Step 4: Conduct a Gap Assessment
Prioritize What’s Next
Your Compliance GPS
Reveal What’s Missing. Prioritize What’s Next
Too many organizations dive into security and compliance without knowing their starting point.
A gap assessment shows exactly where you are and how far you have to go.
It’s where clarity replaces guesswork, and smart prioritization replaces wasted motion.
Whether you're aiming for SOC 2, HIPAA, NIST, ISO 27001, or other frameworks, this step is where your plan becomes real.
A gap assessment helps you...
Understand Scope: What’s in and what’s out?
Understand Scope: What’s in and what’s out?
Surface Gaps Early: Before your auditor finds them.
- Deploy Resources Wisely: By focusing on the high-impact fixes first.
How to Run a Gap Assessment
No need to boil the ocean. Follow this playbook to get it done:
Select Your
Framework(s)
Choose the standards you’re targeting: SOC 2, HIPAA, ISO, etc. If multiple, pick a “primary” and map others to it.
Inventory Your
Current State
Document your policies, procedures, tools, vendors, and evidence repositories. Collect what you have before you focus on what’s missing.
Evaluate
Gaps
Use your GRC platform (or Gap Tracker) to score each control (Fully Met, Partially Met, Not Met) and include notes, evidence links, and screenshots.
Score and
Prioritize
Mark each gap with severity, effort, risk, and urgency. Focus your team on high-risk, low-effort wins first.
Assign and
Track
Add each gap to a tracker or GRC platform, assign an owner, and monitor progress in weekly standups or reviews.
Review with
Leadership
Show them a clear picture: where you are, what’s missing, and what the team is doing to get you audit-ready.
Ready to Create Your Action Plan?
Now that you know your gaps, it’s time to close them.
We’ll guide you through creating and updating the policies, controls, and safeguards that fill those gaps and keep you compliant.
