Quick Answer
The correct first step in change management is to assess the impact and risk of the proposed change. This is because any modification to a production environment, such as a firewall configuration change during business hours, carries inherent operational and security risks that must be evaluated before any action is taken. Without this assessment, the organization cannot determine whether the change is safe, urgent, or requires additional controls. On the CISA exam, this principle tests your understanding of the change management process as defined by ISACA, where impact and risk analysis precedes approval, testing, or implementation. A common trap is selecting “obtain approval from the change advisory board” first, but approval is meaningless without a prior risk evaluation. Remember the mnemonic “AIR” for the sequence: Assess Impact and Risk first, then Approve, then Implement, then Review.
This CISA practice question tests your understanding of governance and management of it. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 IT manager submits a request to change the firewall configuration during business hours. According to best practices for change management, what should be done FIRST?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Clue: "first"
Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Obtain approval from the change advisory board
Why wrong: Approval comes after risk assessment.
Notify all users of the planned change
Why wrong: Notification is part of the process but not the first step.
Assess the impact and risk of the proposed change
Risk assessment is required before approval.
Implement the change immediately to address an urgent threat
Why wrong: Urgent changes still require documented risk acceptance.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Assess the impact and risk of the proposed change
Option A is correct because assessing the impact and risk is the initial step. Option B may be done after assessment. Option C is premature without assessment. Option D is not standard.
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.
Obtain approval from the change advisory board
Why it's wrong here
Approval comes after risk assessment.
Notify all users of the planned change
Why it's wrong here
Notification is part of the process but not the first step.
Assess the impact and risk of the proposed change
Why this is correct
Risk assessment is required before approval.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "best", "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Implement the change immediately to address an urgent threat
Why it's wrong here
Urgent changes still require documented risk acceptance.
Common exam traps
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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
Identify which CISA exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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FAQ
Governance and Management of IT — This question tests Governance and Management of IT — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Assess the impact and risk of the proposed change — Option A is correct because assessing the impact and risk is the initial step. Option B may be done after assessment. Option C is premature without assessment. Option D is not standard.
Identify which CISA exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Yes — watch for: "best", "first". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 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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