Continual Improvement, Maturity or Transformation?

Figuring out the right path through ITIL (Version 5)

February 6, 2026

Joseph Nduhiu Mathenge

Continual Improvement, Maturity or Transformation? Figuring out the right path through ITIL (Version 5)

The world of service management has continued to evolve, as technology adoption has transformed how work and life are carried out over the last 40 years. This means that every organization has to constantly review where it stands in the eyes of its customers and stakeholders, and figure out the best way to optimally get the most out of existing and new technologies and deliver the required digital products and services. One of the decisions that is made during this process is determining which approach is best suited to raise the quality of service offerings and management systems.

Building on previous ITIL versions, ITIL (Version 5) provides guidance in raising the performance level of digital products and services, and the management activities throughout their lifecycle. There are three key terms that describe this journey in this framework: continual improvement, maturity, and transformation. Despite being different perspectives, these three approaches are all tied towards creating and retaining value for the organization, its customers and other stakeholders within the service value system (SVS). In this post, we will look at how these three terms are applied in the new guidance.

Continual Improvement

Continual Improvement is one of the five elements of the service value system, and is a recurrent organizational activity performed at all levels to ensure that stakeholder expectations are continually met. The ITIL (Version 5) guidance references the ITIL Continual Improvement Model, which has been a mainstay of previous ITIL versions, that provides a structured approach to planning and implementing improvements across the entire value system, including its practices, products and services. This model comprises seven steps which flow in an iterative manner and are linked to ensure improvements are managed properly. The steps are:

Step 1: What is the vision? Describe and clarify the direction, context, objectives, and boundaries for the improvement initiative so that stakeholders’ expectations and buy-in are understood.

Step 2: Where are we now? Conduct a current state assessment to determine the existing state, which will act as the baseline for measuring the improvement’s impact.

Step 3: Where do we want to be? Define the next target or desirable state in the form of clear objectives supported by critical success factors and key performance indicators.

Step 4: How do we get there? Outline the route to the desirable state, either direct or exploratory, based on an understanding of the vision, current and target state.

Step 5: Take action. Implement the actions to get to the desirable state through a series of iterations where there is an opportunity to check progress, reevaluate the approach and make relevant changes.

Step 6: Are we getting there? Assess the new current state against the desirable state and the baseline. Make decisions on additional work or a change of course where necessary.

Step 7: How do we keep the improvements relevant? Observe the improvement journey and use organizational change management and knowledge management practices to embed the improvements and limit the risk of reversion. If there is failure, inform stakeholders and identify lessons learnt to be applied in future initiatives.

While the number of steps hasn’t changed in ITIL (Version 5), some of the steps have been reworded for clarification and to help in application across any sector. The ITIL Continual Improvement Model is applicable to any initiative involving digital products, services, or practices that applies to a person, team or organization that is specific and time-bound, and may or may not involve external support.

Maturity

Maturity in ITIL (Version 5) is the measure of an organization’s ability to deliver predictable outcomes such as timely delivery, productivity, quality, compliance, and customer satisfaction. In ITIL (Version 5), the ITIL maturity model is referenced as a framework and assessment tool designed to help organizations assess and improve their digital product and service management capabilities. The ITIL maturity model has three types of assessments with different focus areas and use cases, allowing organisations to choose among them depending on their needs and readiness. Each type helps identify where you are, what good looks like, and how to get there. The types are:

Assessment Type	Focus	Use Case
Comprehensive assessment	Practices + value system maturity	Strategic transformation & formal certification
High-level maturity assessment	Value system maturity only	Initial diagnosis or governance alignment
Selected practices’ assessment	Individual practices’ capabilities	Tactical improvement of specific practices

Maturity is evaluated across five levels:

Initial: The practice or service value system is not well-organized, and may occasionally or partially achieve its purpose.

Managed: The practice or service value system systematically achieves its purpose through a basic set of activities supported by specialized resources.

Defined: The practice or service value system is well defined and achieves its purpose in an organized way through organization-wide standards with integrated dedicated resources.

Quantitative: The practice or service value system is data-driven, and its performance is quantitatively measured and assessed in the context.

Optimizing: The practice or service value system is optimized and focused on continually improving the organizational capabilities associated with its purpose.

Organizations deploy the ITIL Maturity Model to measure their product and service management approach to inform and monitor improvement progress, benchmark with other organizations, and obtain formal confirmation (certification) of their ability to act as an effective service provider. An ITIL maturity assessment is usually provided as a service from PeopleCert’s accredited consulting organizations. The maturity assessment findings can serve as inputs into steps 2, 3, and 6 of the ITIL Continual Improvement model previously referenced.

Transformation

The ITIL (Version 5) transformation guidance offers a model for planning, running, evaluating, and adjusting the transformation of organization’s value systems. Transformation addresses the volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) nature of today’s business and technology environments, and helps organizations find balance between manageability and flexibility. The ITIL (Version 5) transformation guidance includes a transformation model made up of four layers, twelve stages, and twenty-four steps, with three types of patterns, and a toolbox of twenty-seven methods supporting various transformational activities. Even though the components are many, organizations can pick and choose what works for them based on their context.

The transformation model layers and associated stages are as follows:

Governance: Direction and boundaries are established while allowing for flexibility. There are two stages here: Initiate and Orchestrate.

Positioning: The best-fitting approach for each situation is determined through contextual assessment. There are two stages here: Orient and Decide.

Execution: Changes are carried out using methods matched to the context. There are five stages here: Clarify, Prepare, Deliver, Evaluate, and Adapt.

Learning: Insights are captured to improve current work and build future capability. There are three stages here: Observe, Synthesize, and Reflect.

Most transformational initiatives include all 12 stages, but some may need to proceed straight through to the Deliver stage. There are three types of patterns: Execution, Initiation, and Governance. The steps of the Governance, Positioning, and Learning layers are universal to every transformation, while the steps in the execution layer depend on the selected execution pattern. The transformation approach is applicable to enterprise-wide initiatives, which involve a variety of stakeholders due to the grand scale, and may or may not require external support.

Final Thoughts

So which model does ITIL (Version 5) recommend for your organization? Well, each model has its scope of focus, and can be adopted and adapted based on your context. The ITIL Continual Improvement Model is the best fit where holistic improvement initiatives are required for localized digital products and services, as well as practices. The ITIL Maturity Model makes sense where comparison to best practice guidance for the service value system and its practices is required. The ITIL Transformation Model is applicable in an organization-wide context where the circumstances affecting the environment vary widely. Whatever your choice, remember that ITIL (Version 5) remains your trusted guide for improving service offerings and practices in a manner that delivers real value to the organisation and its stakeholders.