The adoption of ITIL as the most widely used guidance in the world on IT and service management continues with ITIL 4. It ensures continuity with existing ways of working (whereservice management is already successful) by integrating modern and emerging practices with established and proven know-how. ITIL 4 also guides individuals and organizations to see the benefits of these new methods and to move toward them with confidence, focus, and minimal disruption.

ITIL 4: Digital and IT Strategy (DITS) focuses on the alignment of digital business strategy with IT strategy, adding a new perspective to the ITIL suite and elevating the discussion around ITIL concepts to a strategic level among business leaders and aspiring leaders. It also covers the disruptive impact of new technologies in every industry, as well as the response from business leaders. It is one of several ITIL 4 publications which builds on the concepts introduced in ITIL Foundation: ITIL 4 Edition. Each of these publications focuses on a different aspect of service management

Audience

• Senior IT leaders and executives
• Managers, supervisory staff and team leaders
• IT professionals who require a deeper understanding of ITIL 4 publications, including how ITIL 4 concepts and activities can be implemented to enhance the quality of IT service management within an organization
• IT and business directors, department heads, aspiring C-suite professionals, and other business leaders across the organization who are looking for guidance to help craft a digital vision, shape IT and business strategy, and drive organizational change
• IT architects, IT planners, IT consultants, IT audit managers, IT security managers, IT developers and operational support staff
• Service management professionals and ITSM trainers interested in achieving the Managing Professional designation in the new ITIL 4 framework

Prerequisites

Before registering for this course, candidates must hold the ITIL 4 Foundation certificate or the ITIL 4 Managing Professional Transition certificate. 

Course objectives

The DITS course prepares candidates for the PeopleCert ITIL 4 Leader DITS formal examination. The official DITS course syllabus outlines the following objectives:

• Demonstrate the use of the ITIL guiding principles in digital and IT strategy decisions and activities
• Understand how to leverage digital strategy to react to digital disruption
• Understand the relationship between the concepts of digital and IT strategy, the service value system and the service value chain, and explain how to utilize them to create value
• Understand how an organization uses digital and IT strategy to remain viable in environments disrupted by digital technology
• Understand strategic approaches made possible by digital and information technology to achieve customer/market relevance and operational excellence
• Understand the risks and opportunities of digital and IT strategy
• Understand the steps and techniques involved in defining and advocating for a digital and IT strategy
• Understand how to implement a digital and IT strategy

Detailed course outline

PART I

Module 1: What is Digital and IT Strategy? 

• Introduction of key concepts
  • Digital and IT strategy
  • Digital disruption
  • Transformation. 

PART II

Module 2: The Strategy Journey 

• Alignment of the digital and IT strategy journey with the continual improvement model

Module 3: What is the Vision?

• Types of digital disruptions
• Factors that impact organizations
• Examples of digital maturity and positioning models
• Guidance on how to craft a compelling digital vision

Module 4: Where Are We Now? 

• Assessing an organization’s digital readiness 
• Assessing internal and external environments and their impact

Module 5: Where Do We Want to Be and How Do We Get There? 

• Strategy cycles and horizons
• Structuring a business case for change
• Selecting the appropriate business model
• Planning a strategy that meets the organization’s objectives relative to its customers, and internal and external environments
• Framing discussions and obtaining buy-in from key stakeholders

Module 6: Take Action! 

• Implementing a digital and IT strategy, including digital transformation, at all levels of an organization
• Structuring, leading and communicating as part of several different types of strategic change initiatives.

Module 7: Did We Get There? 

• Measuring the progress and effectiveness of a strategy
• OKRs, CSFs, and KPIs
• Guidance on how to change an existing strategy

Module 8: How Do We Keep the Momentum Going? 

• Recommendations on parallel operating models
• Surviving and thriving in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environment
• Continual improvement of the organization’s digital transformation efforts

PART III

Strategic Capabilities 

• Strategic capabilities used through all stages of the digital and IT strategy journey

Module 9: Digital Leadership 

• The role of today’s digital leader 
• Overview of skills to be developed, for both existing and aspiring leaders

Module 10: Managing Innovation and Emerging Technologies 

• How organizations manage innovation, adopt emerging technologies, and create an environment that fosters innovation

Chapter 11: Digital Risk 

• Potential risks to consider when initiating digital transformation

Exam Preparation

Assignments 

• Students must complete a series of in-course assignments as a formal requirement to the DITS course. The completion of the assignments is a part of the official DITS certification process. After passing the four (4) assignments based on a case study, students will be permitted to schedule their formal DITS examination with PeopleCert