Key performance indicators are part of everyday life in service management. However, many organizations still primarily measure what is easy to measure, not necessarily what really drives performance. Ticket volume, processing times, and technical availability provide data, but often do not answer the crucial questions: Do our services generate real value? Is service quality improving sustainably? And how well can we manage our organization?
With ITIL Version 5, often referred to as ITIL 5 or the new ITIL, this perspective is coming to the fore. The focus is less on isolated process metrics and more on management that makes value contribution, experience, and flow visible.
Why traditional KPIs are often insufficient
In many IT organizations, KPIs have evolved over time. They measure operational activity, but rarely impact. Typical problems:
- Key figures are collected but not used for decision-making
- Teams optimize based on numbers, not service quality
- Business and IT interpret KPIs differently
- There are too many metrics, but no clear control logic.
ITIL 5 addresses this by viewing service management as part of value creation. This automatically changes the perspective on key performance indicators: away from pure output figures and toward measurable results that truly help stakeholders.
ITIL Version 5 brings key figures closer to value and impact
A key development in ITIL Version 5 is the stronger link between governance and the lifecycle of digital products and services. The Digital Product & Service Lifecycle makes it clear that it is not enough to simply measure operations. What matters is how reliably a service delivers value and evolves throughout its entire lifecycle.
This brings questions such as the following to the fore:
- Does the service deliver the expected added value for customers and employees?
- How stable and reliable is the user experience?
- How well is the organization able to implement improvements?
- Where do friction losses occur that prevent flow?
This perspective creates a more modern control logic than pure service desk metrics.
Three KPI areas that are becoming more important in ITIL 5
1. Value-oriented key figures
ITIL 5 focuses on whether services actually deliver the desired value. Depending on the context, this can mean:
- Achieving agreed service targets with a view to business priorities
- Reduction of downtime in business-critical processes
- Verifiable support for strategic corporate goals
It is crucial that key figures are not collected in isolation, but are aligned with clear objectives.
2. Experience as a control signal
Service quality is increasingly shaped by perception. ITIL Version 5 therefore strengthens the focus on experience, i.e., the service experience from the user's perspective.
This can be reflected, for example, in key figures such as:
- User satisfaction after service contact
- Perceived clarity and transparency of the service process
- Service experience along key touchpoints
This makes control not only technical, but also service-oriented.
3. Flow and ability to implement
In addition to governance and value, flow is an important guiding principle of the new ITIL. Flow-oriented control means making visible where work is stalling and why services are not being developed efficiently.
Typical control questions:
- How quickly are improvements implemented once the need arises?
- Where do delays arise due to handovers or coordination?
- How stable is the service's ability to change?
Flow metrics help to measure not only symptoms, but also organizational capability.
What is changing in practice
The biggest difference to classic KPI articles is that ITIL 5 does not view key figures as a reporting element, but rather as part of management and control work. Good metrics should facilitate decision-making, clarify priorities, and enable further development.
Organizations benefit particularly when they:
- Choose fewer key figures, but use them consistently.
- Align KPIs with goals rather than habits
- Aligning business and IT on common interpretations
- Combine key figures with continuous improvement
This is how reporting becomes real control.
Latest publications
Would you like to know how governance, value, and flow interact as guiding principles of ITIL 5? Then read the previous article:
Governance, Value, Flow: The guiding principles of ITIL Version 5 explained in an understandable way
Training tip: ITIL Version 5 Foundation at SERVIEW
If you want to not only collect key figures but also effectively manage service management, the ITIL Version 5 Foundation training course at SERVIEW is the ideal place to start. The training courses began at SERVIEW in March and teach participants how the new ITIL service management combines control and value orientation.
Find out more now:
ITIL 5 training courses at SERVIEW
