Importance of Root Cause Analysis in Production Incidents

C.

The absence of root cause analysis for production incidents is a significant concern for the IS auditor because it can result in various negative outcomes. However, out of the four given options, the greatest risk associated with this finding is that the same incident may occur in the future.

Explanation:

Root cause analysis is a crucial process that aims to identify the underlying causes of a particular issue or problem. In the context of production incidents, root cause analysis helps to determine why the incident occurred, what factors contributed to it, and how it can be prevented in the future. Without root cause analysis, incidents may be resolved only on a surface level, and the underlying issues may remain unaddressed. This, in turn, can lead to the recurrence of the same or similar incidents in the future.

Option A: Future incidents may not be resolved in a timely manner - While the lack of root cause analysis can delay the resolution of future incidents, it may not necessarily be the greatest risk. Other factors, such as the severity of the incident, availability of resources, and organizational processes, may also affect the timeliness of incident resolution.

Option B: Future incidents may be prioritized inappropriately - While root cause analysis can help in identifying the impact and severity of incidents, the absence of root cause analysis may not necessarily result in the inappropriate prioritization of future incidents. Other factors, such as the potential impact on the business, may still be considered when prioritizing incidents.

Option D: Service level agreements (SLAs) may not be met - The lack of root cause analysis can impact incident resolution times and may result in SLAs being missed. However, missing an SLA does not necessarily pose the same level of risk as the recurrence of incidents due to unaddressed underlying issues.

Therefore, the greatest risk associated with the absence of root cause analysis for production incidents is that the same incident may occur in the future. This can result in the loss of critical data, system downtime, and reputational damage to the organization.