Description of ITIL

1. For Project, Programme,
Risk and Service Management
For Project, Programme,
Risk and Service Management
Supporting Best Management Practice
Introducing the Best Management Practice Partnership
TSO OGC The APM Group Ltd
Official Publisher The Office of Government Commerce Official Accreditor

2. www.best-management-practice.com
Introduction OGC and its
official partners
Increasingly, the use of standards and The huge growth in the market for OGC’s
best practices is being driven by business Best Practice guidance is evidence of
requirements for better performance how highly it is valued – proving that In 2006, OGC completed an open
and improved control over activities. The it offers not just theory but workable competitive procurement to appoint
UK Government recognised very early business solutions. ITIL is now the most an official publisher and an official
on the significance of best practice and widely accepted approach to Service accreditor to support its Best Practice
created initiatives to identify efficient, Management in the world, while PRINCE2 guidance. The Stationery Office (TSO)
successful and reliable approaches to has established itself as a global leader and The APM Group Ltd (APMG) were
various management disciplines. as a project management methodology. awarded those contracts and are now
Some of the largest organisations working together with OGC to deliver
Over the years, the Office of Government in the world are acknowledged and maintain its products and services.
Commerce (OGC), as an office of users, including: BP, Microsoft, IBM,
HM Treasury, has played a vital role in Barclays Bank, UNDP and the NHS. The three organisations each play
developing methodologies, processes a vital role in providing users and
and frameworks and establishing these It is worth remembering, however, that the stakeholders with a reliable and official
as best practice. Consultation with guidance itself is not the total solution. source of information available at all
experts around the world, in both public Implementation should be tailored, prioritised times. Through the provision of official
and private sectors brings together a and planned to achieve effective use, and accreditation and publishing services,
wealth of experience, knowledge and this may require help. the partners can ensure that quality
skills. Put simply, the aim is to identify assured products and services are readily
processes that are reliable, predictable Through an innovative and successful available and easily identified in the
and repeatable; document them, and then partnering arrangement, OGC is able to ever-expanding marketplace. Together
share this information as best practice. ensure that users are supported by high they have created Best Management
quality publications, training, qualification Practice, as the official home of OGC’s
This means that we can all benefit from schemes and consultancy services. Best Practice guidance. The partners are
the experiences of others. We do not have committed to delivering and supporting
to tackle every task or activity as if it has Over the next few pages you will find the very best products and services in
never been done before. Through effective details of how this partnership works and the marketplace, giving users the greatest
use of best practice we can benefit from how you can get support for your best opportunity to successfully introduce
improving quality, capability and trust from practice activities. OGC’s guidance into their organisations.
management, partners and our customers.
PRINCE® is a Registered Trade Mark and a Registered Community
Trade Mark of the Office of Government Commerce, and is
Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
PRINCE2™ is a Trade Mark of the Office of Government
Commerce.
ITIL® is a Registered Trade Mark and a Registered Community
Trade Mark of the Office of Government Commerce, and is
Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
M_o_R® is a Registered Trade Mark and a Registered Community
Trade Mark of the Office of Government Commerce.
MSP™ is a Trade Mark of the Office of Government Commerce.
The swirl logo™ is a Trade Mark of the Office of
Government Commerce.

3. www.best-management-practice.com
M_o_R for risk management
This guidance provides a framework
for assessing risk accurately, helping
managers to make well-informed business
Official Publisher decisions. Improved service delivery,
more efficient use of resources, greater
TSO draws upon over 200 years of print success of achieving change initiatives
and publishing services experience. and improved innovation have all been
The company has a long history of identifed as benefits of using a proven
working with OGC and is the only official risk management approach. Ultimately,
publisher for its best practice guidance. this can lead to the organisation achieving
a greater competitive advantage.
TSO also manages the various refresh
projects on OGC’s behalf and is
ITIL for service management
committed to ensuring that the quality
of the guidance is maintained at the Based on expert advice and input
highest possible level. A dedicated team from users, ITIL is both current and
serves the Best Management Practice practical, combining the latest thinking
community, providing newsletters, with sound, common sense guidance.
updates and latest information on Effective use of ITIL within an organisation
the products and current projects. potentially provides a huge range of
What is Best benefits, such as reducing costs while
For further information improving productivity through better
visit www.tso.co.uk
Management use of skills and experience. Ultimately
this leads to the high performing service
provision and happy customers!
Practice? Each of these products presents a clear
and effective way to tackle a given activity.
Best Management Practice is the official
They have been developed over the
home of OGC’s Best Practice guidance.
years by the UK Government, working
Official Accreditor The portfolio consists of four products:
in partnership with organisations able
APMG is a global business providing to provide the expertise and skills to
PRINCE2 for project
accreditation and certification services. deliver them to users. This entire process
Through its international network of management has been driven by the need to improve
Accredited Consultancy and Training efficiency, rather than a commercial desire
PRINCE2 provides a defined set of
Organisations APMG helps end users to make money. This vendor-neutral
processes for successful management of
develop their professional skills and status has added to the appeal of the
projects and can be tailored to suit a
organisations improve their processes guidance. New versions are only produced
variety of organisations, large or small. It
through the adoption of best practice. to meet user demands – and it is these
takes you through the essentials for users that help to shape and develop it.
running a project, from planning to
Having worked with OGC since 1996,
implementation, and delivery to measuring
APMG has been instrumental in helping to For further information about the Best
outcomes. Effective use of PRINCE2 can
establish PRINCE2 as an international Management products available visit:
minimize risk of project failure. It can also
standard and they now provide global www.best-management-practice.com
lead to increased productivity and
accreditation schemes in ITIL, PRINCE2,
ultimately will help you to achieve higher
MSP (Managing Successful Programmes) Or request the OGC Product Portfolio
levels of customer satisfaction.
and M_o_R (Management of Risk). Brochure from www.best-management-
practice.com/RegisterToReceive.aspx
MSP for programme
APMG is one of the first medium sized
companies to establish an independent
management
Ethics and Standards Board to monitor its
business practice and help ensure it supports MSP provides a robust and flexible
the industries it serves in a transparent and framework to help co-ordinate and
responsible way. For further information plan related projects so that they
visit www.apmgroup.co.uk support each other and are allocated
the necessary resources. It shows
how to organise projects so that they
deliver individually and contribute to
your organisation’s business objectives.
It complements the approaches and
methodologies laid out in PRINCE2.

4. www.best-management-practice.com
Supporting Best Training for ITIL official products and often this results in
There is only one ITIL qualification scheme confusion in the market place. Of course,
that is sanctioned by OGC and this is unofficial publications are not all bad and
Management administered by APMG. You can access many provide additional information that
the official scheme through Training works well alongside the OGC range.
Practice Organisations that have been accredited
either directly by APMG or through an
APMG-approved Examination Institute.
Official publications
APMG, EXIN, ISEB and Loyalist College are
TSO is the only official publisher for all approved Examination Institutes. For
the range of Best Management Practice further information about their services
publications, working closely with OGC to please visit:
produce high quality, reliable products. n www.apmgroup.co.uk
By understanding and responding n www.exin-exams.com
to customer requirements, TSO has n www.brcs.org
created a range of books, electronic n www.lcsexams.com
content and services to suit all levels of
knowledge, and all sizes of organisation. To find an APMG accredited trainer in your
area, please visit www.apmgroup.co.uk/
Please visit www.best-management- QualificationsAssessments/ITIL/
practice.com/Online-Bookshop ITILATOs.asp
for the complete OGC portfolio.
Further information about the official ITIL
Official accredited services qualification scheme can be found at:
www.itil-officialsite.com/Qualifications/
As OGC’s official accreditor, APMG is QualificationScheme.asp
responsible for accrediting training and
consultancy organisations that meet strict By exercising its Intellectual Property
technical and management standards. Rights (IPR) through copyright and
As you would expect, the accreditation Trade Marking, OGC has the ability to
process itself is rigorous and thorough. gain control over the material that is
produced, while protecting its brands.
By using an Accredited Training Organisation
(ATO) you can be assured that it reaches OGC has introduced the swirl symbol as
the high standards set for running a a mark of quality. It can only be used
training company. All course materials that by OGC’s official partners (TSO and
delegates receive, including presentation APMG) and it is used to identify official
slides, lecturer notes, student notes and publications, accredited training providers
classroom exercises, are assessed to ensure and examination institutes, which have
that they conform to both the syllabus and all been through a rigorous review
APMG’s own exacting requirements. process. The swirl symbol is also used by
the partners working in association with
The same quality standards apply to recognised user groups and forums.
Accredited Consultancy Organisations
(ACOs). If you are looking for consultancy
d by A P M
support for your best practice activities,
se
choosing an organisation accredited
Gr
r
Endo
by APMG will help you to ensure
oup
that you work with suitably qualified
compatible
and experienced consultants.
OGC
itor
product
sO
Marks of quality
ed
Training for Programme and
fficial Accr
’
Project Management
APMG certify ATOs and Approved Trainers
for PRINCE2, MSP and M_o_R. There are Inevitably, almost any product that is ‘in You should also look for this endorsement
over 480 Approved Trainers worldwide, demand’ may be targeted by others keen mark. This may feature on various products
providing high quality training as far afield to cash in on its mass appeal. ITIL and and services that have been endorsed by
as Singapore, Australia and South Africa. PRINCE have grown significantly in appeal a partner on behalf of OGC – who have
and value since they were first launched. successfully met a strict criteria for quality.
To find a trainer in your area or for further Just one search of PRINCE2, for example,
information about the accreditation service returns over 180,000 results, many for Further information about OGC’s policy
please visit APMG at www.prince- companies claiming to be authoritative and position on Intellectual Property matters
officialsite.com/TrainingOrganisations/ sources of project management material. can be found at www.ogc.gov.uk/
ATOs/ATOListing.asp Some information may contradict the intellectual-property.asp

5. www.best-management-practice.com
Keep up-to-date
with Best
Management
Practice
The Best Management Practice Knowledge
Centre brings together the official partners
and recognised user groups to create a
comprehensive source of information. Here
you will find articles, white papers, book
reviews, upcoming events and the latest
news on OGC’s best practice guidance. You
can also access the official bookshop from
these pages.
Visit www.best-management-practice.com
To keep up-to-date with new titles,
translations, or to register for a free
newsletter visit www.best-management-
practice.com/registertoreceive.aspx
Product websites
Each OGC best practice product has its
User Groups
own dedicated website, which provides
detailed information on the guidance such
as how it works and the benefits it could
potentially deliver. There is also information
about training and the various qualification
schemes available. These sites offer the
latest details on the products and
associated services: Best Practice User Group
itSMF
www.itil-officialsite.com
www.prince-officialsite.com This is the forum for people within the
The itSMF is the only truly independent
www.msp-officialsite.com programme and project management
international not-for-profit recognised
www.mor-officialsite.com community, helping its members maximise
forum, set-up for all IT Service Management
the benefits of using PRINCE2 , M_o_R
worldwide. Established since 1991, the
and MSP as standards for managing risks,
itSMF is a prominent player in the ongoing
projects and programmes. Members are
development and promotion of best
invited to attend the annual conference
practice IT Service Management standards
and monthly regional workshops,
and qualifications. It offers many benefits
providing a valuable opportunity to
to its members including the ability
network, share experiences and hear
to exchange experiences, interaction
from industry experts. Recognising the
via web-based discussion forums, free
important part Best Practice User Group
regional discussion groups, discounted
plays in bringing people together to
prices for seminars, publications, and
discuss project, programme and risk
conferences held around the world. The
management issues, OGC regularly
itSMF provides a network of industry
contributes and attends workshops
experts, information sources and events to
and conferences, whilst actively
address IT Service Management issues and
supporting membership growth.
help delivery of high quality, consistent
IT services through the adoption of Best
For further information or to join
Practice. Many members are responsible
visit www.usergroup.org.uk
for and make active contributions to
the progress and development of Best
Practice, including the authoring and
Quality Assurance (QA) of core material.
For details visit www.itsmf.com

6. www.best-management-practice.com
The Best Management Practice Partnership
TSO (The Stationery Office) Office of Government Commerce The APM Group Limited
OGC’s Official Publisher OGC’s Official Accreditor
Trevelyan House
St Crispins 26-30 Great Peter Street Sword House
Duke Street London SW1P 2BY Totteridge Road
Norwich NR3 1PD United Kingdom High Wycombe
United Kingdom OGC ServiceDesk: +44 (0)845 000 4999 Buckinghamshire HP13 6DG
Telephone: +44 (0)870 600 5522 Email: ServiceDesk@ogc.gsi.gov.uk United Kingdom
Email: ogc@tso.co.uk Website: www.ogc.gov.uk Telephone: +44 (0)1494 452450
Website: www.tso.co.uk Email: info@apmgroup.co.uk
Website: www.best-management-practice.com Website: www.apmgroup.co.uk
The Stationery Office Ltd, Company registered number 3049649. Registered Office: St Crispins, Duke Street, Norwich NR3 1PD
5008 11/07 3000