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 THREE of the following are components of a typical IT governance framework?
Network troubleshooting procedures
Why wrong: Operational, not governance.
Strategic alignment of IT with business
Core governance component.
Risk management and compliance
Essential governance element.
Performance measurement and reporting
Governance requires metrics.
Vendor contract management
Why wrong: Operational procurement activity.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Strategic alignment of IT with business
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.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Network troubleshooting procedures
Why it's wrong here
Operational, not governance.
Strategic alignment of IT with business
Why this is correct
Core governance component.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Risk management and compliance
Why this is correct
Essential governance element.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Performance measurement and reporting
Why this is correct
Governance requires metrics.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Vendor contract management
Why it's wrong here
Operational procurement activity.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse operational IT activities (like troubleshooting or contract management) with the strategic, oversight-oriented components of governance, leading them to select options that describe 'doing IT' rather than 'governing IT'.
Detailed technical explanation
IT governance frameworks, such as COBIT 2019, define governance as a set of practices that ensure stakeholder needs are evaluated to determine balanced, agreed-upon enterprise objectives. The strategic alignment component involves using tools like the IT Balanced Scorecard to translate business strategy into IT goals and metrics, ensuring that IT resources are allocated to projects that deliver the highest business value. This is distinct from operational management, which executes the day-to-day tasks defined by governance policies.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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FAQ
Governance and Management of IT — This question tests Governance and Management of IT — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Strategic alignment of IT with business — 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.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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