ITIL 4: the interconnection between IT and other teams for the co-creation of added value

A fundamental shift towards transparency, simplicity and efficiency

ITIL 4: the interconnection between IT and other teams for the co-creation of added value
Updated on : 07/05/2025
Published on : 26/02/2025

How many times have you said to yourself:

“Oh no, I have to write to IT to configure the software and I don’t have time to waste right now!”

or “I prefer not to even consult the IT department: I would spend 2 hours getting my head filled with technicalities, various tediousness about how important information security is and how complex it is to set up what I want, to justify their lack of action.”

We don’t get offended. That is the historical reputation that we partially still carry with us.
The reputation of those who unnecessarily hinder the business, of those who are uncooperative and always grumpy, of those who are unresponsive and speak an indecipherable language, of those who are detached from processes and live in their own world, where pragmatism does not exist.


A bit like in that hilarious scene from IT Crowd, where the brilliant Moss shows all his ineptitude in dealing with a fire, exclaiming: “I’ll just put this over here with the rest of the fire”.

From the British sitcom IT Crowd, Season 1, Episode 2

But, happily, things are much different now.

1. What is ITIL and what does ITIL 4 represent?

Developed in the 1980s as an official publication of the UK government agencies, ITIL is the globally recognized standard for IT Service Management:

set of best practices to guide IT service teams in maximizing the value of IT, ensuring alignment with overall business strategy.

ITIL 4 – released in 2019 – is its latest update. It represents a paradigm shift for IT teams and better reflects the reality of modern businesses. The guiding principles of ITIL 4 promote collaboration, simplicity and feedback, and guide IT teams towards a holistic business framework, oriented towards the creation of added value.

2. The key principles and methodologies of ITIL 4
2.1 The 7 guiding principles (see Figure 1)

  • Focus on the value

    ITIL 4 emphasizes aligning IT goals with broader business objectives, ensuring that IT services directly contribute to the organization’s value proposition.

  • Start where you are

    ITIL 4 advises companies to leverage their current state of maturity – existing processes, practices and resources – for future evolution.

  • Progress iteratively with feedback

    ITIL 4 encourages organizations to implement changes in small, manageable increments with a continuous feedback loop, in order to refine and improve processes over time.

  • Collaborate and promote visibility

    ITIL 4 promotes communication and collaboration among teams. With increased transparency into processes and activities, it cultivates a culture of shared accountability and continuous improvement.

  • Think and work holistically

    ITIL 4 advocates for a holistic business perspective, believing it leads to complete understanding and stronger functional interconnections.

  • Keep it simple and practical

    ITIL 4 advises against unnecessary complexity, instead recommending simple, effective solutions aligned with business objectives.

  • Optimize and automate

    ITIL 4 recommends using technology to automate repetitive tasks and simplify processes. This empowers IT teams to prioritize the delivery of high-value services.

Figure 1. The 7 guiding principles of ITIL 4

2.2 Co-creating business value

As the first guiding principle states, the heart of ITIL 4 is the service value system: a model that emphasizes four essential factors for proper value co-creation (see Figure 2).

  • Organizations and People

    Align the organizational structure and human resources with the overall business strategy.

  • Information and Technology

    Integrate technology solutions and manage data efficiently.

  • Partners and Suppliers

    Work with external providers to secure the best possible service delivery.

  • Value stream and Processes

    Manage (i.e. guide, monitor and evaluate) the processes and flows that convert demand into value.

Figure 2. ITIL 4 Four-dimension model

2.3 How to define the IT team’s intervention priorities?

We come to one of the operational methodologies that IT teams have available to co-create value: the priority matrix.

ITIL uses the priority model to determine the importance of requests sent to the service desk, to provide efficient services with a fair and unambiguous criterion and generate realistic expectations in users.

Before delving into the priority matrix, it is also necessary to define the 4 categories with which IT requests are differentiated:

  • Incident

    An event that is not part of the standard operations of a service and that causes an interruption or reduction in the quality of the service itself.

    Incident management is, by definition, a matter of speed of intervention.

  • Problem

    Problems do not originate from a user’s report, but from the analysis of the root causes of repeated or serious incidents.

    Through problem management, corrective actions to be applied to the company infrastructure are identified with a long-term perspective, in order to prevent future incidents from occurring.

  • Service Request

    Request made by a user to receive information or to gain access to an IT service.

    Service request management is a less pressing process than incident and problem management, as nothing is broken or on fire.

    However, it has an extremely enabling value, being the process that connects human resources to new technologies.

  • Change o Request for Change

    Procedure for requesting a change to the infrastructure. It must contain all the information needed to evaluate, approve, and implement a change.

    Change Management is the practice of examining potential changes to ensure they are in the best interest of the company. 

    To this end, they need to be planned.

Returning to the priority model, the matrix is applied to all categories – although it has greater relevance for Incidents – and is based on impact and urgency.

  • Impact:

    • How severe is the impact on the business?
    • How many people/systems are affected?
    • What are the financial/operational consequences?

  • Urgency:

    • How urgent is it to resolve the incident?
    • What is the maximum tolerable downtime?
    • Are there any imminent deadlines that the incident could compromise?

Impact and urgency combine in the matrix (see Figure 3), generating 4 levels of priority: 1 represents the highest priority (wide impact and high urgency) and 4 the lowest (individual impact and low urgency).

Figure 3. Incident Prioritization Matrix

2.4 Relationship between Priority and Service Level Agreement

The relationship between Priority and Service Level Agreement (SLA) is crucial.

SLAs define the expected level of service for incidents, problems, and service requests.

They outline specific metrics like:

  • Response times: how quickly the IT team should acknowledge a request.
  • Resolution times: how long it should take to resolve the issue.

The connection with Priority Levels lies in how SLAs are applied to requests of varying priorities:

  • Higher priority requests typically have stricter SLAs. This reflects the greater urgency and potential consequences of these issues.
  • Lower priority requests have more relaxed SLAs, allowing the IT team to allocate resources efficiently based on business impact.

In essence, priority levels guide how the IT team allocates its resources and ensures that the most critical issues are addressed promptly, aligning with the service expectations outlined and formalized in the SLAs.

2.5 The business benefits of applying best practices

  • Increased availability of vital IT services

    Critical incidents, in fact, are managed first.

  • Efficient triage management

    IT teams have the variables to distinguish important information and focus on business needs.

  • Improved employee experience

    Transparency benefits everyone and helps manage expectations. Users understand the prioritization criteria, are treated fairly, and for the overall good of the company.
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