CISA Practice Question: Information Systems Operations and Business Resilience
An organization uses automated job scheduling for nightly batch processing. One job fails due to a missing dependency file. What is the most effective control to prevent recurrence?
⚠ Common exam trap
CISA often tests the difference between preventive controls (defining dependencies) and detective/corrective controls (monitoring, reruns), so candidates must choose the most effective preventive measure.
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
✓
Define dependencies within the job scheduler
Defining dependencies within the job scheduler is the most effective control to prevent recurrence of a job failure due to a missing dependency file. By explicitly defining dependencies, the scheduler ensures that prerequisite jobs or files are available before the dependent job runs, preventing failures caused by missing inputs.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use a different scheduling tool
Why it's wrong here
Replacing the scheduler leaves the underlying dependency-management weakness untouched, so the same missing-file failure recurs. It is tempting because tooling changes feel decisive, but the correct control validates dependencies before execution, regardless of which scheduler runs the batch.
- ✓
Define dependencies within the job scheduler
Why this is correct
Defining dependencies within the job scheduler ensures the failing job only starts once its prerequisite files exist, directly addressing the missing dependency file constraint. The scheduler evaluates these conditions before execution, blocking the run rather than allowing failure. This prevents recurrence through automated precondition checking, unlike manual verification or post-failure alerting.
- ✗
Increase the frequency of job reruns
Why it's wrong here
Rerunning jobs more often repeats the same failure and wastes resources without removing the missing dependency. It is tempting because reruns restore processing after transient faults, but a missing file is deterministic, so the effective control is validating dependencies before the job starts.
- ✗
Assign manual operators to monitor jobs
Why it's wrong here
Manual monitoring detects failures after they occur and relies on human vigilance, so it cannot prevent a missing dependency file. It is tempting because operators can intervene quickly, but the stem asks for prevention; automated pre-execution dependency checks address the root cause.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every CISA question from scratch — 934 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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
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.