Pearson CISA New Attempt

The missing access control requirements should present the greatest concern to the IS auditor when reviewing a contract for the outsourcing of IT facilities. Access control requirements are essential for ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the outsourced IT resources and data. They specify the roles, responsibilities, and permissions of the outsourcing vendor and its staff, as well as the client and its users, in accessing and managing the IT facilities. They also define the security policies, standards, and procedures that the outsourcing vendor must follow to protect the IT facilities from unauthorized or malicious access, use, modification, or disclosure. Without clear and comprehensive access control requirements, the outsourcing contract may expose the client to significant risks of data breaches, compliance violations, service disruptions, or reputational damage.

Hardware configurations, help desk availability, and perimeter network security diagram are important aspects of an outsourcing contract, but they are not as critical as access control requirements. Hardware configurations describe the technical specifications and performance of the IT equipment that the outsourcing vendor will provide and maintain. Help desk availability defines the service levels and support channels that the outsourcing vendor will offer to the client and its users. Perimeter network security diagram illustrates the network architecture and security measures that the outsourcing vendor will implement to protect the IT facilities from external threats. These aspects can be verified or modified during the implementation or operation phases of the outsourcing contract, but access control requirements need to be established and agreed upon before signing the contract.

Conducting periodic testing and incorporating lessons learned is the best way to improve the effectiveness of an incident response team. This allows the team to practice their response procedures, identify any gaps or weaknesses in their response, and learn from their mistakes. It also helps to keep the team’s skills sharp and up-to-date. The lessons learned from these tests can then be used to improve the team’s procedures and performance12. While understanding information systems technology, disseminating incident response procedures, and publishing KPI metrics can contribute to the effectiveness of the team, they do not provide the same level of continuous improvement as periodic testing and learning from experience.

If the audit team lacks the necessary knowledge to audit a system that uses an AI algorithm, engaging external consultants who have audit experience and knowledge of AI would be the best approach12. These consultants can provide the expertise needed to effectively audit the AI system12. This approach ensures that the audit is conducted thoroughly and accurately, without requiring the audit team to acquire new skills or knowledge12.

A post-implementation review (PIR) is a process to evaluate whetherthe objectives of the project were met, determine how effectively this wasachieved, learn lessons for the future, and ensure that the organisation gets the most benefit from the implementation of projects1. A PIR is an important tool for assessing the success and value of a project, as well as identifying the areas for improvement and best practices for future projects.

One of the key elements of a PIR is to measure the benefits of the project against the expected outcomes and benefits that were defined at the beginning of the project. Measurable benefits are the quantifiable and verifiable results or outcomes that the project delivers to theorganisation or its stakeholders, such as increased revenue, reduced costs, improved quality, enhanced customer satisfaction, or compliance with regulations2. Measurable benefits should be aligned with the organisation’s strategy, vision, and goals, and should be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound).

The finding that measurable benefits were not defined is of greatest significance among the four findings, because it implies that:

The project did not have a clear and agreed-upon purpose, scope, objectives, and deliverables

The project did not have a valid and realistic business case or justification for its initiation and implementation

The project did not have a robust and effective monitoring and evaluation mechanism to track its progress, performance, and impact

The project did not have a reliable and transparent way to demonstrate its value proposition and return on investment to the organisation or its stakeholders

The project did not have a meaningful and actionable way to learn from its achievements and challenges, and to improve its processes and practices

Therefore, an IS auditor should recommend that measurable benefits are defined for any project before its implementation, and that they are reviewed and reported regularly during and after the project’s completion.

The other possible findings are:

A lessons-learned session was never conducted: This is a significant finding, but not as significant as the lack of measurable benefits. A lessons-learned session is a process of capturing and documenting the knowledge, experience, and feedback gained from a project, both positive and negative. A lessons-learned session helps to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the project management process, as well as the best practices and lessons for future projects. A lessons-learned session should be conducted at the end of each project phase or milestone, as well as at the end of the project. However, even without a formal lessons-learned session, some learning may still occur informally or implicitly among the project team members or stakeholders.

The projects 10% budget overrun was not reported to senior management: This is a significant finding, but not as significant as the lack of measurable benefits. A budget overrun is a situation where the actual cost of a project exceeds its planned or estimated cost. A budget overrun may indicate poor planning, estimation, or control of the project resources, or unexpected changes or risks that occurred during the project implementation. A budget overrun should be reported to senior management as soon as possible, along with the reasons for it and the corrective actions taken or proposed. However, a budget overrun may not necessarily affect the quality or value of the project deliverables or outcomes if they are still within acceptable standards or expectations.

Monthly dashboards did not always contain deliverables: This is a significant finding, but not as significant as the lack of measurable benefits. A dashboard is a visual tool that displays key performance indicators (KPIs) or metrics related to a project’s progress, status, or results. A dashboard helps to monitor and communicate the performance of a project to various stakeholders in a concise and clear manner. A dashboard should include deliverables as one of its components, along with other elements such as schedule, budget, quality, risks, issues, or benefits. However, even without deliverables in monthly dashboards, some information about them may still be available from other sources such as reports or documents.