CISA Practice Question: Information Systems Operations and Business Resilience
During a problem management meeting, the team identifies a recurring issue causing multiple incidents. The root cause is known, but a permanent fix is not yet available. Which of the following is the BEST approach to manage this situation until a permanent fix is implemented?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse 'problem' with 'incident' and think reclassifying (Option B) is acceptable, but the CISA exam tests the ITIL distinction that a problem is the root cause of multiple incidents and must be managed separately, not reclassified as an incident.
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
✓
Document the known error and implement a workaround
In ITIL-based problem management, when a root cause is known but a permanent fix is unavailable, the known error should be documented in the Known Error Database (KEDB) and a workaround should be implemented to reduce incident impact and restore service. This aligns with the problem management process of controlling the error until a permanent solution (e.g., a patch or change) is deployed, ensuring operational continuity and minimizing recurrence of incidents.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Escalate the problem to senior management
Why it's wrong here
Escalation informs management but implements no containment, leaving users affected by recurring incidents. Escalation suits problems needing funding, authority or cross-team decisions beyond the team's remit. Until a permanent fix exists, a documented workaround or known error record is the appropriate approach.
- ✗
Reclassify the problem as an incident
Why it's wrong here
Reclassifying the problem as an incident discards the problem record, so the known root cause and its workaround lose their linkage to recurring incidents. Problem management exists precisely to hold that record until a permanent fix lands; reclassification suits a single unanalysed event, not a known cause awaiting resolution.
- ✓
Document the known error and implement a workaround
Why this is correct
Recording the fault in the known error database with a documented workaround lets the service desk resolve recurrences quickly while the permanent fix is developed. This satisfies the stem's constraint that the root cause is known but no permanent fix yet exists.
- ✗
Close the problem record and wait for the fix
Why it's wrong here
Closing the record removes the known error from active tracking, so recurring incidents lose their linkage to the root cause and no workaround is communicated. It is tempting because the fix is pending — correct only once a permanent fix is verified and deployed, not while incidents continue.
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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.