- A
Deploy the pipeline in a central DevOps account. Use cross-account IAM roles to deploy to target accounts.
Central pipeline with cross-account roles provides centralized control and secure access.
- B
Create a separate pipeline in each account using the same source repository.
Why wrong: Duplicating pipelines increases maintenance overhead and does not centralize management.
- C
Use AWS CodePipeline with cross-account actions by assuming IAM roles in each target account.
This is a valid approach, but it is essentially the same as option B; however, option B is more general and operationally efficient. Actually, both B and C are similar; but note the question says 'MOST secure and scalable'. Option C is more specific about using cross-account actions. However, the correct answer is B because it describes the architecture. To avoid ambiguity, I will set B as correct.
Quick Answer
The answer is to use AWS CodePipeline with cross-account actions by assuming IAM roles in each target account. This is correct because it centralizes the pipeline in a single DevOps account while granting scoped, temporary permissions to deploy resources into each target account, eliminating the need for long-term credentials or duplicated resources. For the SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of secure cross-account CI/CD pipeline design under AWS Control Tower, where the key trap is choosing to duplicate the pipeline or artifact store per account, which violates the single source of truth requirement. The exam expects you to recognize that cross-account IAM roles, combined with a shared source repository and artifact store, provide the most secure and scalable approach by adhering to least privilege and simplifying management as new accounts are added. Memory tip: think “One pipeline to rule them all” — centralize the pipeline, assume roles to deploy, never share keys.
SAP-C02 Practice Question: Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design solutions for organizational complexity. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company has multiple AWS accounts managed via AWS Control Tower. The DevOps team wants to deploy a shared CI/CD pipeline that can deploy applications across all accounts. The pipeline must use the same source repository and artifact store. What is the MOST secure and scalable approach?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Deploy the pipeline in a central DevOps account. Use cross-account IAM roles to deploy to target accounts.
Option A is correct because deploying the pipeline in a central DevOps account and using cross-account IAM roles to deploy to target accounts follows the principle of least privilege and centralizes management. This approach avoids duplicating resources, ensures a single source of truth for the source repository and artifact store, and scales easily as new accounts are added via AWS Control Tower. Cross-account IAM roles allow the pipeline to assume a role in each target account with scoped permissions, eliminating the need for long-term credentials.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Deploy the pipeline in a central DevOps account. Use cross-account IAM roles to deploy to target accounts.
Why this is correct
Central pipeline with cross-account roles provides centralized control and secure access.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Create a separate pipeline in each account using the same source repository.
Why it's wrong here
Duplicating pipelines increases maintenance overhead and does not centralize management.
- ✓
Use AWS CodePipeline with cross-account actions by assuming IAM roles in each target account.
Why this is correct
This is a valid approach, but it is essentially the same as option B; however, option B is more general and operationally efficient. Actually, both B and C are similar; but note the question says 'MOST secure and scalable'. Option C is more specific about using cross-account actions. However, the correct answer is B because it describes the architecture. To avoid ambiguity, I will set B as correct.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse 'cross-account actions' (Option C) with the central DevOps account pattern (Option A), not realizing that Option A explicitly describes the recommended architecture for AWS Control Tower environments, while Option C is a generic feature that could be implemented without a dedicated central account, which is less secure and scalable.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, AWS CodePipeline can use cross-account actions by having the pipeline assume an IAM role in the target account via the AWS Security Token Service (STS) AssumeRole API. The pipeline's service role in the central account must have sts:AssumeRole permissions to the target account roles, which themselves must trust the central account. This pattern is recommended by AWS for multi-account CI/CD because it keeps the pipeline definition and artifact store (e.g., Amazon S3 bucket) in a single account, while deployment actions execute in target accounts with scoped permissions, ensuring auditability and compliance with AWS Control Tower's guardrails.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAP-C02 question test?
Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity — This question tests Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Deploy the pipeline in a central DevOps account. Use cross-account IAM roles to deploy to target accounts. — Option A is correct because deploying the pipeline in a central DevOps account and using cross-account IAM roles to deploy to target accounts follows the principle of least privilege and centralizes management. This approach avoids duplicating resources, ensures a single source of truth for the source repository and artifact store, and scales easily as new accounts are added via AWS Control Tower. Cross-account IAM roles allow the pipeline to assume a role in each target account with scoped permissions, eliminating the need for long-term credentials.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
This SAP-C02 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the SAP-C02 exam.
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