Exactprep CGEIT Questions

Following a re-prioritization of business objectives by management, the first step to allocate resources to IT processes should be to update the IT strategy. This ensures that the IT strategic plan remains aligned with the overall business direction and objectives. An updated IT strategy will reflect the new priorities and guide the allocation of resources to support the revised business goals effectively. Refining the human resource management plan, implementing a RACI model, and performing a maturity assessment are important actions but should follow the strategic alignment to ensure that all IT efforts and resources are directed towards achieving the updated business objectives.

 A balanced scorecard (BSC) is a tool that helps measure and communicate the performance of an organization or a function in relation to its strategy and objectives. A BSC typically includes four perspectives: financial, customer, internal process, and learning and growth. A BSC can help a CIO to make improvements to the enterprise’s IT governance by defining the IT vision, mission, goals, and metrics that align with the business needs and expectations. A BSC can also help demonstrate the expected benefits from proposed changes by showing how they will affect the IT performance indicators and outcomes in each perspective. A BSC can provide a clear and comprehensive picture of the current and desired state of IT governance, as well as the gaps and opportunities for improvement. 

 A balanced scorecard is a strategic management tool that measures the alignment of IT with the enterprise by using four perspectives: financial, customer, internal process, and learning and growth. A balanced scorecard helps to translate the enterprise vision and strategy into IT objectives, measures, targets, and initiatives. It also helps to monitor and evaluate the IT performance and value delivery in relation to the enterprise goals and stakeholder expectations. A balanced scorecard provides a comprehensive and balanced view of the IT contribution to the enterprise success. The other options are not as useful as a balanced scorecard for measuring the alignment of IT with the enterprise, because they are either too narrow or too subjective. A control self-assessment (CSA) is a technique that involves the participation of staff in assessing the effectiveness of internal controls and risk management processes. A CSA can provide some insights into the IT alignment with the enterprise, but it is not a systematic or holistic approach. A gap analysis is a method that compares the current state and the desired state of a process or a system and identifies the gaps or discrepancies that need to be addressed. A gap analysis can help to improve the IT alignment with the enterprise, but it is not a measurement tool. Audit reports are documents that present the findings and opinions of an independent auditor on the adequacy and compliance of an audited entity. Audit reports can provide some evidence of the IT alignment with the enterprise, but they are not a comprehensive or consistent measure. References := The art of measurement in enterprise and business architecture, Benchmarking strategic alignment of business and IT strategies, The Importance of Business & IT Alignment, 7 ways to effectively ensure IT-business alignment

In the context of a resource shortage, reviewing the IT strategic plan would be most helpful for determining how to allocate IT resources. The strategic plan outlines the organization's vision, goals, and priorities, providing a clear framework for making informed decisions about resource allocation. It ensures that limited resources are directed toward initiatives that are most critical to achieving strategic objectives, thereby maximizing the impact and value of IT investments. While skills development plans, organizational structures, and skills inventories are important, they do not provide the strategic context needed for prioritizing resource allocation.