- A
Job failure alerts
Why wrong: Alerts notify after failure, but do not prevent.
- B
Manual job scheduling
Why wrong: Manual scheduling is less reliable.
- C
Rerun procedures
Why wrong: Rerun is reactive.
- D
Dependency management
Ensures jobs wait for prerequisites.
Question 133 of 1,000
CISA Practice Question: Information Systems Operations and Business Resilience
This CISA practice question tests your understanding of information systems operations and business resilience. 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.
An organization uses automated job scheduling for batch processing. A critical job fails due to a dependency on another job that has not completed. Which of the following controls would BEST prevent this issue?
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
✓
Dependency management
Dependency management is the correct control because it ensures that job scheduling logic explicitly defines and enforces the order of execution based on predecessor/successor relationships. By configuring dependencies (e.g., using job control language (JCL) with COND parameters or scheduling tools like CA Workload Automation ESP), the system will automatically hold a job until all prerequisite jobs have completed successfully, preventing the failure scenario described.
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.
- ✗
Job failure alerts
Why it's wrong here
Alerts notify after failure, but do not prevent.
- ✗
Manual job scheduling
Why it's wrong here
Manual scheduling is less reliable.
- ✗
Rerun procedures
Why it's wrong here
Rerun is reactive.
- ✓
Dependency management
Why this is correct
Ensures jobs wait for prerequisites.
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 often confuse detective controls (like alerts) with preventive controls, or assume that rerun procedures can prevent the initial failure, when in fact only dependency management addresses the root cause by enforcing execution order.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In enterprise batch scheduling, dependencies are often implemented using job scheduling tables or directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) where each job node has defined predecessor conditions. For example, in IBM Z/OS JES3, the DEP parameter in JCL or the use of job scheduling exit routines can enforce that a job waits for a specific job's return code before starting. A real-world scenario is a payroll batch that depends on time and attendance data being loaded first; without dependency management, the payroll job might start prematurely, causing data integrity issues that require complex reconciliation.
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.
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 Operations and Business Resilience — This question tests Information Systems Operations and Business Resilience — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Dependency management — Dependency management is the correct control because it ensures that job scheduling logic explicitly defines and enforces the order of execution based on predecessor/successor relationships. By configuring dependencies (e.g., using job control language (JCL) with COND parameters or scheduling tools like CA Workload Automation ESP), the system will automatically hold a job until all prerequisite jobs have completed successfully, preventing the failure scenario described.
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
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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