CMA - Certified Master Architect Business Technology Strategy Questions and Answers

Question 1

A Master Architect is tasked with developing a business technology strategy for a retail company planning a major digital transformation.
The primary business goal is to create a seamless, personalized customer experience across all channels (in-store, web, mobile).
Which of the following is the most critical first step in aligning the technology strategy with this business goal?

Accepted Answer

Mapping the desired customer journey to identify the required business capabilities and value streams.

Answer

Conducting a total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis of various e-commerce platforms.

Answer

Selecting a cloud provider that offers the most advanced AI and machine learning services.

Answer

Establishing a technology governance board to approve all new platform investments.

Question 2

In a scenario where a company's board is scrutinizing IT spending, a Master Architect needs to demonstrate the business value of a recently implemented enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Which set of metrics provides the most comprehensive view of the technology's strategic value?

Accepted Answer

Reduction in inventory holding costs, improved order fulfillment cycle time, and increased data accuracy for financial reporting.

Answer

System uptime, server response time, and number of user trouble tickets.

Answer

Total cost of ownership (TCO), return on investment (ROI), and payback period.

Answer

Number of modules implemented and percentage of employees trained on the new system.

Question 3

Which of the following best describes the primary role of an Enterprise Architecture framework like TOGAF in the context of business technology strategy?

Accepted Answer

To offer a structured methodology for aligning IT development with business goals and managing the architecture lifecycle.

Answer

To mandate the use of specific software and hardware technologies across the enterprise.

Answer

To provide a prescriptive, one-size-fits-all solution for IT infrastructure design.

Answer

To eliminate the need for business stakeholder involvement in technology decisions by automating the design process.

Question 4

A Master Architect is advising a financial services firm that wants to improve its agility and responsiveness to market changes. The current technology landscape is characterized by siloed, monolithic legacy systems. What strategic architectural approach should the architect recommend?

Accepted Answer

Adopting a service-oriented or microservices architecture to decouple capabilities and enable incremental change.

Answer

A 'lift-and-shift' migration of all legacy systems to a single public cloud provider to reduce infrastructure costs.

Answer

Implementing a single, enterprise-wide COTS (Commercial Off-The-Shelf) platform to replace all existing systems.

Answer

Outsourcing the entire IT department to a third-party vendor to focus on core business activities.

Question 5

When defining a business technology strategy, what is the primary purpose of creating a Business Capability Map?

Accepted Answer

To provide a stable, technology-agnostic view of what the business does to achieve its objectives.

Answer

To document the organization's current IT hardware and software inventory.

Answer

To outline the reporting structure of the IT department.

Answer

To create a detailed project plan for all approved IT initiatives for the next fiscal year.

Question 6

A key component of a successful business technology strategy is effective governance. What is the main objective of a technology governance function led by an architecture review board?

Accepted Answer

To ensure technology solutions adhere to enterprise standards and align with the strategic business and technology roadmap.

Answer

To ensure all technology projects are completed on time and within budget.

Answer

To centralize all technology purchasing decisions within a single committee.

Answer

To personally train all developers on the latest coding standards and practices.