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CISA Practice Question: Which TWO of the following are key activities in…
Which TWO of the following are key activities in the system design phase of the SDLC?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse the system design phase with later phases like testing or earlier phases like requirements gathering, leading them to select activities such as writing unit tests or gathering business requirements as design-phase tasks.
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
✓
Defining system architecture
Defining system architecture is a key activity in the system design phase because it establishes the high-level structure of the system, including hardware, software, network components, and their interactions. This blueprint guides subsequent detailed design and implementation, ensuring alignment with functional and non-functional requirements. Without a defined architecture, the system risks integration failures and scalability issues.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Defining system architecture
Why this is correct
A design activity.
- ✗
Writing unit tests
Why it's wrong here
Coding phase.
- ✗
Performing user acceptance testing
Why it's wrong here
Testing phase.
- ✓
Developing data flow diagrams
Why this is correct
A design activity.
- ✗
Gathering business requirements
Why it's wrong here
Requirements phase.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.