select-itil-practices

name	select-itil-practices
description	Pick the lightest set of ITIL 4 practices that delivers value, grounded in the service value system and guiding principles — adopt what earns its keep, skip the ceremony. Reach for this when standing up or right-sizing ITSM.

Skill: Select ITIL 4 practices

ITIL 4 is a toolbox, not a checklist. Adopt the practices that trace to value; skip the rest.

Step 1 — Start from value and the guiding principles

Name the outcomes the IT service must deliver and where it hurts today. Anchor on the seven guiding principles — especially focus on value, start where you are, keep it simple and practical, and optimize and automate.

Step 2 — Select the core

The common core for most organizations: incident management, problem management, change enablement, service request management, service desk, and configuration management. Adopt these first, lightly.

Step 3 — Add only on demonstrated need

Reach for further practices (service level management, availability, capacity, continuity, etc.) only when a real, named need appears — not because the framework lists them.

Step 4 — Right-size the ceremony

For each adopted practice, cut anything that doesn't trace to value. A CAB that reviews standard changes, an SLA with no OLA behind it, an unmaintained CMDB — these are ceremony, not control.

Step 5 — Wire governance + continual improvement

Set clear ownership, a small set of meaningful metrics, and a standing improvement loop. See ../../knowledge/itil4-practices-reference.md.