The perception of success in IT has changed. In the past, it was enough for a system to be “up” for the technical team to consider the job well done. With the arrival of ITIL 5, that simplistic view has been replaced by a much deeper and more strategic approach. Now, service quality in ITIL 5 is understood as the co-creation of value between the provider and the consumer.

In this article, we’ll explore how the new framework redefines quality through four essential pillars—and how this view helps your organization deliver digital products that truly satisfy user needs.

Read also: The Definitive Guide to ITIL 5

What Defines Service Quality in ITIL 5?

According to the official ITIL 5 Foundation material, service quality is the sum of the characteristics of a service that are relevant to its ability to satisfy stated and implied needs.

In practice, this means it’s not enough to deliver what was specified in a contract; you must understand the customer’s context. To manage this quality, organizations translate stakeholder expectations into metrics, creating what we call service levels.

Unlike previous versions, ITIL 5 emphasizes that quality is not delivered unilaterally—it is co-created. If the consumer doesn’t know how to use the resource, or if the provider doesn’t understand the business objective, the final quality will suffer.

The 4 Pillars of Service Level

To ensure a holistic view, service levels in ITIL 5 are divided into four foundational categories. The key to effective management is balancing these pillars within your Value System:

1. Utility

Utility focuses on what the service does. It is the functionality offered to meet a specific need. To have utility, the service must support the consumer’s performance or remove constraints. In simple terms, it’s the classic “fit for purpose.”

2. Warranty

Warranty focuses on how the service performs. It ensures the service will be available when needed, will have enough capacity, and will be secure and continuous. This is the pillar of “fit for use.”

3. Sustainability

One of the biggest new elements in a framework aligned with Industry 5.0. Sustainability ensures the product or service meets requirements for environmental responsibility, social progress, and economic growth. This includes everything from clean energy usage to ethics in supply chains.

4. Experience (UX)

User experience (UX) is the sum of functional and emotional interactions with the service and the provider. Factors such as ease of use, interface design, and perceived value by the end user are critical here.

The Balance Challenge: Why No Pillar Is “More Important”

A common mistake leaders make is over-focusing on just one pillar. ITIL 5 warns that none of them is inherently more important than the others. Here are a few practical examples of imbalance:

• Focusing only on Experience: You might build a beautiful, intuitive app—but if it doesn’t deliver real organizational benefit (lack of utility), it becomes a waste of resources.
• Focusing only on Warranty: There’s no point investing millions in high availability for a service that doesn’t require real-time access. That creates unnecessary costs across your Value Chain.
• Ignoring Sustainability: A service can be useful and fast today, but if it’s unsafe or unsustainable long-term, it becomes a legal and reputational risk.

How to Apply Service Quality to Your Career

Understanding service quality in ITIL 5 changes what it means to be an IT professional. You stop being a “tool operator” and become a value manager. By mastering these concepts, you’ll be able to design much smarter Service Level Agreements (SLAs)—including experience and sustainability metrics, not just cold uptime numbers.

For organizations, adopting this view means higher customer retention and a leaner operation focused on what truly matters to the business.

Want to master ITIL 5’s new guidelines and stand out in the market?
At PMG Academy, our courses focus on practical application and preparation for official certifications. Learn with specialists how to turn your Value System into a results engine.

Did you like this content? Comment below: how does your organization balance user experience with IT’s technical goals?