CSI IT Project Governance 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In IT project governance, what distinguishes a 'toll gate' from a 'phase gate'?
- Toll gates require financial payment to proceed
- Toll gates are lighter-touch checkpoints within a phase, while phase gates occur between phases (Correct answer)
- Phase gates are informal while toll gates are formal
- There is no difference; the terms are interchangeable
Correct answer: Toll gates are lighter-touch checkpoints within a phase, while phase gates occur between phases
Toll gates are interim governance checkpoints within a phase, providing more frequent oversight without requiring full phase completion.
Question 2: A CSI project's risk register shows a critical integration risk with a HIGH likelihood and HIGH impact. Under governance best practices, who should own this risk?
- The developer who identified it
- A senior stakeholder or sponsor with authority to act on it (Correct answer)
- The PMO administrator
- The vendor relationship manager
Correct answer: A senior stakeholder or sponsor with authority to act on it
High-priority risks should be owned by someone with the authority and resources to implement response strategies effectively.
Question 3: Which framework is MOST commonly referenced for IT governance at the enterprise level, covering alignment of IT with business strategy?
- PMBOK
- COBIT (Correct answer)
- ITIL
- ISO 9001
Correct answer: COBIT
COBIT (Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies) is the leading framework for enterprise IT governance and management.
Question 4: A project governance model requires 'dual sign-off' for production deployments. During an urgent integration fix, the secondary approver is unavailable. What should the project team do?
- Proceed with single sign-off to avoid delay
- Invoke the documented exception or escalation process (Correct answer)
- Wait indefinitely for the approver to return
- Delete the deployment from the schedule
Correct answer: Invoke the documented exception or escalation process
Good governance frameworks include exception processes for urgent situations, ensuring controls are maintained without blocking critical work.
Question 5: What is the governance implication of 'shadow IT' projects within an organization running formal system integration programs?
- Shadow IT accelerates delivery with no downside
- It creates security, compliance, and integration risks that bypass governance controls (Correct answer)
- Shadow IT is acceptable if costs are below $10,000
- It only affects the IT department, not the business
Correct answer: It creates security, compliance, and integration risks that bypass governance controls
Shadow IT bypasses security reviews, compliance checks, and architectural standards, creating hidden risks for integration projects.
Question 6: During post-implementation review of a system integration project, the team discovers a governance gap that led to a missed security approval. What is the BEST response?
- Assign blame to the security team
- Document lessons learned and update governance procedures to close the gap (Correct answer)
- Ignore it since the project is complete
- Request additional budget as compensation
Correct answer: Document lessons learned and update governance procedures to close the gap
Post-implementation reviews should capture lessons learned that improve governance frameworks for future projects.
Question 7: An organization uses a portfolio management approach to IT governance. A new CSI project is proposed. At what level is the initial go/no-go decision TYPICALLY made?
- By the project manager after scoping
- At portfolio or executive committee level before project initiation (Correct answer)
- By the technical lead after architecture review
- By the PMO after resource allocation
Correct answer: At portfolio or executive committee level before project initiation
Portfolio governance ensures strategic alignment and resource optimization before projects are approved and initiated.
CSI IT Project Governance 3
In IT project governance, what distinguishes a 'toll gate' from a 'phase gate'?