view of service delivery. Varga argues that ITIL has never been static. In his experience, each version has adapted to changes in the industry, from agile delivery models to DevOps and now AI-driven environments. “It has always been evolving and improving.”
Expanding the definition of value
Varga emphasizes that ITIL (Version 5) builds on its predecessor – ITIL 4 –, while expanding the understanding of value. Earlier iterations defined value primarily in terms of utility and warranty. However, in practice, perception has always been a crucial factor. A service can meet all performance metrics, but if it does not align with customer expectations, it can still fail. As Varga points out, “You can have the greenest dashboards, but if the customer does not feel supported, they will look for alternatives.”
Sustainability is another aspect that resonates with Varga. During his time at Vodafone, sustainability considerations influenced operational decisions. Supplier packaging for access points was redesigned to reduce plastic and paper waste. Even when materials were recyclable, the principle was clear: scale matters. Small inefficiencies compound across thousands of deployments.
Collaboration through perspective
The new ITIL Experience module is a key feature for Varga. “It encourages you to step back and start to recognize the natural tensions between first-line support, engineering teams, sales and customers. Instead of defending your team’s metrics, you begin to ask different questions.”
This shift in perspective moves the focus away from isolated outputs, such as incidents, changes, and service requests, toward a more holistic approach to value co-creation. “Understanding the correlations and tensions enhances collaboration and value creation,” he said. “It’s no longer a case of the teams just focusing on one thing; they can see the bigger picture.”
Responding to the AI-native environment
The rise of AI is changing expectations within service organizations. Shareholders increasingly expect efficiency gains, which often include cuts at the service desk level.
“ITIL (Version 5) is excellent in this context,” says Varga. “However, implementing automation without understanding value only leads to superficial improvements. Organizations need to consider how AI impacts the entire value chain, including knowledge management, collaboration, and customer perception.”
Beyond IT
While ITIL has traditionally been associated with IT service management, Varga believes its relevance extends across the entire organization.
Adoption, however, depends on decision-makers. CFOs and CIOs must recognize the broader strategic implications. Varga recounts a well-known leadership exchange:
“What if we train people and they leave?” to which the response is, “What if we don’t and they stay?”
The focus, he added, should be on building capability. “Organizations that invest in shared understanding strengthen collaboration, resilience, and long-term growth.”
Supporting newcomers and cultural maturity
ITIL (Version 5) also addresses the risk of imitating behaviours without understanding their context. Early in his career, Varga often emulated strong managers but sometimes replicated ineffective or overly-authoritative leadership styles. ITIL (Version 5) provides a neutral reference framework that helps professionals understand the different objectives of various teams and encourages constructive approaches to conflict.
“When you put the customer at the centre of value co-creation,” he explained, “you stop competing against each other’s metrics and focus on the overall outcome instead.”
He considers this cultural shift toward questioning, collaboration, and systemic thinking as truly revolutionary.
A living framework
Varga’s participation in the beta programme reinforces his belief that ITIL (Version 5) is shaped by real-world contributions, not just theory. “Practitioners share their knowledge and influence the framework’s evolution. It’s dynamic, and it’s intelligent.”
The new ITIL does not abandon incident, problem, change, or request management; instead, it reframes them within a broader, integrated view of value. It encourages organizations to think beyond efficiency, focusing instead on sustainable, experience-driven, and AI-enabled value creation.
The key takeaway for Varga is that ITIL (Version 5) has evolved to reflect the complexities of modern organizations, providing structured guidance to professionals at all levels and encouraging collaboration, tackling technological challenges, and creating lasting value for customers and society alike.
Ready to create value beyond metrics? Discover how ITIL (Version 5) can help you move from isolated performance targets to holistic, experience-driven, and AI-enabled value creation. Explore the new framework, build shared understanding across your organization, and lead with confidence in an AI-native world.Learn more about ITIL (Version 5) and start shaping what’s next.