CISA Governance and Management of IT Practice Question
A company has multiple business units with conflicting IT priorities. Which governance body should resolve this?
⚠ Common exam trap
CISA often tests the distinction between governance and management — candidates must remember that the IT steering committee is the governance body that resolves cross-business-unit IT priority conflicts, not IT management or the board.
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
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IT steering committee
An IT steering committee is the governance body composed of senior business and IT leaders that prioritizes IT investments and resolves conflicts between business units' competing IT priorities. It exists precisely to arbitrate cross-functional prioritization and align IT initiatives with business strategy, making it the correct forum for resolving conflicting priorities among business units.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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IT steering committee
Why this is correct
An IT steering committee provides cross-functional executive oversight, arbitrating competing priorities between business units and aligning IT investment with enterprise strategy. It holds the authority to allocate resources and settle conflicts that individual unit managers cannot resolve, directly satisfying the stem's requirement for a governance body to mediate conflicting IT priorities.
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Board of directors
Why it's wrong here
The board sets strategic direction and delegates IT priority arbitration to an executive-level steering committee; it does not adjudicate individual cross-unit conflicts. It would be correct for approving overall strategy and risk appetite, not for resolving operational prioritisation disputes between business units.
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IT management
Why it's wrong here
IT management implements and operates systems; it lacks the authority to arbitrate competing priorities across business units, since those trade-offs are investment and risk decisions. It would be correct for resolving technical execution questions within an approved portfolio, not for settling cross-unit conflicts.
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Audit committee
Why it's wrong here
The audit committee provides independent assurance over controls and reporting; it does not allocate IT investment or arbitrate competing business priorities, which would impair its independence. It would be the right body for overseeing risk and control assurance, not for deciding which unit's project proceeds.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official ISACA exam blueprint
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