Course Content SABSA Institute

Module A1
SABSA Advanced Risk, Assurance & Governance
The Unique Value of SABSA Institute Advanced Modules
The SABSA Chartered Architect programme is a true Professional Certification
awarded by the SABSA Institute, the global governing body for the SABSA method.
It provides employers and peers with confidence and assurance that a successful
candidate has demonstrated in practical terms the real competence and ability to:

Analyse and assess business problems and business-driven requirements;

Apply, modify and customise the SABSA method to strategise and innovate
specific solutions to meet the unique requirements of their organisation,
culture and sector;

Design and create the work-product required to establish and operationalise

SABSA for the solution strategies in their unique environment;

Assess, evaluate and test concepts and theories by populating the workproduct they design for real-world application;

Apply and measurably demonstrate their skills under the pressure of

examinations.

SABSA Advanced Module Competency Development

The SABSA Institute Professional Competency Framework is created from Blooms
Taxonomy of Cognitive Levels. Advanced modules are not about mere knowledge
knowledge about SABSA has already been developed and tested at Foundation
Level (SCF certification) they are about the development and demonstration of
competence to apply SABSA and achieve valuable results for the benefit of the
organisation and the individual.
Competency Level

Skill Demonstrated

Task Examples

Observation and recall of information

Knowledge of facts
Knowledge of major ideas
Mastery of subject matter
Carry out research to find information

List, define, tell,

describe, identify, show,
label, collect, examine,
tabulate, quote,
name, find, identify

Understand information
Grasp meaning
Translate knowledge into new context
Interpret facts, compare, contrast, order,
Group, infer causes, predict consequences

Summarise, explain,
interpret, contrast, predict,
associate, distinguish,
estimate, differentiate,
discuss, extend

Application

Use information & methods, concepts,

& theories in new situations
Solve problems using skills & knowledge

Apply, demonstrate, calculate,

complete, illustrate, show,
solve, examine, modify,
relate, change, classify,
experiment, discover

Analysis

Seeing patterns
Organisation of parts
Recognition of hidden meanings
Identification of components

Analyse, separate,
order, connect, classify,
arrange, divide,
compare, select, infer

Knowledge

2 Comprehension

Synthesis

Evaluation

Combine, integrate, modify,

rearrange, substitute, plan,
create, build, design, invent,
compose, formulate, prepare,
generalise, rewrite
Compare and discriminate between ideas
Assess, evaluate, decide,
Assess value of theories, presentations
rank, grade, test, measure,
Make choices based on reasoned argument recommend, convince, select,
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Verify value of evidence
judge, discriminate,
Recognise subjectivity
support, conclude
Use old ideas to create new ones
Generalise from given facts
Relate knowledge from several areas
Predict, draw conclusions

Test Level
Developed
& Tested
by
Foundation
Module
SCF
Certificate

Developed
& Tested
by

Advanced
Modules
SCP
Certificate
(Practitioner)
&
SCM
Certificate
(Master)

Course Content SABSA Institute

Pre-Requisites to Participating in this Course Module

There are no mandatory pre-requisites for attending this course or for sitting
the Institutes A1 examination module on completion of the course.
However, Foundation Level knowledge and comprehension of SABSA are
required and assumed this module will not repeat SABSA Foundation
materials in-depth and it is therefore strongly recommended that attendees
should be SCF certified before attempting this module.
The principal audience for this module is candidates seeking a SABSA
Chartered Practitioner Certificate (SCP) or the SABSA Chartered Master
Certificate (SCM) for which the SABSA Chartered Foundation Certificate
(SCF) is a pre-requisite.
Candidates passing an Advanced Module examination without first passing
the Foundation Module examination (statistically extremely few) cannot use
the SCP professional designation until they also pass the Foundation
examinations.
Those who have also gained field experience of using their Foundation Level
training in a work situation will benefit most from attendance at a SABSA
Advanced course.

Advanced Module - Course Delivery Methodology

Advanced modules are heavily practical in nature and the techniques used to
develop and demonstrate Advanced competencies include:

Presentation of advanced issues, concepts, models & approaches

Individual and group research

Q&A based on research

Open forum discussions

Coaching & mentoring

Workshops based on case studies to apply techniques

Group & individual analysis

Group presentations

Candidates may desire to perform additional work outside of course hours.

The Institute requires that your course facilitator is a highly-experienced
SABSA Chartered Master Architect (SCM) and, although group presentations
are included in the course, it is not based on extensive lecturing. The primary
function of the facilitator is to guide, mentor and assess the work of small
syndicate groups or individuals, each of whom may be creating different workproduct applicable to the specific challenges of their organisation, culture or
sector.

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Course Content SABSA Institute

SABSA Institute Advanced Examination Format

The examination approach for a SABSA Advanced Course is totally different
from that used at Foundation Level. Candidates are required to demonstrate
advanced competencies to use the SABSA method and framework.
The examination is therefore entirely open book and project-based.
Examination papers contain 5 questions from which candidates must choose
2 to answer. Using examples from real working environments, or by creating
a case study, or a combination of both, candidates are required to assess
issues, evaluate solution approaches, and customise and apply the SABSA
method and framework to create and populate appropriate SABSA workproducts (techniques, tools, templates, models, frameworks, etc.).
Examination answers must be provided within 4 weeks of the examination
date.

Requirement for Personal Computers

Due to the nature of Advanced course modules and examinations it required
that participants bring personal computing devices in order to create, discuss,
share, populate and store personal work product in portable, editable form,
such that it can be applied extensively:

In the candidates place of work;

In the preparation and submission of the candidates examination

answers.

Candidates are responsible for ensuring the computing devices they use are
pre-loaded with all software that may be appropriate to their needs including
word processors, spreadsheets, databases, and diagramming tools.

Outline Module A1 SABSA Advanced Risk, Assurance &

Governance
All Advanced modules follow the SABSA method sequentially as it relates to a
specialist professional area. Module A1 applies SABSA to the areas of Risk,
Assurance & Governance.

Section 1 Risk, Assurance & Governance in the SABSA Framework

o The role of Risk & Risk Management
o SABSA Risk & Opportunity Model
o Business-driven architectural decomposition in Risk,
Governance & Assurance
o The SABSA Risk Management Process (RMP) Overview &
Meta-model

Section 2 Strategy & Planning - Establishing Risk Context

o Domain-based Risk Context
o Identifying Stakeholders & Risk Owners in a SABSA
Governance Framework

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Course Content SABSA Institute

o The SABSA-Extended RACI Model
o External Context Analysis Taxonomies & PESTELIM Analysis
o Internal Context Analysis Taxonomies & SABSA-based SWOT
Analysis
o Through-life Risk Perspectives

Section 3 Strategy & Planning - Risk Identification

o Threat & Opportunity Event Identification Taxonomies
o Vulnerability & Strength Identification Taxonomies
o Using Attribute Taxonomies for Identifying Risk Consequences

Section 4 Strategy & Planning - Risk Analysis & Assessment

o SABSA Approach to Risk Assessment
o Applying the SABSA Performance Measurement Framework to
Assess Assets at Risk
o Assessing Threat & Opportunity Event Probability
o Assessing Risk Likelihood
o SABSA Approach to Risk Appetite Thresholds
o SABSA Approach to Assessing Risk Consequences
o SABSA Application of Risk Levels to Provide Early Warning
Capability

Section 5 Strategy & Planning - Risk Evaluation

o Risk Evaluation Criteria
o Risk-Architecting Complex Enterprise Environments

Business process decomposition

Hierarchical systemic domain impact / benefit

Hierarchical systemic domain conflict

Systemic risk interactions between peer domains

Compound risk interactions

Domain & enterprise aggregation

The SABSA Enterprise Impact Framework

Section 6 Strategy & Planning Risk Treatment Strategy

o Objectives for Enablement & Control
o Risk Treatment Dependency Modelling
o Risk Treatment Traceability
o Risk Finance Strategy
o Role of Pure & Residual Risk
o SABSA Risk Treatment Lifecycle
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Course Content SABSA Institute

o Risk Ecosystem Lifecycle & Panarchy

Section 7 Design & Implement Risk Treatment

o Risk Policy & Management Architecture
o SABSA Multi-tiered Control Strategy
o Balanced Risk Treatment Decisions

Section 8 Manage & Measure Risk Management

o The Control System in a Control Feedback Loop
o Through-life Vitality
o Treatment Inheritance & Re-use
o The Role of Key Risk Indicators & Analysing Change
o Considerations & Implications for Risk Systems & Dashboards

Section 9 Through-life Governance

o SABSA Governance Model Revisited
o Lifecycle Perspectives
o Risk Communications Architecture

Section 10 Through-life Assurance

o SABSA Assurance Framework & Model
o Assurance Levels & Correlation with Risk Levels
o Defining & Populating Assurance Matrices

Asset, Information & Systems Assurance

Risk Assurance & the SABSA RMP

Process Assurance & the SABSA Capability Maturity

Model

People Assurance

Location Assurance

Time & Performance Assurance

Lifecycle Assurance Views

What a Course Attendee will take away

Experience in applying the SABSA Risk Management Process,

Assurance Framework & Governance Model to their specific
organisation, sector and culture;

The skills and competence to plan, design, implement and manage a

SABSA Risk Management Architecture through-life;

The skills and competence to plan, design, implement and manage the
SABSA Assurance & Governance Frameworks;
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Course Content SABSA Institute

Customised strategies and detailed work-products to apply the SABSA

Risk Management Process, Assurance Framework and Governance
Models, on Domain and Enterprise basis, and throughout the business
lifecycle.

Who Should Attend

Any SABSA Chartered Practitioner Architect (SCP) Candidate, SABSA
Chartered Master Architect (SCM) Candidate, and any professional seeking to
develop practical advanced competency to architect Business Risk,
Assurance and Governance structures and processes, including:

CIO / CISO / CTO / CIRO

Risk & Security Professionals

Quality Assurance Professionals

Audit & Compliance Professionals

Business & IT Strategists and Planners

Business, IT & Risk Management Architects

Managers of Risk Disciplines including

o Enterprise Risk Managers
o Programme & Project Risk Managers
o Operational Risk Managers

IT Risk Specialists

Security Risk Specialists

Service Managers

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