CISA Practice Question: Information Systems Acquisition, Development, and Implementation
An organization is considering whether to build a custom application or purchase a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) product. Which of the following factors is MOST important when deciding to build rather than buy?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates often prioritize lower initial cost or faster time to market, failing to recognize that if the required functionality does not exist in the market, those benefits are irrelevant because the COTS product cannot fulfill the core business need.
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
✓
Need for highly specialized functionality not available in the market
When an organization requires highly specialized functionality that is not available in any commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) product, building a custom application becomes the only viable option. COTS products are designed for broad market needs and often lack the unique features or compliance requirements that a custom solution can provide. This factor overrides cost, time, and maintenance considerations because no amount of configuration or customization of a COTS product can meet the specific functional gap.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Reduced need for ongoing maintenance
Why it's wrong here
Custom software still requires patching, upgrades and support, so maintenance demand does not fall; ownership simply transfers in-house. It is tempting because no vendor licence renewals apply, but that concerns cost structure, not maintenance effort, so it cannot justify building over buying.
- ✗
Faster time to market
Why it's wrong here
Buying COTS typically delivers faster time to market, so this factor argues against building. Building is justified when unique functionality or competitive differentiation cannot be met by any available product, or when integration and control requirements demand bespoke development.
- ✗
Lower initial cost
Why it's wrong here
Custom development usually costs more upfront, covering design, build, test and integration, while COTS spreads licence fees. It is tempting because bespoke avoids recurring licence charges, but that concerns total cost of ownership, not the initial outlay, so it does not favour building.
- ✓
Need for highly specialized functionality not available in the market
Why this is correct
Build decisions are justified when required functionality is unavailable commercially, since a COTS product cannot be modified to deliver it. This specialised-functionality gap is the decisive factor; cost, integration and support considerations matter but do not by themselves mandate building.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.