Compliance Operations

Once the governance framework is set up and the necessary Authority Documents, Compliance Requirements, Control Objectives, and Control Templates are configured, organizations can move into the operational phase.

In this phase, the focus shifts to implementing controls for organizational entities, ensuring compliance and effective risk management.

Identifying Entities for Compliance

Entities represent anything within the organization that must comply with regulations, standards, or cybersecurity requirements.

These could include:​

• Processes

• Employees and teams

• Software applications and information systems

• Databases

• Datacenters and physical facilities

• Organizational units

• Third-party vendors

The first step in operationalizing compliance is identifying all relevant entities that require control implementation. Once identified, organizations must assign appropriate Controls to ensure compliance and mitigate risks.

Implementing Controls

GRC for Jira enables the creation of Entity-related Controls using predefined Control Templates.

This streamlines the implementation process and ensures consistency across similar entities.

Key benefits include: 

• Time efficiency – Reusing Control Templates reduces manual effort.

• Standardization – Maintaining uniform compliance across multiple entities.

For example, a Quarterly Access Review might be required for all employees with access to critical systems. A Control Template for access reviews can be applied across multiple teams, ensuring consistent and repeatable assessments.

A single Control can be linked to multiple entities, covering a broader compliance scope.

Relations between Compliance work item types

Control Lifecycle: From Design to Monitoring

Each Control follows a structured lifecycle to ensure effectiveness and compliance:

Design Phase (Draft Status)

• Control Owners or Compliance Managers define the Control’s scope and attributes.

• Considerations include criticality, testing frequency, test steps, and automation of Control Assessment creation.

• Best practices from compliance frameworks should guide control design.

Attestation Phase

• Compliance Managers review and approve the Control design.

• An initial Control Assessment is conducted to validate the Control’s effectiveness.

Monitoring Phase

• Controls become active and require periodic reassessments.

• Automated Control Assessments are generated based on the predefined testing frequency.

• Any deficiencies found during assessments require remediation actions.

Continuous Improvement

• Controls may be updated, improved, or retired based on assessment outcomes.

• Identified gaps lead to adjustments in design, process changes, or additional monitoring requirements.

Control Assessments

A Control Assessment is a dedicated task linked to a Control, aimed at verifying its effectiveness. The assessment process follows structured test steps defined during the Control’s design. Control Assessments help organizations gather evidence and ensure that compliance is continuously met.

To further enhance efficiency, GRC for Jira offers automation for Control Assessment creation. When enabled, the system automatically generates Control Assessment tasks based on predefined testing frequencies, ensuring that assessments are conducted on time without needing to track when a new assessment should be created or manually initiate it.

Example: Quarterly Access Review

A quarterly Control Assessment is created for employee access reviews. The responsible party must:

• Verify active users in internal software systems.

• Confirm whether former employees’ access has been revoked.

• Document findings and attach evidence.

If an issue is discovered — such as a former employee still having access — a Control Deficiency is raised.

Handling Control Deficiencies

A Control Deficiency highlights issues identified during assessments. These could be:

• Design issues – The Control is not effective and needs modification.

• Operational issues – The entity is not complying, requiring remediation actions.

Example: Quarterly Access Review

During an access review, it is discovered that an ex-employee still has access to sensitive systems. A Control Deficiency is raised, prompting corrective actions to revoke access and prevent similar occurrences.

Reporting & Performance Tracking

GRC for Jira provides powerful reporting tools to monitor compliance operations.

Key reporting widgets include:

Control Implementation Tracking

Track Controls implementation progress from Draft to Monitoring.

Compliance controls implementation tracking reporting widget

Control Assessment Performance

Ensuring timely assessments by Control Owners.

Compliance control assessment progress tracking

Deficiency Remediation Progress

Tracking resolution timelines and preventing non-compliance issues from being ignored.

Control Deficiencies resolution progress tracking

Summary

GRC for Jira transforms compliance management by:

Ensuring regulatory adherence with structured workflows.

Automating tedious compliance tasks to increase efficiency. Reducing compliance overhead with centralized, scalable control management.

Providing visibility into risk and compliance status with real-time reporting.

By integrating GRC into Jira, organizations enhance compliance operations, minimize risks, and create a sustainable, automated governance framework.

Ready to streamline your compliance process? Explore GRC for Jira today!

Start Your Free Trial