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ITIL 4 Specialist: High-velocity IT (HVIT) is the ITIL 4 module on Agile, Lean, DevOps, and digital operating models, and PeopleCert still sells it after the ITIL (Version 5) launch. This guide covers the 90-minute exam, the training rule, its place in ITIL 4 Managing Professional, the planned 2027 sunset, and the roles it supports.
ITIL 4 Specialist: High-velocity IT (HVIT) is the ITIL 4 module on running service management in organizations that sell through digital products and ship changes constantly. It is one of the four modules behind the ITIL 4 Managing Professional designation.
Where Foundation teaches the vocabulary, HVIT applies it to the way digital teams actually work: Agile and Lean delivery, DevOps pipelines, cloud platforms, and automation. PeopleCert describes it as practical skills for adapting service management to a dynamic, high-velocity environment, with the aim of building resilient systems and improving service quality and speed.
HVIT is still on sale after the February 2026 launch of ITIL (Version 5), and PeopleCert's current plan is to sunset all ITIL 4 modules on December 31, 2027. Entry requires ITIL 4 Foundation (or another accepted ITIL certificate) and accredited training. The certification is issued by PeopleCert, which holds the ITIL framework.
Applying IT in ways that are strategically innovative and effective.
Getting IT services and IT-related products built and delivered quickly.
Running IT services and products that keep working under pressure.
Effective interaction between the service provider and the consumer.
Meeting governance, risk, and compliance requirements along the way.
Four things that set High-velocity IT apart from the rest of the ITIL 4 scheme in 2026.
HVIT is the ITIL 4 module written for organizations where releases ship through automated pipelines and customers judge a service by how it performs today. It connects the ITIL value system to Agile, Lean, DevOps, and cloud delivery, so governance and speed stop pulling against each other.
HVIT sits alongside Create, Deliver and Support, Drive Stakeholder Value, and Direct, Plan and Improve. Pass all four on top of ITIL 4 Foundation and you qualify for the ITIL 4 Managing Professional designation.
ITIL 4 runs in parallel with ITIL (Version 5) until the planned December 31, 2027 sunset, and PeopleCert accepts ITIL 4 certificates as prerequisites for higher-level Version 5 modules. Our breakdown of what changed in Version 5 covers it in detail.
ITIL is not a DoD 8140 credential. As a service management framework rather than a cybersecurity one, it does not appear in the Qualification Matrix V2.1, so on its own it will not satisfy a cyber-coded position requirement. The current matrix is published at the DoD Cyber Exchange.
Its weight is market-driven. PeopleCert calls ITIL 4 the world's most widely used IT service management framework, and HVIT carries that recognition into DevOps, product, and operations teams.
The certification, the exam, and how to keep it current, as of October 2026.
HVIT is one of four modules on the way to Managing Professional, and the ITIL (Version 5) launch adds two more routes forward from there.
Add Create, Deliver and Support, Drive Stakeholder Value, and Direct, Plan and Improve. PeopleCert's advice to anyone close to the designation is to finish the ITIL 4 modules first and earn it while ITIL 4 is still on sale.
Once you hold ITIL 4 Managing Professional, this module moves the designation to ITIL Managing Professional (Version 5). It has two open-book exams, PeopleCert puts the recommended training at as little as five days, and it has no planned sunset.
PeopleCert accepts ITIL 4 certificates as prerequisites for higher-level Version 5 modules such as ITIL Product, ITIL Service, ITIL Experience, ITIL Strategy, and ITIL Transformation. Passing any Version 5 certificate also renews your ITIL 4 certificates.
HVIT sits in the middle of the ITIL 4 path: Foundation first, then the four Managing Professional modules, then the designation and the move to Version 5.
The prerequisite
Managing Professional set
Professional level
Two questions to answer before you commit: can you sit it, and should you pursue HVIT specifically. Here's a straight answer to both.
ITIL 4 Foundation, or another accepted ITIL certificate.
PeopleCert accepts ITIL 4 Foundation, any ITIL v3 certification, or the ITIL 4 Managing Professional certificate. ITIL Foundation (Version 5) does not appear on that list, so if it is the only Foundation you hold, confirm with PeopleCert before you book.
Self-study alone will not release your result.
Unlike Foundation, HVIT requires training through an Accredited Training Organization or ITIL Official eLearning. PeopleCert will not release exam results without proof that you completed it, so plan the course and the exam together.
PeopleCert lists HVIT as popular with people in development, change, operations, service management, and digital product roles. These are the jobs it supports most directly.
Runs services that now change weekly or daily rather than a few times a year. HVIT shows how to keep service levels, change control, and continual improvement working at that pace.
Owns a digital product from first idea to retirement. The digital product lifecycle and the five HVIT objectives give this role a way to weigh investment, delivery speed, and resilience together.
Leads software teams that deliver continuously. HVIT covers the practices around them, from software development and management to service validation, testing, and deployment.
Keeps platforms available as the volume of change climbs. Availability, capacity, monitoring, and problem management are the resilient operations practices HVIT puts in front of this role.
Moves changes into production without becoming the bottleneck. HVIT treats change in the context of automated delivery and managed risk, which is exactly where this role sits.
Moves a traditional IT organization toward digital operating models. HVIT gives that work a shared vocabulary for culture, Lean thinking, and the trade-off between speed and control.
HVIT is one of four ITIL 4 modules behind Managing Professional. Here's how it differs from the other three.
| High-velocity IT | Create, Deliver and Support | Drive Stakeholder Value | Direct, Plan and Improve | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Module Type | ITIL 4 Specialist | ITIL 4 Specialist | ITIL 4 Specialist | ITIL 4 Strategist |
| Focus | Agile, Lean, DevOps and digital operating models | Designing, delivering and supporting services | Stakeholder relationships and value co-creation | Direction, governance and continual improvement |
| Prerequisites | ITIL 4 Foundation (or ITIL v3) plus accredited training | ITIL 4 Foundation (or ITIL v3) plus accredited training | ITIL 4 Foundation (or ITIL v3) plus accredited training | ITIL 4 Foundation (or ITIL v3) plus accredited training |
| Exam | 40 items, 90 min, closed book | 40 items, 90 min, closed book | 40 items, 90 min, closed book | 40 items, 90 min, closed book |
| Passing Score | 70% | 70% | 70% | 70% |
| Counts Toward | ITIL 4 Managing Professional | ITIL 4 Managing Professional | ITIL 4 Managing Professional | ITIL 4 Managing Professional |
| Planned Sunset | Dec 31, 2027 | Dec 31, 2027 | Dec 31, 2027 | Dec 31, 2027 |
| Best For | Teams shipping at DevOps speed | Service delivery and support staff | Relationship and experience roles | Managers setting direction |
The four modules share one exam format, so the choice between them comes down to focus. ITIL certifications do not appear on the DoD 8140 Matrix. In the ITIL (Version 5) scheme, the Managing Professional modules (ITIL Product, ITIL Service, ITIL Experience and ITIL Transformation) use open-book exams instead.
Certification Matchups: the published facts, strengths and weak spots of 33 certifications, side by side.
Our 4-day High-velocity IT boot camp is live and instructor-led, in person or online, and uses PeopleCert's official courseware. It includes the HVIT handbook, a study guide, prep questions, a mock exam, your exam voucher, and a PeopleCert Take2 re-sit. Certification is awarded by PeopleCert on passing the exam.
The ITIL® 4 course on this page is offered by Cornerstone Service Management, an Accredited Training Organization (ATO) of PeopleCert.
ITIL is a registered trademark of PeopleCert International, used under the permission of PeopleCert International. All rights reserved.
What Version 5 means for ITIL 4 holders, how ITIL works alongside DevOps, and the automation and resilience topics HVIT is built around.
What moved between ITIL 4 and Version 5, how the new designations are built, and what it means if you are partway through an ITIL 4 path like Managing Professional.
How teams keep ITIL governance while shipping through DevOps pipelines, with real examples, value stream mapping, and the metrics that matter.
A practical primer on the framework, the certification levels, and how to put ITIL to work without over-engineering it. Useful grounding before an advanced module.
What separates authorized training from shortcuts and memorization sites. Relevant here because PeopleCert requires accredited training before it releases an HVIT result.
Where service management and security discipline meet, the same ground HVIT covers under its assured conformance objective.
A real outage that took major services offline for hours, and what it says about resilience, hidden dependencies, and preparing for the next one.
The automation side of IT operations, from pipeline code to continuous integration and delivery. The hands-on skills that sit beside the service view HVIT takes.
PeopleCert groups HVIT into nine learning areas, from digital transformation strategy through automation, resilience, and culture. PeopleCert publishes no per-area weights, so none are shown. Click any area for what it covers.
The strategies and approaches for turning traditional IT operations into a more digitally focused and agile environment, and how to judge when that move makes sense.
How Agile and DevOps practices apply to IT service management to speed up service delivery, improve collaboration between teams, and cut wasted effort.
Applying Lean principles to remove waste and streamline work within IT operations, and building continuous improvement into the way teams run day to day.
The role of automation, along with AI and machine learning, in modern IT operations, and how to use these technologies for efficiency and innovation.
The concepts of digital product management, and how to design, develop, and manage digital products and services that meet customer needs and deliver value.
Keeping digital services resilient and secure in a high-velocity environment, including strategies for dealing with security threats and vulnerabilities.
Measuring and reporting the key performance indicators and metrics that show how well digital services are performing and whether they are effective.
Why a customer-centric mindset matters, and how to deliver services that line up with customer expectations and create a positive experience.
The part culture plays in the move to high-velocity IT, with strategies for building a culture of innovation, collaboration, and agility.
Learning areas reflect the PeopleCert ITIL 4 Specialist: High-velocity IT product page as of October 2026. Confirm the current published syllabus with PeopleCert or your accredited training provider before scheduling.
The questions candidates ask most often when researching ITIL 4 Specialist: High-velocity IT.
ITIL 4 Specialist: High-velocity IT (HVIT) is an advanced ITIL 4 module from PeopleCert. It covers how service management works in digital organizations that rely on Agile, Lean, DevOps, cloud, and automation to deliver quickly. It's one of the four modules required for the ITIL 4 Managing Professional designation.
Yes. PeopleCert still lists and sells HVIT as of October 2026. ITIL 4 and ITIL (Version 5) are running in parallel, and PeopleCert's current plan is to sunset all ITIL 4 modules on December 31, 2027. PeopleCert says exam voucher validity dates for ITIL 4 will be announced in due course.
Not as a like-for-like module. The ITIL (Version 5) Managing Professional path is built from ITIL Foundation, ITIL Product, ITIL Service, ITIL Experience, and ITIL Transformation, and PeopleCert has not named a direct Version 5 replacement for HVIT. If you already hold ITIL 4 Managing Professional, the Managing Professional Transition (Version 5) module is the upgrade route. Our ITIL Foundation (Version 5) guide covers the new scheme.
You need ITIL 4 Foundation, any ITIL v3 certification, or the ITIL 4 Managing Professional certificate. You also need to complete training through an Accredited Training Organization or ITIL Official eLearning, and PeopleCert won't release your exam result without proof of that training. ITIL Foundation (Version 5) isn't among the prerequisites PeopleCert lists for HVIT, so check with PeopleCert first if that's the Foundation you hold.
The exam has 40 multiple-choice questions to complete in 90 minutes. It's closed book, and the passing score is 70 percent, which is 28 correct answers out of 40. It's available in nine languages, including English.
PeopleCert delivers the exam through its own online proctoring, so you can sit it from home or the office with a computer, a webcam, and an internet connection. It isn't delivered through Pearson VUE. You book a time slot and sit the exam under remote supervision.
ITIL 4 Managing Professional requires ITIL 4 Foundation plus four modules: Specialist Create, Deliver and Support, Specialist Drive Stakeholder Value, Specialist High-velocity IT, and Strategist Direct, Plan and Improve. PeopleCert's advice for anyone one module short is to finish the ITIL 4 set and earn the designation, then use the Managing Professional Transition (Version 5) module to move it to the new scheme.
If you're already working toward ITIL 4 Managing Professional, taking HVIT before the planned December 31, 2027 sunset keeps that path intact, and the designation can be upgraded later through the transition module. If you're starting fresh with no ITIL 4 modules, the Version 5 path is the longer-lived choice. Either way, PeopleCert accepts ITIL 4 certificates as prerequisites for higher-level Version 5 modules.
The certification carries a three-year renewal date. You keep it current by logging 60 Continuing Professional Development points through PeopleCert Plus membership, or by passing another exam in the same product suite before the renewal date. Passing any ITIL (Version 5) certification also renews ITIL 4 certificates, because all ITIL certifications sit in one product suite.
HVIT supports roles such as IT Service Manager, Digital Product Manager, IT Development Manager, IT Operations Specialist, Change and Release Specialist, and Digital Transformation Lead. PeopleCert names development, change, operations, service management, and digital product roles among the professionals it's popular with.
PeopleCert offers Take2, an official re-sit option that lets you book a second attempt within six months of the first, taken through online proctoring. Training Camp's boot camp includes a Take2 re-sit, so a missed first attempt has a structured second chance. Take2 is a re-sit arrangement rather than a guarantee of passing.
For anyone finishing ITIL 4 Managing Professional, or working where DevOps and service management meet, yes. It's the ITIL 4 module most focused on fast, digital ways of working, and an ITIL 4 Managing Professional can move to Version 5 through the transition module. It's a weaker choice if you're starting from scratch, since all ITIL 4 modules are planned to sunset at the end of 2027.
Whether you're one module short of Managing Professional, weighing HVIT against the Version 5 path, or arranging ITIL training for a team, tell us where you are and we'll help you map out the right path.