The correct answer is to enforce the change management policy by implementing stricter controls and disciplinary measures for non-compliance. This is correct because the root cause was not a flawed policy but a deliberate bypass of a well-documented process by a senior engineer who ignored the emergency change protocol requiring post-implementation review within 48 hours. On the CISA exam, this scenario tests your understanding that change management policy enforcement is a governance and control issue, not merely a technical one; the trap is to recommend revising the policy when the existing one is adequate but unenforced. A common memory tip is “policy plus penalty prevents bypass”—stricter controls and disciplinary measures directly address the human factor of non-compliance, reinforcing accountability and deterring unauthorized changes to prevent recurrence.
CISA Governance and Management of IT Practice Question
This CISA practice question tests your understanding of governance and management of it. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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.
Scenario: A mid-sized manufacturing company has recently experienced a significant IT outage that halted production for 8 hours. The root cause was a failed firmware update on a core switch that was performed outside the change management process by a senior network engineer who claimed the update was urgent to patch a critical vulnerability. The company has a well-documented change management policy that requires all changes to be reviewed by the change advisory board (CAB) before implementation, except for emergency changes which require post-implementation review within 48 hours. The engineer did not follow the emergency change process; he implemented the update directly. The IT director wants to prevent such incidents in the future. Which of the following is the BEST 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
✓
Enforce the change management policy by implementing stricter controls and disciplinary measures for non-compliance.
Option C is correct because the root cause was a deliberate bypass of the existing change management policy, not a flaw in the policy itself. Enforcing stricter controls and disciplinary measures directly addresses the human factor by reinforcing accountability and deterring unauthorized changes, which is the most effective way to prevent recurrence when a well-documented process is already in place but ignored.
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.
✗
Implement automatic firmware updates to eliminate human error.
Why it's wrong here
Automatic updates bypass change management and could cause outages.
✗
Increase the frequency of CAB meetings to weekly to expedite change approvals.
Why it's wrong here
Does not prevent unauthorized changes; the engineer bypassed the process entirely.
✓
Enforce the change management policy by implementing stricter controls and disciplinary measures for non-compliance.
Why this is correct
Enforcing existing policy with consequences ensures adherence.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Remove the network engineer's administrative access to all network devices.
Why it's wrong here
Overly restrictive; the engineer needs access for legitimate tasks.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose technical controls (like automatic updates or removing access) instead of recognizing that the fundamental issue is a governance failure—the policy exists but was not enforced, so the best action is to strengthen enforcement and accountability, not to add or remove technical capabilities.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Change management policies typically include an emergency change category with a post-implementation review (PIR) within 48 hours, as per ITIL best practices. The engineer's failure to even initiate the emergency process indicates a lack of adherence to the defined workflow, which requires logging the change, obtaining verbal approval from a designated authority, and performing a PIR. Disciplinary measures and stricter controls, such as automated alerts for unauthorized configuration changes (e.g., via SNMP traps or syslog monitoring), ensure that policy violations are detected and addressed promptly, reinforcing the governance framework.
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 small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
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: Enforce the change management policy by implementing stricter controls and disciplinary measures for non-compliance. — Option C is correct because the root cause was a deliberate bypass of the existing change management policy, not a flaw in the policy itself. Enforcing stricter controls and disciplinary measures directly addresses the human factor by reinforcing accountability and deterring unauthorized changes, which is the most effective way to prevent recurrence when a well-documented process is already in place but ignored.
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.
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Question Discussion
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