CISM Incident Management Practice Question
Which of the following is the PRIMARY role of the executive sponsor in the incident response team structure?
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 provide strategic direction, resources, and decision-making authority.
The executive sponsor provides authority, resources, and strategic direction, and ensures the IR team has the support needed to respond effectively.
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 handle all media inquiries and public relations.
Why it's wrong here
Media handling and public relations belong to communications or PR staff, not the executive sponsor, whose remit is strategic authority, budget approval and executive-level escalation. It is tempting because the sponsor does communicate incident status upward, yet that is internal governance reporting rather than external press engagement.
- ✗
To serve as legal counsel and ensure compliance.
Why it's wrong here
Legal counsel and compliance assurance belong to the legal or privacy function advising the response team, not the executive sponsor, who supplies authority, funding and cross-organisational escalation. It is tempting because the sponsor weighs legal risk when approving response actions, but that is decision-making rather than providing legal advice.
- ✓
To provide strategic direction, resources, and decision-making authority.
Why this is correct
The executive sponsor supplies strategic direction, budget and decision-making authority, satisfying the stem's requirement for executive-level governance during incidents. This role resolves escalated business-impact decisions and authorises resource commitments that operational responders cannot make, distinguishing it from tactical containment or forensic investigation duties.
- ✗
To manage the technical investigation and forensic analysis.
Why it's wrong here
Technical investigation and forensic analysis sit with the incident response handlers and forensic specialists, not the executive sponsor, who provides strategic direction and resource authorisation. It is tempting because the sponsor must understand technical findings to make decisions, but understanding is not performing the hands-on analysis.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CISM 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 CISM exam.