The answer is to formally document the new requirements and follow the change management process. This is correct because when original requirements are incomplete, any new or altered specifications must be controlled through a structured change management process to assess their impact on scope, budget, and schedule before approval, ensuring alignment with the systems development lifecycle and preventing uncontrolled scope creep. On the Certified Information Systems Auditor CISA exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the SDLC governance and the ISACA standard that all requirement changes—even those discovered late—must be formally managed, not informally accommodated. A common trap is choosing to simply add the missing requirements to the current build without documentation, which violates auditability and control. Memory tip: think “Document then Control”—never implement a missing requirement without first recording it and running it through formal change management.
CISA Practice Question: Information Systems Acquisition, Development and Implementation
This CISA practice question tests your understanding of information systems acquisition, development and implementation. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
During system development, the project team discovers that the original requirements are incomplete. What is the BEST course of action?
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.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Formally document the new requirements and follow the change management process
Option A is correct because formally documenting new requirements and following the change management process ensures that all changes are controlled, assessed for impact on scope, budget, and schedule, and approved by stakeholders. This aligns with the systems development lifecycle (SDLC) best practices and the ISACA standard for managing requirements changes, preventing scope creep and maintaining project integrity.
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.
✓
Formally document the new requirements and follow the change management process
Why this is correct
Change management ensures proper evaluation and approval of new requirements.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Inform the steering committee and continue as planned
Why it's wrong here
Continuing without addressing incomplete requirements is not best practice.
✗
Proceed with development and address changes during maintenance
Why it's wrong here
This risks scope creep and unmanaged changes.
✗
Halt the project until all requirements are finalized
Why it's wrong here
Halting may be unnecessary if change management can handle the new requirements.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose Option D (halting the project) because they assume all requirements must be fully finalized before development, but the CISA exam emphasizes that change management is the appropriate mechanism to handle evolving requirements without stopping the project entirely.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In practice, requirement changes are managed via a Change Control Board (CCB) that evaluates each change request against the project's baseline, using techniques like impact analysis and traceability matrices. For example, in an Agile environment, incomplete requirements are handled by adding user stories to the product backlog and prioritizing them in the next sprint, but this still requires formal documentation and approval to maintain alignment with the project charter and regulatory compliance (e.g., SOX, HIPAA).
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.
Information Systems Acquisition, Development and Implementation — This question tests Information Systems Acquisition, Development and Implementation — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Formally document the new requirements and follow the change management process — Option A is correct because formally documenting new requirements and following the change management process ensures that all changes are controlled, assessed for impact on scope, budget, and schedule, and approved by stakeholders. This aligns with the systems development lifecycle (SDLC) best practices and the ISACA standard for managing requirements changes, preventing scope creep and maintaining project integrity.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". 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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.