RELEASE, CONTROL AND VALIDATION CERTIFICATE

The ITIL Intermediate Qualification: Release, Control and Validation (RCV) Certificate is a free-standing qualification, but is also part of the ITIL Intermediate Capability stream, and one of the modules that leads to the ITIL Expert in IT Service Management Certificate. The purpose of this training module and the associated exam and certificate is, respectively, to impart, test, and validate the knowledge on industry practices in Service Management as documented in the ITIL Service Lifecycle core publications.

The ITIL Certificate in Release, Control and Validation is intended to enable the holders of the certificate to apply the practices during the Service Management Lifecycle and specifically in the following key ITIL process and role areas:

Change Management
Release and Deployment Management
Service Validation and Testing
Service Asset and Configuration Management
Knowledge Management
Request Fulfilment
Evaluation

Target Group

The main target group of the ITIL Intermediate Qualification: Release, Control and Validation includes but is not restricted to:

IT professionals
Business managers
Business process owners
Individuals who have attained the V3 ITIL Foundation certificate in Service Management, or the V2 Foundation plus the V3 Foundation Bridge certificate and who wish to advance to higher level ITIL certifications.
Individuals who require a deep understanding of Release, Control and Validation processes and how it may be used to enhance the quality of IT service support within an organization.
IT professionals that are working within an organization that has adopted and adapted ITIL who need to be informed about and thereafter contribute to an ongoing service improvement programme
Operational staff involved in Change Management, Release and Deployment Management, Service Validation and Testing, Service Asset and Configuration Management, Request Fulfilment, Evaluation and Knowledge Management, who wish to enhance their role-based capabilities.
Individuals seeking progress towards the ITIL Master in IT Service Management for which the ITIL Expert is a prerequisite

Learning Objectives

Candidates can expect to gain competencies in the following upon successful completion of the education and examination components related to this certification:

The importance of Service Management as a Practice concept and Service Transition Principles, Purpose and Objective
The importance of ITIL Release, Control and Validation while providing service
How all processes in ITIL Release, Control and Validation interact with other Service Lifecycle Processes
What are the processes, activities, methods and functions used in each of the ITIL Release, Control and Validation processes
How to use the ITIL Release, Control and Validation processes, activities and functions to achieve operational excellence
How to measure ITIL Release, Control and Validation
The importance of IT Security and its contributions to ITIL Release, Control and Validation
The technology and implementation considerations surrounding ITIL Release, Control and Validation
Change Management as a capability to realize successful service transition
Service Validation and Testing as a capability to assure the integrity and the quality of service transition
Service Asset and Configuration Management as a capability to monitor the state of service transition
Knowledge Management as part of enhancing the on-going management decision support and service delivery capability
Request Fulfilment and Evaluation to assure meeting committed service level performance
Release Control and Validation process roles and responsibilities
Technology and Implementation Considerations
Challenges, Critical Success Factors and Risks associated to ITIL Release, Control and Validation

In addition, the training for this qualification should include examination preparation, including a mock examination opportunity.

Prerequisite Entry Criteria

Candidates wishing to be trained and examined for this qualification must already hold the ITIL Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management (the V3 Foundation or V2 Foundation plus Bridge Certificate) which shall be presented as documentary evidence to gain admission.

It is also strongly recommended that candidates:

Demonstrate familiarity with IT terminology and understand the context of Release, Control and Validation management in their own business environment
Have some experience of working in a service management capacity within a service provider environment, with responsibility relating to at least one of the following service management processes:
o Change Management
o Release and Deployment Management
o Service Asset and Configuration Management
o Evaluation
o Knowledge Management
o Service Validation and Testing

It is also strongly recommended that candidates read the ITIL Service Lifecycle core publications in advance of attending training for the certification, and in particular the Service Transition and Service Operation publications.