CISA Practice Question: Information Systems Acquisition, Development and Implementation
This CISA practice question tests your understanding of information systems acquisition, development and implementation. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 is implementing a new ERP system. The project team plans to use a parallel conversion strategy. What is the PRIMARY advantage of this approach?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "primary"
Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Risk mitigation by allowing fallback to the old system.
The primary advantage of a parallel conversion strategy is risk mitigation. By running the new ERP system alongside the old system for a period, the organization can validate the new system's functionality and data integrity while retaining the ability to immediately fall back to the legacy system if critical failures occur. This approach ensures business continuity and reduces the impact of unforeseen issues during the transition.
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.
✗
Immediate realization of benefits from the new system.
Why it's wrong here
Benefits may be delayed as both systems run concurrently.
✓
Risk mitigation by allowing fallback to the old system.
Why this is correct
The main benefit is risk reduction via fallback capability.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Lower total cost due to reduced training requirements.
Why it's wrong here
Parallel conversion typically increases cost due to dual operations.
✗
Faster implementation compared to phased approach.
Why it's wrong here
Parallel conversion is often slower due to extra overhead.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse parallel conversion with phased conversion, mistakenly believing that parallel conversion is faster or cheaper, when in fact its primary value is risk reduction through fallback capability.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In a parallel conversion, both the legacy and new ERP systems process the same transactions concurrently, often using identical input data to compare outputs. This requires robust data synchronization and reconciliation processes, such as batch jobs that map and transform data between the two systems' schemas. A real-world scenario involves a financial institution migrating to a new core banking system; parallel runs for a full month-end close cycle allow auditors to verify that balances match exactly before decommissioning the old mainframe.
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 practitioner preparing for the CISA exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
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.
Information Systems Acquisition, Development and Implementation — This question tests Information Systems Acquisition, Development and Implementation — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Risk mitigation by allowing fallback to the old system. — The primary advantage of a parallel conversion strategy is risk mitigation. By running the new ERP system alongside the old system for a period, the organization can validate the new system's functionality and data integrity while retaining the ability to immediately fall back to the legacy system if critical failures occur. This approach ensures business continuity and reduces the impact of unforeseen issues during the transition.
What should I do if I get this CISA question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "primary". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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