Managing Across the Lifecycle syllabus

APMG, the official accreditor for all ITIL and Prince2 certifications have released the first draft syllabus for the "capstone" course - Managing Across the Lifecycle.

The course, is looking like it will be a 28 contact hour course, with 50% of the contact hours being devoted to practical exercises and assignments.

All the new ITIL v3 course syllabi & exams are based around a "Blooms Taxonomy" Level. Blooms Taxonomy is a system created to help educators plot a progressive path for education. The levels move from basic knowledge and comprehension (Blooms level 1 & 2) through application and analysis (Blooms 3 & 4) and on to synthesis and evaluation (Levels 5 & 6).

The Managing across the Lifecycle will most likely be pitched at Blooms Level 5 (although the current syllabus indicates Level 4).

The exam for the Managing Across the Lifecycle is set to follow the Service Lifecycle and Service Capability programs with a "gradient style scoring system" for complex multiple choice questions. The exam looks set to have a duration of 90 minutes and will most likely have 20 questions.

Like all exams the final test is supervised and will be closed book. The prerequiste for the Managing Across the Lifecycle course will be a ITIL v3 Foundation level certificate (either straight v3 or the v2 + the v2 to v3 upgrade) and 15 credit points earned at the Service Lifecycle/Service Capability layer.

It is too early to discuss the actual contents of the syllabus as it is subject to change. Current opinion is that the program will be a fitting test of competency for those that want to fully appreciate the intricacies of ITIL v3 including risk management, managing strategic change and the associated organizational challenges.

Delay for Managers Bridge exam + Potential changes to Foundation syllabus

Word is out that the Managers bridge exam is to be delayed, due to the exams "not being balanced across the whole syllabus".

In the same release is a statement hinting at the possibility that the v3 Foundation syllabus may be too heavily weighted towards Service Strategy and Continual Service Improvement.

It would appear that this is a case of "about time". However, on the positive side it is an indication that complaints are actually heard and acted upon. However, how did we reach this situation in the first place.

The blame (for want of a better word) has to rest entirely with the parties on the examination panel responsible for the syllabus and ultimately the Chief Examiner for ITIL v3 - Sharon Taylor.

It would appear to this skeptic that the examination panel is made up of Service Management gurus and not one specialist education analyst amongst them. Was it not apparent that the qantum leap from v2 to v3 had to be handled very carefully and not simply scanning the table of contents and picking concepts at random.

Perhaps the Foundation course for v3 should not include Service Strategy and the Service Lifecycle at all. Keep the entry level for what will deliver the most benefit for the majority of people interested in it - discussions about process activities.

Is it really necessary to introduce the 4 activities of Strategy Generation at this early stage. Save that stuff for those that have an interest.

Is it too late to regain the lost ground - time will tell - what is important is that something has to be done and all indications point to the fact that it is.

Oh and one final point - someone please involve an education specialist who who understands the challenges of adult education and can put some real meaning to Blooms Taxonomy and Awareness, Comprehension, Knowledge - make it real.