Questions for the COBIT DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION were updated on : Dec 01 ,2025
Which of the following should be the role of IT management when executing an EGIT
implementation program plan?
C
Explanation:
During execution, the COBIT 2019 Implementation Guide identifies IT management's role as:
"To oversee and monitor implementation activities, providing guidance and direction to ensure
alignment with program goals and stakeholder expectations."
While business participation, risk input, and scope management are important, the central and
ongoing role of IT management is to monitor and guide the execution.
Reference: COBIT 2019 Implementation Guide, Phase 6
Which of the following is the MOST likely trigger event for an EGIT improvement or implementation
program?
B
Explanation:
According to COBIT 2019 Implementation Guide:
"Trigger events for initiating or improving EGIT include regulatory noncompliance, significant
operational failures, or events that expose governance weaknesses."
Being fined for failing privacy regulations clearly exposes governance and compliance gaps—
prompting the need to implement or improve EGIT to avoid future regulatory or reputational
damage.
Reference: COBIT 2019 Implementation Guide, Section 2.1
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?
D
Explanation:
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).
Reference: COBIT 2019 Design Guide, Appendix A (Enterprise Goals Table)
When assessing the current state of I&T, a continual improvement task includes:
B
Explanation:
In the COBIT 2019 Implementation Guide:
"During the 'Where are we now?' phase, the enterprise assesses the current state of governance and
identifies process capability gaps. These gaps directly inform process improvement opportunities for
the implementation roadmap."
The emphasis at this stage is on evaluation and gap identification—not strategic goal-setting or
awareness-building, which occur earlier in the lifecycle.
Reference: COBIT 2019 Implementation Guide, Phase 2
When tailoring COBIT 2019 to enterprise requirements, which of the following is the PRIMARY
objective of preparing a risk profile?
B
Explanation:
According to the COBIT 2019 Design Guide:
"A key purpose of defining a risk profile is to compare identified risks with the enterprise's risk
appetite. This allows the organization to prioritize areas where risk levels exceed acceptable
thresholds and guide risk treatment plans accordingly."
The risk profile doesn't just highlight risks in general—it is specifically about those exceeding the
enterprise’s defined tolerance.
Reference: COBIT 2019 Design Guide, Section 4.4.3
Which of the following tools would be MOST useful for measuring and monitoring performance and
the realization of benefits from an EGIT implementation program plan project?
C
Explanation:
COBIT 2019 emphasizes the IT balanced scorecard as a key performance management tool:
"An IT balanced scorecard provides a mechanism for aligning IT-related goals with enterprise
objectives and is instrumental in measuring and communicating performance across financial,
customer, process, and innovation dimensions."
It is tailored to evaluate benefits realization and strategic alignment. Gantt charts and project
management tools focus on timelines and task execution, while RACI charts clarify responsibilities—
not performance outcomes.
Reference: COBIT 2019 Governance and Management Objectives, APO02 and BAI08
An enterprise will often fail to realize implementation commitments during the execution of an EGIT
implementation program plan if it:
B
Explanation:
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.
Reference: COBIT 2019 Implementation Guide, Common Pitfalls Section
When considering the sourcing model for IT factor, and the design factor value is outsourcing, which
of the following should be a management objective priority?
B
Explanation:
According to the COBIT 2019 Design Guide:
"When outsourcing is selected as the sourcing model, managing relationships with external vendors
becomes a top governance and management priority to ensure service quality, compliance, and
accountability."
This makes APO08 Managed Relationships the essential management objective for ensuring
outsourcing success. While security and performance are important, managing relationships is the
core requirement in an outsourced model.
Reference: COBIT 2019 Design Guide, Section 4.4.7
A CIO of a global enterprise has been mandated by the board to change the IT organizational
structure from a divisional model to a centralized model and adopt outsourcing as required. The CIO
identifies specific design factors that increase the importance of certain governance and
management objectives. Which of the following is MOST likely to increase as a result?
D
Explanation:
The COBIT 2019 Design Guide emphasizes:
"Adopting centralized IT structures and outsourcing can significantly increase exposure to external
threats, third-party dependencies, and compliance complexity—thereby elevating the threat
landscape."
A more centralized and outsourced environment implies shared systems, external service providers,
and expanded attack surfaces, all contributing to heightened threat scenarios that must be managed
through governance priorities.
Reference: COBIT 2019 Design Guide, Section 4.4.5
Which of the following stakeholders ensures the business case and program plan are realistic and
achievable?
C
Explanation:
In COBIT 2019 Implementation guidance:
"The Chief Information Officer (CIO) holds responsibility for ensuring the business case is aligned
with enterprise objectives and that the program plan is both realistic and achievable, factoring in
available resources and capabilities."
The CIO plays a strategic leadership role and has the oversight to balance technology, business
needs, risks, and resources. Business process owners and implementation teams contribute, but they
do not hold the final accountability for overall feasibility and alignment.
Reference: COBIT 2019 Implementation Guide, Phase 3
Which of the following industry sectors can be characterized by a low level of regulation and a high
level of focus on cost?
A
Explanation:
According to COBIT 2019’s industry context insights:
"Nonprofit organizations typically operate under fewer regulatory constraints compared to heavily
regulated sectors like finance or healthcare. However, they are highly cost-sensitive due to budget
limitations and donor expectations."
This combination makes nonprofits focused on cost-efficiency and operational value delivery, rather
than regulatory compliance. In contrast, financial and healthcare sectors are bound by strict
regulatory obligations and compliance oversight.
Reference: COBIT 2019 Design Guide, Section 4.4.1 (Industry Factors)
When tailoring a governance system for an enterprise, which of the following is MOST important to
consider for an operating environment with a high compliance requirement?
C
Explanation:
In environments with high compliance requirements, the threat landscape becomes a critical design
factor, especially regarding legal, regulatory, and cyber-risk exposure.
"A heightened threat landscape, influenced by legal, regulatory, and security challenges, necessitates
more stringent governance and risk controls."
The threat landscape in such contexts often includes not only cyber threats but also strict regulatory
obligations that, if not met, can result in severe penalties. Thus, governance systems must be
designed with a proactive focus on risk and compliance controls, driven by a thorough understanding
of the threat landscape.
Reference: COBIT 2019 Design Guide, Section 4.4.5
Which of the following is the STRONGEST indicator that a major IT initiative in progress will fail?
A
Explanation:
COBIT 2019 highlights the importance of executive leadership and clear direction:
"Lack of strong and sustained management direction is a primary contributor to failure in large-scale
governance or IT transformation initiatives."
Management direction encompasses setting vision, communicating goals, resolving conflicts, and
ensuring alignment of resources. While the other options are important, they are symptomatic and
secondary to the overarching need for effective management leadership. When this direction is
weak, no amount of documentation or planning can rescue the initiative.
Reference: COBIT 2019 Implementation Guide, Phases 1 and 5
When reviewing the risk profile of an enterprise during the governance design phase, what MUST be
established prior to conducting a high-level risk analysis?
B
Explanation:
In the COBIT 2019 Design Guide, when dealing with the risk profile as a design factor, it is
emphasized:
"To understand and assess risk at a strategic level, the enterprise’s risk appetite must be established.
Risk appetite defines the level and type of risk that the enterprise is willing to accept in pursuit of its
objectives."
This is critical because all subsequent risk assessments, including high-level risk analyses and
responses, depend on knowing what level of risk is tolerable or unacceptable to the organization.
Without a defined risk appetite, risk prioritization becomes speculative and misaligned with
enterprise strategy.
Reference: COBIT 2019 Design Guide, Section 4.4.3
What functional task area is responsible for assessing the potential return on investment (ROI) during
future state planning?
D
Explanation:
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.
Reference: COBIT 2019 Implementation Guide, Phase 3