Question 103 of 1,000

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.

An IS auditor is assessing the controls in an agile development environment. What is the MOST effective way to verify that security testing is performed iteratively?

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

Reviewing the project's definition of done for each sprint

In agile development, security testing must be integrated into each sprint to ensure continuous validation. The 'definition of done' (DoD) is the team's checklist for completing a user story; if it explicitly includes security testing tasks (e.g., static analysis, dynamic scans, or penetration tests), then verifying the DoD proves that security testing was performed iteratively. Option D directly examines this artifact, providing objective evidence of iterative security testing.

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.

  • Observing a daily standup meeting

    Why it's wrong here

    Standups do not typically cover testing details.

  • Interviewing the product owner about security priorities

    Why it's wrong here

    Subjective and may not reflect actual practice.

  • Examining the final security test report after release

    Why it's wrong here

    This does not confirm iterative testing.

  • Reviewing the project's definition of done for each sprint

    Why this is correct

    The Definition of Done should include security testing criteria.

    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 confuse 'planning for security' (e.g., standups or product owner interviews) with 'evidence of security execution' (the DoD), or they mistakenly think a final report proves iterative testing when it only shows a single snapshot.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

The definition of done (DoD) in agile frameworks like Scrum is a formal checklist that gates story completion; when it includes specific security criteria (e.g., 'all critical and high-severity SAST findings resolved' or 'OWASP Top 10 checks passed'), the team must satisfy those criteria before marking a story done. This enforces a 'security as code' mindset, where automated security tests run in the CI/CD pipeline (e.g., using tools like SonarQube, OWASP ZAP, or Snyk) and their results are tied to the DoD. In practice, a mature DoD might require that no open vulnerabilities above a certain CVSS score exist, ensuring that security debt does not accumulate across sprints.

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.

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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: Reviewing the project's definition of done for each sprint — In agile development, security testing must be integrated into each sprint to ensure continuous validation. The 'definition of done' (DoD) is the team's checklist for completing a user story; if it explicitly includes security testing tasks (e.g., static analysis, dynamic scans, or penetration tests), then verifying the DoD proves that security testing was performed iteratively. Option D directly examines this artifact, providing objective evidence of iterative security testing.

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.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026

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