When ITIL 4 was introduced, one of its biggest - and most misunderstood - shifts was moving away from processes to a broader, more flexible concept: practices .   See also What is the difference between Process Owner, Process Manager, and Process Practitioner? In earlier versions of ITIL, each process had a clear sequence of activities, inputs, and outputs. That approach helped organizations standardize service management but often led to rigidity,  especially as digital transformation accelerated and work became more cross-functional. ITIL 4 recognized that service management isn’t just about what we do, but also who , how , and why . A practice is a holistic set of organizational resources -  people, processes, information, and technology -  working together to achieve outcomes. Processes still exist, but they now sit inside practices rather than defining them. What This Means for the Service Management Office (SMO) For many SMOs, this shift...