In today’s dynamic technology ecosystem, building an innovative product is only half the battle. Real value is realized by the customer when that product runs stably, securely, and predictably day-to-day. In ITIL 5, this responsibility falls under the Operate activity.

Moving away from legacy views that treated operations as purely reactive “firefighting,” ITIL 5 positions it as a strategic stage of the Service Value Chain. In this article, we’ll explore how this activity ensures service reliability and why concepts like SRE and Observability have become indispensable.

Read also: The Definitive Guide to ITIL 5

The Purpose of the Operate Activity in ITIL 5
The core objective of the Operate activity in ITIL 5 is to maintain and monitor digital products and their supporting systems to ensure agreed-upon performance and reliability. This is where the organization’s Service Value System (SVS) proves its effectiveness in the real world.

While the Build and Transition activities focus on creation and deployment, the Operate activity focuses on sustainability and support. It involves:

• Running technology platforms and systems.
• Continuous monitoring and event processing.
• Conducting routine tests (security and continuity).
• Managing backups and preventive maintenance.

A key point highlighted by the framework is that successful operations should, for the most part, be invisible to the user. If the customer notices operations, it’s usually because of a failure in availability or performance.

Reliability and Observability: The Pillars of Modern Operations
To handle the complexity of today’s digital environments, ITIL 5 integrates advanced concepts that elevate operational management. Two terms stand out:

1. Reliability
   Reliability is the ability of a product or service to perform its intended function for a specific period. To ensure this, many organizations are adopting SRE (Site Reliability Engineering). SRE is a discipline that applies software engineering concepts to infrastructure and operations problems, creating ultra-scalable and highly reliable systems.
2. Observability
   It’s no longer enough to just “monitor” if a server is up. Observability is the ability to understand the internal state of a complex system by analyzing its external outputs, such as metrics, logs, and traces. With a solid observability strategy, teams in the Operate activity can identify risks and bottlenecks before they turn into incidents.

The Operate Activity Workflow
To ensure that operations are streamlined rather than chaotic, ITIL 5 defines a clear workflow consisting of three essential steps:

1. Assess Transitioned Solutions and Operational Requirements: Before taking control, the operations team must ensure the product meets the readiness criteria defined during the design phase.
2. Plan Operation Activities and Confirm Resources: This involves scheduling manual tasks and configuring automated routines, ensuring the right tools and people are available.
3. Execute Operational Plans and Report Status: This is the day-to-day execution where product status is communicated to stakeholders and any deviation is logged for investigation.

Integration with the Value Chain and Continual Improvement
The Operate activity is not an isolated silo. It is a rich source of data for the rest of the Value Chain. Data generated during operations provides valuable inputs for:

• Discover: Identifying new user needs based on actual behavior.
• Design: Improving the design of future products to make them easier to operate.
• Support: Providing immediate context for incident resolution.

Additionally, the activity is supported by critical management practices, such as Monitoring and Event Management and Infrastructure and Platform Management.

How Does This Benefit Your Career and Your Company?
Mastering the Operate activity in ITIL 5 transforms the IT professional. You move from being a “console operator” to becoming a value-focused Reliability Engineer.

• For the Company: It reduces downtime, enhances information security, and ensures that technology investments yield the expected return through stable services.
• For the Professional: It opens doors to cutting-edge fields like SRE and AIOps (AI applied to operations)—positions that are highly valued in digital-native companies.

Take the Next Step in Your Professional Journey
Understanding the theory of operations is just the beginning; applying these concepts in complex environments requires the right training. At PMG Academy, our courses are designed to turn technical knowledge into strategic authority, preparing you for official ITIL certifications with a focus on real-world market practice.

Explore our ITIL courses and become a Digital Reliability expert!

Does your company already use SRE or Observability practices in its operations? Share your experience below, and let’s exchange insights on the future of IT management!