So is this the end of ITIL? Certainly not. As other "best practices" frameworks, "bodies of knowledge", standards and management approaches, ITIL has its place and it is important. Much of the ITIL books and related materials, including the Foundation training, can be used as a source of inspiration to reflect on things. A lot of the well-known concepts that have been documented in ITIL can even be a key eye-opener for various groups of professionals. They are so self-evident that reading them makes us see structure in things we already were aware of somehow at a less formal level. Standards and frameworks help us work together by offering us a common reference and terminology. And the latest versions of ITIL have undergone even further improvements to make them as ready for the world of today as possible. Yet, even the best frameworks come with limitations and a benefit for one situation may turn out to be a limitation for another one.
Actually, the relevant challenge is on applying frameworks appropriately and wisely. In today's reality, principles from ITIL need to be challenged to the real situation at hand, and to be tuned and applied to what is needed in combination with pragmatism and real-life experience on what works. The "tools" offered by ITIL and other frameworks can still remain in the toolbox, even though using the right tools the right way may have become more difficult today. This text wanted to provide one viewpoint on being aware of known potential limitations of the toolset. We wanted to explore fields where ITIL increasingly needs to be complemented with other insights. This will make the use of the tools even stronger and more relevant for the practice.