- A
Allow the go-live with a formal post-implementation support plan and a dedicated team to address defects.
Why wrong: This accepts the risk of data integrity failures and untested functionality, which could lead to regulatory penalties and financial loss.
- B
Recommend halting the go-live until the business requirements are formally signed off and UAT is completed successfully with all critical defects resolved.
This addresses root causes: lack of formal sign-off and unresolved defects, ensuring a controlled implementation.
- C
Suggest a phased go-live, releasing the tested modules to production while continuing development on the remaining modules.
Why wrong: Data integrity issues are not limited to specific modules; phased deployment would still expose critical processes to risk.
- D
Escalate the issues to the board of directors and recommend immediate termination of the project.
Why wrong: Termination is premature; the project can be remediated with proper controls and additional investment.
Quick Answer
The answer is to recommend halting the go-live until business requirements are formally signed off and UAT is completed with all critical defects resolved. This is the correct course because the go-live decision criteria for any system implementation require that unresolved data integrity issues and missing formal sign-offs be treated as absolute blockers; uncontrolled ad hoc code changes in the test environment further violate ISACA’s IS acquisition standards, which mandate that all critical defects be fixed and UAT pass before production deployment. On the CISA exam, this scenario tests your understanding that regulatory deadlines never override fundamental controls—the trap is choosing a “fix it later” option, which ignores the risk of cascading data corruption and regulatory penalties. Remember the memory tip: “No sign-off, no go-live; data integrity must survive.”
CISA Practice Question: Information Systems Acquisition, Development and Implementation
This CISA practice question tests your understanding of information systems acquisition, development and implementation. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 large financial institution is implementing a new core banking system to replace a legacy system. The project has been underway for 18 months and is behind schedule. User acceptance testing (UAT) has revealed significant data integrity issues, including missing customer records and incorrect interest calculations. The project manager, under pressure from senior management to meet a regulatory deadline, proposes going live with a promise to fix the issues in a post-implementation phase. The development team has been making ad hoc code changes directly in the test environment without version control or proper testing. Additionally, the IS auditor discovers that the business requirements were never formally signed off by the user community; only verbal approvals were obtained. The project has consumed 90% of the budget but only 60% of the functionality is tested. Which of the following is the BEST course of action for the IS auditor to recommend?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"best"Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Clue:
"never"Why it matters: Absolute qualifier. True only if the statement has zero exceptions — be cautious of options that seem obvious but break down in edge cases.
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
Recommend halting the go-live until the business requirements are formally signed off and UAT is completed successfully with all critical defects resolved.
Option B is correct because the project lacks formal sign-off on business requirements, has unresolved critical data integrity issues, and has been making uncontrolled code changes without version control. Going live under these conditions would violate ISACA's IS acquisition and implementation standards, which require that all critical defects be resolved and UAT be successfully completed before production deployment. The regulatory deadline does not justify bypassing these fundamental controls, as post-implementation fixes cannot guarantee data integrity and could lead to regulatory penalties.
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.
- ✗
Allow the go-live with a formal post-implementation support plan and a dedicated team to address defects.
Why it's wrong here
This accepts the risk of data integrity failures and untested functionality, which could lead to regulatory penalties and financial loss.
- ✓
Recommend halting the go-live until the business requirements are formally signed off and UAT is completed successfully with all critical defects resolved.
Why this is correct
This addresses root causes: lack of formal sign-off and unresolved defects, ensuring a controlled implementation.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "best", "never" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Suggest a phased go-live, releasing the tested modules to production while continuing development on the remaining modules.
Why it's wrong here
Data integrity issues are not limited to specific modules; phased deployment would still expose critical processes to risk.
- ✗
Escalate the issues to the board of directors and recommend immediate termination of the project.
Why it's wrong here
Termination is premature; the project can be remediated with proper controls and additional investment.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may choose Option A because they think a post-implementation support plan is a pragmatic compromise, but the CISA exam emphasizes that going live with unresolved critical defects and uncontrolled code changes violates fundamental SDLC controls and ISACA's IS acquisition and implementation standards.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the data integrity issues likely stem from missing referential integrity constraints or incorrect business logic in the new core banking system's interest calculation algorithms, which require formal requirements traceability to validate. The ad hoc code changes in the test environment without version control (e.g., no use of Git or SVN) mean that the development team cannot reproduce or roll back changes, making it impossible to ensure that fixes applied during UAT are properly regression-tested. In a real-world scenario, a financial institution going live with such issues could face audit findings from regulators like the OCC or ECB, leading to fines or mandatory system shutdowns.
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 small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
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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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CISA question test?
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: Recommend halting the go-live until the business requirements are formally signed off and UAT is completed successfully with all critical defects resolved. — Option B is correct because the project lacks formal sign-off on business requirements, has unresolved critical data integrity issues, and has been making uncontrolled code changes without version control. Going live under these conditions would violate ISACA's IS acquisition and implementation standards, which require that all critical defects be resolved and UAT be successfully completed before production deployment. The regulatory deadline does not justify bypassing these fundamental controls, as post-implementation fixes cannot guarantee data integrity and could lead to regulatory penalties.
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: "best", "never". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
This CISA practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISACA 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 CISA exam.
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