The answer is strategic alignment and value delivery. Strategic alignment is a core component because it ensures IT strategies, investments, and operations are directly linked to business goals, preventing IT from operating in a silo and wasting resources. Value delivery complements this by confirming that IT initiatives actually produce measurable business benefits, such as cost savings or revenue growth. On the CISA exam, these two are frequently paired as the foundational pillars of an IT governance framework, often tested alongside risk management and resource management as distractors. A common trap is confusing value delivery with performance measurement—remember that value delivery focuses on outcomes, not just metrics. To recall the key components, think of the acronym SAVR: Strategic alignment, Value delivery, Risk management, and Resource management—but for this specific question, only the first two apply.
CISA Governance and Management of IT Practice Question
This CISA practice question tests your understanding of governance and management of it. 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.
Which TWO of the following are key components of an IT governance framework?
Why wrong: Resource management is an operational aspect, not a governance component.
B
Strategic alignment
Strategic alignment ensures IT goals are in line with business goals, a core governance component.
C
Performance measurement
Why wrong: Performance measurement is part of IT management, not a primary governance component.
D
Risk management
Why wrong: While important, risk management is often considered a separate domain in COBIT; governance frameworks include it but the question asks for key components of governance.
E
Value delivery
Value delivery ensures IT investments generate business value, a key governance objective.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Strategic alignment
Strategic alignment (B) is a key component of an IT governance framework because it ensures that IT strategies, investments, and operations are directly linked to business goals and objectives. This alignment is achieved through mechanisms such as balanced scorecards, IT steering committees, and portfolio management, which translate business strategy into IT priorities. Without strategic alignment, IT may operate in a silo, leading to wasted resources and missed opportunities for business value.
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.
✗
Resource management
Why it's wrong here
Resource management is an operational aspect, not a governance component.
✓
Strategic alignment
Why this is correct
Strategic alignment ensures IT goals are in line with business goals, a core governance component.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Performance measurement
Why it's wrong here
Performance measurement is part of IT management, not a primary governance component.
✗
Risk management
Why it's wrong here
While important, risk management is often considered a separate domain in COBIT; governance frameworks include it but the question asks for key components of governance.
✓
Value delivery
Why this is correct
Value delivery ensures IT investments generate business value, a key governance objective.
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 the five focus areas of COBIT (strategic alignment, value delivery, risk management, resource management, performance measurement) with the two core components of an IT governance framework, leading them to select all five or pick risk management as a core component.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
COBIT 5 defines five key governance principles, but the core components of an IT governance framework are specifically strategic alignment and value delivery, as per ISACA's definition. Strategic alignment involves using tools like the IT Balanced Scorecard to cascade business goals into IT goals, while value delivery ensures that IT investments generate measurable business benefits, often tracked through metrics like ROI, NPV, or payback period. In practice, a misalignment between IT and business strategy can lead to projects that fail to meet business needs, such as implementing a CRM system without integrating it with sales processes.
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.
Governance and Management of IT — This question tests Governance and Management of IT — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Strategic alignment — Strategic alignment (B) is a key component of an IT governance framework because it ensures that IT strategies, investments, and operations are directly linked to business goals and objectives. This alignment is achieved through mechanisms such as balanced scorecards, IT steering committees, and portfolio management, which translate business strategy into IT priorities. Without strategic alignment, IT may operate in a silo, leading to wasted resources and missed opportunities for business value.
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.
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 →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. An IT governance framework should include which TWO key components? (Select exactly two.)
easy
A.User training
B.Vendor lock-in
✓ C.Strategic alignment
D.Network firewall rules
✓ E.Performance measurement
Why C: Strategic alignment ensures IT supports business goals; performance measurement tracks achievement. Network firewall rules, user training, and vendor lock-in are operational or tactical, not core governance components.
Variation 2. Which THREE of the following are components of a typical IT governance framework?
hard
A.Network troubleshooting procedures
✓ B.Strategic alignment of IT with business
✓ C.Risk management and compliance
✓ D.Performance measurement and reporting
E.Vendor contract management
Why B: Strategic alignment of IT with business is a core component of an IT governance framework because it ensures that IT initiatives directly support and enable the organization's business objectives and strategies. This alignment is achieved through mechanisms like balanced scorecards and IT steering committees, which prioritize IT investments based on business value. Without this component, IT may operate in a silo, leading to wasted resources and missed opportunities.
Variation 3. Which TWO of the following are key components of an IT governance framework?
easy
✓ A.IT strategy committee
B.IT asset inventory
✓ C.IT risk management
D.IT project portfolio management
E.IT help desk ticketing system
Why A: Options A and E are correct. An IT governance framework includes structures like an IT strategy committee (A) and processes like IT risk management (E). B (project portfolio management) is a management practice, not a core governance component. C (help desk) and D (asset inventory) are operational.
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
Question Discussion
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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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