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 reviewing the system development life cycle (SDLC) methodology. Which phase should include the development of detailed test plans?
Requirements definition.
Why wrong: Test plans are not detailed at this stage; only test objectives.
System design.
Design phase specifies how the system will work, enabling detailed test plans.
Coding and unit testing.
Why wrong: By then, test plans should already be prepared.
User acceptance testing.
Why wrong: UAT uses the test plans but doesn't develop them.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
System design.
Detailed test plans should be developed during the system design phase because this is when the system's architecture, interfaces, and data flows are fully specified. Creating test plans at this stage ensures that tests are aligned with the design specifications and can validate that the implemented system meets the intended technical requirements, rather than waiting until after coding.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Requirements definition.
Why it's wrong here
Test plans are not detailed at this stage; only test objectives.
System design.
Why this is correct
Design phase specifies how the system will work, enabling detailed test plans.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Coding and unit testing.
Why it's wrong here
By then, test plans should already be prepared.
User acceptance testing.
Why it's wrong here
UAT uses the test plans but doesn't develop them.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates confuse the creation of test plans with the execution of tests, incorrectly assuming that test plans are written during user acceptance testing or coding, when in fact they are a design-phase deliverable that drives all subsequent testing activities.
Detailed technical explanation
In structured SDLC methodologies like the Waterfall model, the system design phase produces artifacts such as data flow diagrams, entity-relationship diagrams, and interface specifications. These artifacts are essential for designing integration and system test cases that verify correct data transformation and communication between modules. A real-world scenario is when a banking application's design specifies an ISO 8583 message format for transaction processing; the test plan must include specific test cases for each field in that message format, which can only be defined after the design is complete.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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FAQ
Information Systems Acquisition, Development and Implementation — This question tests Information Systems Acquisition, Development and Implementation — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: System design. — Detailed test plans should be developed during the system design phase because this is when the system's architecture, interfaces, and data flows are fully specified. Creating test plans at this stage ensures that tests are aligned with the design specifications and can validate that the implemented system meets the intended technical requirements, rather than waiting until after coding.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
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