CISA Governance and Management of IT Practice Question
An organization's IT strategy is developed by the IT department without input from business stakeholders. Which of the following is the MOST significant risk?
⚠ Common exam trap
CISA often tests the distinction between strategic risks (misalignment with business objectives) and operational risks (budget, skills, obsolescence); candidates frequently pick a tangible operational issue when the question asks for the MOST significant strategic risk.
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
✓
IT strategy may not support business objectives.
An IT strategy developed in isolation from business stakeholders risks being misaligned with organizational goals, meaning IT investments may not deliver business value or support strategic objectives. This is the most significant risk because it undermines the entire purpose of IT governance—ensuring IT enables and extends business strategy. Other risks like obsolescence, budget overruns, or skill gaps are secondary symptoms that may result from misalignment.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Technology may become obsolete quickly.
Why it's wrong here
Obsolescence results from technology change and poor lifecycle management, not from stakeholders being excluded during strategy development. It is tempting because inward-looking IT planning can lag market shifts, but the stem's governance defect directly causes strategic misalignment, not accelerated technology ageing.
- ✗
IT projects may exceed budget.
Why it's wrong here
Budget overruns are a project-delivery symptom, not the strategic risk created by developing IT strategy in isolation. It is tempting because unvalidated requirements often inflate cost, but the stem concerns strategy formulation, where the primary failure is investment that does not support business goals.
- ✗
IT staff may lack required skills.
Why it's wrong here
Skill gaps are a possible consequence, not the primary risk; strategy built without business input produces misalignment between IT investment and business objectives. It is tempting because capability shortfalls do follow poor planning, and would be correct if the stem described IT lacking expertise to deliver an agreed strategy.
- ✓
IT strategy may not support business objectives.
Why this is correct
Without business stakeholder input, the IT strategy is shaped by technical priorities alone, so it can diverge from what the organisation actually needs to achieve. The stem's constraint — strategy developed in isolation — directly produces misalignment with business objectives, the most significant enterprise-wide risk.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official ISACA exam blueprint
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