CISA Practice Question: Information Systems Acquisition, Development, and Implementation
Which of the following is a key objective of the design phase in the SDLC?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is confusing adjacent SDLC phases — candidates who see 'security controls' may associate it with testing or operations, but CISA expects recognition that architecture definition and security integration belong to the design phase.
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
✓
To define system architecture and integrate security controls
The design phase translates approved business requirements into a technical blueprint, defining the system architecture (components, interfaces, data flows) and specifying how security controls will be integrated into that architecture. This ensures security is built in rather than bolted on later. It bridges the 'what' of requirements to the 'how' of construction.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
To conduct user acceptance testing
Why it's wrong here
User acceptance testing happens after development, during testing or implementation, confirming the built system meets business needs; design instead produces specifications and architecture. It is tempting because acceptance criteria are considered during design, yet executing UAT is a later phase's activity.
- ✓
To define system architecture and integrate security controls
Why this is correct
The design phase translates requirements into a system architecture and specifies how security controls are embedded within it. Defining architecture and integrating controls here ensures security is built in rather than retrofitted during later build or testing phases.
- ✗
To develop code
Why it's wrong here
Coding belongs to the development phase, which follows design; the design phase produces specifications, architecture and models that developers then implement. It is tempting because design outputs feed directly into coding, yet writing code before design sign-off is precisely the phase-ordering error this objective tests.
- ✗
To gather business requirements
Why it's wrong here
Gathering business requirements occurs in the requirements or analysis phase, before design begins; design translates already-approved requirements into technical specifications. It is tempting because design work depends on those requirements, but eliciting them is the earlier phase's deliverable, not the design phase's objective.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every CISA question from scratch — 934 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official ISACA exam blueprint
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.