An IS auditor is asked to review a large organization's change management process. Which of the following practices presents the GREATEST risk?
An IS auditor is asked to review a large organization's change management process. Which of the following practices presents the GREATEST risk?
Emergency code changes promoted without user acceptance testing (UAT) presents the greatest risk. UAT is critical for ensuring that changes work as expected in a real-world environment before they are fully deployed. Skipping this step can result in defects or unintended consequences that may severely impact business operations, making this practice riskier than others listed.
Emergency code changes are promoted without user acceptance testing: This practice presents a significant risk because emergency changes are typically made to address critical issues, and there is often pressure to implement them quickly. In such a scenario, it may be tempting to skip some of the steps in the change management process, such as user acceptance testing. However, if changes are implemented without adequate testing, there is a high risk of introducing errors or other unintended consequences that could negatively impact the organization.
A. Transaction data changes can be made by a senior developer.
B. Change management tickets do not contain specific documentation. Change management tickets do not contain specific documentation: While documentation is an important component of change management, the absence of specific documentation in change management tickets is not necessarily a significant risk in and of itself. The risk associated with this practice would depend on the nature of the documentation that is missing, and whether its absence could impact the ability of stakeholders to understand the change and its potential impacts.
In conclusion, of the four practices listed, the practice that presents the greatest risk is emergency code changes being promoted without user acceptance testing. This is because the absence of user acceptance testing increases the risk of introducing errors or unintended consequences that could negatively impact the organization.
A. Transaction data changes can be made by a senior developer.
D. Emergency code changes are promoted without user acceptance testing (UAT).