Figure 8 illustrates the ITIL service lifecycle phases integrated with examples of project activities before, during, and after the project ends.
Figure 8. Activities Related to Projects within the ITIL Service Lifecycle Stages
Before the Project Starts
- Service Strategy identifies opportunities for IT services to add value, guiding the project's initial direction. It evaluates project feasibility and develops business cases that support the decision to move forward.
- Service Design creates an enterprise blueprint that shapes the solution architecture and technical specifications. It also plans service transitions and develops SLAs to ensure services align with organisational goals.
During the Project
- Service Transition ensures a smooth handover of IT services from design to operational deployment. This phase includes detailed planning and risk management to minimise disruptions, as outlined in the Extended Service Transition Model.
After the Project Ends
- Service Operation integrates the newly delivered product into the existing operational framework, supporting users through incident and problem management. It also ensures secure and efficient access management for ongoing operations.
- Continual Service Improvement uses feedback from the operational environment to identify areas for enhancing IT services. Projects establish frameworks for gathering this input and initiating improvement initiatives to refine service performance over time.