CISSP Practice Exam 2026 – Complete Prep Guide

The reasoning behind selecting the software development lifecycle as not being a component of the ITIL framework is grounded in the primary focus of ITIL. ITIL, which stands for Information Technology Infrastructure Library, is primarily concerned with service management.

The key components of ITIL, such as incident management, change management, and service level management, are all centered around managing IT services effectively and ensuring that they meet business needs. Incident management deals with restoring normal service operations as quickly as possible after an incident, minimizing impact on the business. Change management ensures that modifications to the IT environment are carried out systematically to prevent disruption. Service level management focuses on negotiating and ensuring agreed-upon levels of service between the service provider and the customer.

In contrast, the software development lifecycle refers specifically to the process of planning, creating, testing, and deploying software applications. While it may be influenced by ITIL principles in some organizations, it is not a direct part of the ITIL service management framework. Thus, the software development lifecycle does not fall under the specific components that delineate ITIL's scope.