Certified: The ISACA CISA Prepcast

Welcome to The Bare Metal Cyber CISA Prepcast. This series helps you prepare for the exam with focused explanations and practical context.
Domain Three of the CISA framework focuses on the strategic and operational processes that govern how information systems are selected, designed, built, and deployed—ensuring that controls are embedded throughout the lifecycle, not simply added as an afterthought. It links business needs with technical execution, helping ensure that the systems being implemented support the organization’s objectives while managing risk and maintaining compliance. Auditors working in this domain must evaluate how governance, security, and control principles are integrated into project management, system development, and change control processes. Mistakes made during acquisition or development stages can introduce long-term vulnerabilities, compliance failures, or operational inefficiencies that are costly and difficult to remediate. The CISA exam frequently tests this lifecycle perspective, requiring candidates to identify whether control integration is sufficient at each stage—from planning and design through testing, deployment, and review.
Acquisition planning and governance set the foundation for a successful system implementation by aligning technology investments with organizational priorities and risk tolerance. Business cases are used to justify the need for a system or service based on expected benefits, return on investment, and alignment with strategic goals. Feasibility studies help determine whether the organization is technically and operationally prepared to adopt the solution, considering infrastructure, staffing, and support readiness. Vendor assessments must evaluate functionality, support services, security capabilities, and compliance with legal or regulatory requirements. Governance activities include establishing the decision-making structure, funding approvals, and documented prioritization criteria. Auditors review whether acquisition planning includes evidence of stakeholder review, risk assessment, and decision traceability. CISA candidates should be able to identify gaps in feasibility assessments or procurement governance that may affect control design or operational readiness.
System development follows a variety of life cycle models, each with strengths, limitations, and audit implications. The traditional Waterfall model is linear and phase-based, best suited for stable environments where requirements are known in advance and changes are limited. Agile models promote collaboration, iteration, and rapid feedback, supporting environments where priorities evolve or innovation is key. DevOps blends development and operations by emphasizing continuous integration and delivery, increasing deployment speed but requiring mature automation and monitoring controls. Hybrid models combine aspects of Waterfall and Agile to balance structure with flexibility. Auditors must understand how each model affects documentation, testing, role assignment, and control enforcement. The CISA exam may present a project scenario and ask you to determine which SDLC model is in use, identify where controls should be integrated, or assess risks associated with the chosen approach.
Designing effective controls during system acquisition and development is essential to ensure that security, privacy, and operational goals are met from the outset. This begins by embedding control requirements into system specifications, architecture diagrams, and development backlogs. Key areas of control focus include input validation to prevent injection attacks, authentication to secure user access, and logging to support monitoring and forensic analysis. Privacy concerns—such as limiting data collection, supporting consent, and enabling erasure—must also be addressed through technical and procedural design. Additional controls like segregation of duties, approval workflows, and change tracking must be planned alongside functionality. Auditors assess whether security-by-design and privacy-by-design principles have been applied consistently and early. On the CISA exam, you may be asked to evaluate whether a development process included control design or whether late-stage changes introduced gaps due to missing early requirements.
Strong project governance provides visibility, accountability, and control across system implementation efforts. This begins by defining clear roles and responsibilities for sponsors, project managers, developers, and steering committees. Governance mechanisms include gates or checkpoints at key milestones where progress is reviewed, and approval is required to proceed. Performance must be tracked using key indicators such as budget adherence, timeline status, quality assurance metrics, and risk logs. Governance also requires escalation procedures and documented decisions to address deviations, scope changes, or risk events. Auditors examine whether meeting minutes, issue logs, and stakeholder updates are complete and accurate. CISA candidates must recognize whether project governance structures are effective, whether oversight is active, and whether project documentation supports traceability and control assurance.
Testing and quality assurance ensure that systems work as intended, that errors are identified before deployment, and that functionality aligns with business requirements. Testing should include multiple stages, such as unit testing for individual components, system testing for integrated functions, and user acceptance testing to confirm usability and performance. Regression testing ensures that new changes do not break existing features, while integration testing confirms that components interact correctly. Test plans must be formally documented, reviewed, and tied to specific system requirements. Test environments should be isolated from production, securely configured, and cleaned between cycles to avoid contamination. Defects and exceptions should be logged, triaged, and resolved using structured processes. On the CISA exam, be ready to evaluate whether test coverage is adequate, whether documentation is complete, and whether testing confirms control objectives before go-live.
Implementation and readiness activities help ensure that new systems transition smoothly into production environments without disrupting service or compromising security. Cutover planning must include data conversion, secure backups, and clearly defined rollback procedures in case of failure. Go-live criteria should be formally approved by stakeholders and should include technical, operational, and training readiness checks. User support plans—such as help desk escalation, knowledge bases, and support staffing—must be in place before launch. Pilot deployments or phased rollouts are often used to reduce disruption, gather feedback, and refine system performance. Auditors assess readiness using project checklists, sign-off forms, change tickets, and contingency plans. CISA questions may ask you to identify missing go-live criteria or evaluate whether implementation processes adequately reduce risk and support service continuity.
A Post-Implementation Review, or PIR, is a structured evaluation that takes place after a system goes live to determine whether it met project goals, performed as expected, and was deployed securely. The PIR includes reviewing whether performance targets were achieved, whether users are satisfied, and whether issues were handled effectively during and after deployment. The review should also confirm that documentation has been updated, that the system is integrated into ongoing support and monitoring, and that control ownership has transitioned from project teams to operations. Lessons learned should be documented and fed back into the organization’s project management and quality assurance processes. Auditors look at PIR reports to assess whether the review was conducted, whether findings were addressed, and whether governance structures closed the loop. On the CISA exam, expect scenarios where you must evaluate PIR quality or determine whether follow-up actions were completed based on post-deployment outcomes.
System acquisition and development efforts introduce unique risks that auditors must be able to recognize and evaluate. These risks include scope creep, where uncontrolled expansion leads to missed deadlines or increased costs, and vendor lock-in, where organizations become dependent on proprietary systems with limited flexibility or exit options. Undocumented customizations can create maintenance burdens or integration challenges. In accelerated development efforts, control gaps often arise due to compressed testing or incomplete change documentation. Perhaps most importantly, a disconnect between business needs and technical execution leads to systems that are underused, overbuilt, or difficult to secure. Auditors must assess whether risks were identified, tracked, and mitigated during planning and development. On the CISA exam, you may be asked to spot these issues in case studies and recommend mitigation approaches that reflect good governance and lifecycle control.
To succeed in both the CISA exam and real-world auditing, you must be able to evaluate system development efforts from business case through go-live and beyond. You’ll need to understand control points at each phase, how documentation supports traceability, and how roles and responsibilities ensure oversight. Audit work in this domain often involves reviewing SDLC governance, testing protocols, implementation checklists, and project closure reports. The auditor’s perspective helps ensure that systems are not only functional—but secure, maintainable, and aligned with business value. Mastering this domain allows you to contribute to high-stakes initiatives where the cost of failure is significant and where early assurance makes a lasting difference. In the exam and in the field, Domain Three demonstrates how IT builds value and how auditors ensure that value is delivered with integrity and control.
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