Pass the Isaca COBIT COBIT-Design-and-Implementation Questions and answers with CertsForce

In COBIT 2019 Implementation Guide:

"Program management is responsible for evaluating investment options, including assessing ROI during the future-state planning phase."

This ensures that governance initiatives are economically justified and aligned with business value.

According to the COBIT 2019 Design Guide:

"In the final stage of the design workflow, design factors are used to determine the relative importance of governance and management objectives, which helps prioritize implementation efforts."

This occurs during theconclusion of the governance system design.

The COBIT 2019 Design Guide states:

"Design factors and their descriptive values influence the prioritization of governance and management objectives, ensuring that the governance system aligns with the enterprise's context and goals."

Hence, these factors help determine which objectives are most important to implement or improve first.

When considering the threat landscape design factor, impact and probability levels should be considered for inclusion. These levels help in assessing the potential consequences and likelihood of various threats, which is essential for effective risk management and governance.

In the COBIT 2019 framework, the threat landscape design factor involves understanding and evaluating the risks that an enterprise may face. Impact and probability levels are critical components of this evaluation as they provide a basis for prioritizing threats and developing appropriate responses.

COBIT 2019 Framework References:

COBIT 2019 Design Guide, Chapter 2:Discusses the importance of understanding the threat landscape and evaluating threats based on their impact and probability.

COBIT 2019 Framework: Governance and Management Objectives:Emphasizes the need for a thorough risk assessment, which includes analyzing the impact and probability of potential threats.

Including impact and probability levels in the assessment of the threat landscape ensures a comprehensive understanding of risks, enabling the enterprise to prioritize and mitigate threats effectively.

In the COBIT 2019 implementation lifecycle, quick wins are essential for demonstrating early success and building credibility for the governance initiative. Implementing quick wins provides tangible results that can help secure stakeholder support and buy-in for the ongoing governance program. The appropriate phase for implementing quick wins is during the phase where the organization outlines and starts to execute the plan for achieving its governance objectives.

Detailed Explanation with References:

What needs to be done? (Option A):

This phase involves understanding the governance requirements, identifying gaps, and determining the necessary governance components. While important for planning, this phase is more about identifying needs rather than implementing solutions.

Where do we want to be? (Option B):

This phase focuses on defining the target state of the governance system, setting goals, and envisioning the desired outcomes. It is more strategic and future-oriented, outlining what the organization aims to achieve but not yet focusing on implementation.

How do we get there? (Option C):

This phase is about developing and executing the implementation plan to reach the desired state. It involves detailing the actions, resources, and timelines required to achieve the governance objectives. Implementing quick wins during this phase is crucial because it helps to demonstrate progress, build momentum, and validate the approach taken. Early successes in this phase can boost confidence and support for the broader governance initiative.

According to the COBIT 2019 Implementation Guide, achieving and demonstrating quick wins during this phase is critical to maintaining stakeholder engagement and demonstrating the value of the governance improvements.

Where are we now? (Option D):

This phase involves assessing the current state of the governance system, identifying existing issues, and understanding the baseline. It is more diagnostic and evaluative, laying the groundwork for planning but not yet focusing on implementation.

Conclusion:The correct answer isC. How do we get there?. Implementing quick wins during this phase helps to build credibility and support for the governance program by showing early, tangible improvements and demonstrating the feasibility and benefits of the proposed governance changes.

The COBIT 2019 Design Guide explains:

"The governance system design workflow enables the customization of a governance system by considering all relevant design factors. These factors influence the prioritization of governance and management objectives."

Discarding inconsistent priorities is not a valid approach, and enterprise goals are only one of many design factors.

I&T-related issues should be considered as part of the design factors for a governance system in order to manage risks that could materialize. This proactive approach allows the enterprise to identify and mitigate potential risks before they occur, enhancing the overall resilience and effectiveness of the governance system.

References in COBIT 2019 Design and Implementation:

COBIT 2019 Design Guide, Chapter 2:This chapter explains the importance of considering I&T-related issues as design factors to address potential risks that could impact the governance system.

COBIT 2019 Framework: Governance and Management Objectives, APO12 (Managed Risk):This objective emphasizes the need to identify and manage risks that could affect IT and business processes.

By addressing potential risks through the design of the governance system, enterprises can better prepare for and mitigate adverse events, ensuring smoother and more effective IT operations.

In COBIT 2019, the prioritization of governance objectives is essential to ensure that the most critical aspects of IT governance receive the necessary focus and resources. A matrixed scoring methodology is considered the best enabler for prioritizing governance objectives because it provides a structured, systematic, and quantifiable approach to evaluating and ranking various governance objectives based on multiple criteria.

Detailed Explanation with References:

IT Strategic Plan (Option A):

The IT strategic plan outlines the strategic direction and objectives of IT within the organization. While it provides guidance on long-term goals and initiatives, it does not offer a detailed mechanism for prioritizing specific governance objectives.

Matrixed Scoring Methodology (Option B):

A matrixed scoring methodology allows the organization to evaluate governance objectives against a set of predefined criteria such as strategic alignment, risk impact, resource availability, and expected benefits. This methodology helps in objectively assessing and comparing the importance and urgency of different governance objectives. By assigning scores to each criterion, organizations can create a prioritized list based on overall scores, ensuring that the most critical and impactful objectives are addressed first.

This approach is comprehensive and takes into account multiple factors, providing a balanced and transparent means of prioritizing objectives. It enables decision-makers to justify their choices and ensures that prioritization is aligned with the organization's strategic goals and risk profile.

Enterprise's Risk Tolerance (Option C):

The enterprise's risk tolerance is an important factor in governance decisions, as it defines the level of risk the organization is willing to accept. However, while it influences prioritization, it is not a standalone methodology for prioritizing governance objectives. Risk tolerance must be considered within a broader context of criteria, which a matrixed scoring methodology can effectively encompass.

Expected Performance Outcomes (Option D):

Expected performance outcomes are crucial for evaluating the success of governance initiatives, but they do not provide a methodology for prioritizing objectives. They are one of the factors that can be included in a matrixed scoring methodology to assess the potential impact and value of each objective.

Conclusion:The correct answer isB. A matrixed scoring methodology. This method provides a robust, multi-criteria approach to prioritizing governance objectives, ensuring that decisions are made based on a balanced consideration of various relevant factors.

As per COBIT 2019 Implementation Guide:

"During program initiation, IT management plays a key role by gathering input from various stakeholders and building consensus on the EGIT approach."

Business strategy is set by executive leadership, not IT, and advice on controls happens at later stages.

The COBIT 2019 Design Guide explains:

"The outcome of assessing current capability versus target capability is the identification of capability gaps. These gaps indicate areas for potential improvement and feed directly into the planning and implementation stages."

Hence, the result of such an assessment is a list ofpotential improvements.