An enterprise's management team concludes that the successful realization of the business strategy for the next period will largely depend on the successful adoption and use of technology and information. Which of the following is the MOST applicable design factor and corresponding value?
Answer : A
The COBIT 2019 Design Guide defines the 'Role of IT' design factor, including the value ''Strategic'':
'If the role of IT is strategic, it means that IT is critical to the enterprise's business strategy, directly influencing its success.'
Given that technology is critical to achieving the business strategy, the role of IT as 'Strategic' is the most appropriate selection.
Which of the following is the BEST starting point when translating enterprise goals into actionable governance and management objectives?
Answer : D
The COBIT 2019 Design Guide provides a set of generic enterprise goals which:
'Serve as the baseline for mapping to governance and management objectives. These generic goals help initiate the translation process and can be customized later.'
Thus, generic goals are the best starting point.
A CEO of a domestic enterprise plans to expand its operations globally. The CEO has selected enterprise goals using the COBIT goals cascade and has tasked the CIO with tailoring COBIT as required. After selecting the relevant alignment goals, which of the following should be the CIOs NEXT priority?
Answer : B
In the COBIT 2019 framework, after selecting the relevant alignment goals, the CIO's next priority should be identifying and understanding the design factors. Design factors are crucial as they influence the tailoring of the governance system to align with the specific needs and context of the enterprise.
The COBIT 2019 Design Guide emphasizes that design factors impact the governance and management objectives and help in customizing the COBIT framework. The selection and analysis of design factors ensure that the governance system is practical and relevant to the enterprise's environment.
Design Factors in COBIT 2019 include:
Enterprise Strategy: Different strategies (e.g., growth, innovation, cost leadership) require different governance approaches.
Enterprise Goals: Aligning IT-related goals with overall enterprise goals.
Risk Profile: Understanding the risk appetite and tolerance.
I&T-Related Issues: Identifying issues specific to information and technology.
Threat Landscape: Assessing external and internal threats.
Compliance Requirements: Meeting legal, regulatory, and contractual obligations.
Role of IT: Determining IT's role in the enterprise (e.g., support, factory, turnaround, strategic).
Sourcing Model: Whether IT services are in-house, outsourced, or a combination.
IT Implementation Methods: Traditional, agile, or hybrid methods used in IT initiatives.
Technology Adoption Strategy: How quickly the enterprise adopts new technologies.
Enterprise Size: The size of the enterprise can affect governance and management practices.
The process of tailoring COBIT involves:
Analyzing Design Factors: Understanding and documenting the enterprise's design factors.
Designing the Tailored Governance System: Based on the analyzed design factors, select and customize the governance and management objectives.
COBIT 2019 Implementation Guide Reference:
COBIT 2019 Framework: Introduction and Methodology, Chapter 4. This chapter provides an overview of the COBIT goals cascade and the importance of aligning enterprise goals with IT-related goals.
COBIT 2019 Design Guide, Chapter 2. This chapter describes design factors in detail and their role in tailoring the governance system.
COBIT 2019 Implementation Guide, Chapter 3. This chapter outlines the steps for implementing a tailored COBIT governance system, emphasizing the importance of understanding and leveraging design factors.
Thus, the CIO should prioritize understanding the design factors to ensure the tailored COBIT governance system aligns with the enterprise's specific context and requirements. This approach ensures the governance system is both effective and efficient, addressing the unique challenges and opportunities of the enterprise.
An enterprise has been consistently growing over the years and has decided to adapt the COBIT framework from the growth perspective of the balanced scorecard dimensions. Which of the following enterprise goals is MOST relevant to select?
Answer : D
The COBIT 2019 framework aligns enterprise goals with balanced scorecard (BSC) dimensions. Under the growth and innovation BSC perspective, one of the core enterprise goals listed is:
'Product and business innovation' -- which directly supports strategic growth by encouraging new products, services, and ways of operating.
This goal aligns with an enterprise that is expanding and looking to leverage innovation to sustain growth. Other options like risk management or cost optimization fit different BSC dimensions (e.g., financial, internal process).
When considering the compliance requirement design factor, and the design factor value is high, which of the following should be a management objective priority?
Answer : C
In environments with high compliance requirements, managing risk is crucial to avoid legal penalties, financial losses, and reputational damage. The 'Managed risk' objective ensures that risks related to compliance are identified, assessed, and mitigated effectively.
COBIT 2019 Framework Reference:
COBIT 2019 Framework: Governance and Management Objectives, APO12 Managed Risk: This objective focuses on establishing a risk management framework to identify and mitigate risks, including those related to compliance.
COBIT 2019 Design Guide, Chapter 2: Emphasizes the importance of managing risk in environments with high compliance requirements.
Prioritizing 'Managed risk' ensures that the enterprise has robust processes in place to manage compliance-related risks, thereby safeguarding the organization against potential regulatory issues.
An enterprise will often fail to realize implementation commitments during the execution of an EGIT implementation program plan if it:
Answer : B
The COBIT 2019 Implementation Guide states:
'A key pitfall in EGIT implementation is focusing too much on enabling IT-specific improvements and failing to tie governance outcomes directly to business value realization.'
Effective EGIT must prioritize how IT contributes to achieving enterprise goals, not just technical or operational improvements.
Which of the following inputs MUST be defined before the planning for a new governance framework can be finalized?
Answer : C
COBIT 2019 emphasizes:
'Defining enterprise goals is foundational to designing a governance system, as these goals drive the selection and prioritization of governance and management objectives.'
Without clearly defined enterprise goals, planning cannot proceed effectively.