About

Objectives is where you work through a framework for a client. Each objective is a requirement of the framework. You set its status, answer the assessment questions behind it, and link the documents, evidence and action items that support it. The page shows the same work in two ways, so you can follow it by requirement or by question.

The page is titled "Assess" followed by the framework name, and has two tabs:

• By Objectives: one row per objective, with its status and linked items.
• By Questions: one row per assessment question, with its answer and the objectives it supports.

To open it, pick a framework in the framework switcher, then click Objectives in that framework's section of the sidebar. If "All Frameworks" is selected, the page asks you to choose a framework first.

Review objectives

The By Objectives tab lists the framework's objectives, 50 at a time. More load as you scroll down.

The table has these columns:

• Objective: the objective's code and name. Click it to open the objective.
• Status: the objective's status. Click the arrow beside it to change it.
• Artifacts: how many documents, evidence items and action items are linked to the objective.
• Notes: a note for the objective. Click the cell to add or edit one.
• Actions: buttons to create an action item and to copy and paste an objective's content, plus an Upload Evidence drop zone.

The status of an objective is one of: Not Assessed, Not Compliant, Partially Compliant, In Review, Compliant or Not Applicable.

Search and filter

Use the search box to find an objective by name or code. Click Filter to narrow the list by:

• Status
• Scopes (the framework's own groupings, such as CIS Implementation Groups)
• In scope status (In scope or Out of scope)
• Domain and Sub domain (only when the framework has more than one domain)

The page opens with the In scope filter already applied, so objectives that are out of scope are hidden. Remove the filter, or click Clear All, to see them.

Change what the table shows

Click Display to choose how the table is laid out.

The menu has two parts:

• Group by: No Grouping, Domain or Sub Domain. Grouped rows show a progress bar and a percentage assessed for the group.
• Columns: switches for Objective, Compliant (the Status column), Artifacts, Notes, Implementation notes, Actions and Scope. Implementation notes and Scope are off until you turn them on.

Click Reset to default to go back to the standard layout.

Open an objective

Click an objective's name to open it in a side panel. Use the expand icon at the top left of the panel to open it as a full page instead.

At the top of the panel you can:

• Click Show more to read the objective's full description.
• Click Add New to create a policy, procedure, governance document, evidence or risk and link it to the objective.
• Click Map item to link something that already exists.
• Click Prev or Next to move to the previous or next objective.

The panel has these tabs:

• Assess
• Action Items
• Implementation
• Documents
• Responsibility Matrix
• Controls & Risks
• Evidence
• Audit
• Cross Walks

The tabs you see depend on your plan. Under the tabs you also find Comments and Activity.

The Assess tab

The Assess tab is where you record your assessment of the objective. It shows:

• Status: the same status drop-down as in the table.
• Automated test: the result of automated checks for the objective, for example Failing. It appears for objectives that are in scope.
• Add notes: a box for your own notes.
• Assessment questions: one row for each question linked to the objective. Each row has a Response drop-down and a ? button that opens guidance for the question.

Click the arrow beside a question to expand it and see its past responses, notes and action items. Objectives that have a maturity assessment also show Questions and Maturity tabs under the notes box.

Change an objective's status

1. Click Objectives in the sidebar, then the By Objectives tab.
2. Click the arrow beside the objective's status. You can also do this in the Status drop-down on the objective's Assess tab.
3. Choose a status.
4. If you choose Not Compliant or Partially Compliant, a "Create an action item?" window opens. Create the action item, or tick Also add in POAM to add it to the Plan of Action as well.

Moving an objective from Not Compliant to Partially Compliant saves straight away, without the window.

Answer assessment questions

You can answer a question from three places: the By Questions tab, an open question, or the Assess tab of an objective.

The By Questions tab lists every assessment question in the framework, 50 at a time.

The table has these columns:

• Question: the question's code and text. Click it to open the question.
• Answer: the answer drop-down.
• Notes: a note for the question.
• Responses: how many responses have been captured.
• Action items: the action items linked to the question.
• Objectives: the objectives the question supports.
• Past answer: a history icon that shows the question's earlier answers.

Search by question name or code, click Filter to filter by answer, answered status or question group, and click Display to group rows or hide columns. The Snapshots menu sits beside Display.

Answer a question

1. Click Objectives in the sidebar, then the By Questions tab.
2. Open the answer drop-down on the question's row.
3. Choose Yes, No, Partially or N/A.
4. If you choose No or Partially, the "Create an action item?" window opens, as it does for a status change.

Choosing the answer that is already selected clears the answer.

To add context, use the question's notes box, which is available once the question is answered. You can also record a response and who provided it, as described below.

Open a question

Click a question to open it in a side panel. The panel shows the answer drop-down, the question's notes, and the objectives it applies to.

Under "Applies To" are the objectives the question counts toward. One question can support several objectives, and an objective can have several questions.

The panel has these tabs:

• Responses: capture a response, and see past responses.
• Action Items
• Documents
• Evidence
• Risks
• Guidance
• Comments

To capture a response, fill in Response, add a name or source in Response provided by, then click Save response. Use Prev and Next to move between questions, or Map Item to link something that already exists.

When you select "All Frameworks", the By Questions tab offers the Common Assessment instead: one shared questionnaire whose answers apply to the supported frameworks you have imported.

Take an objective out of scope

An objective that does not apply to the client can be taken out of scope. Scope and status are linked:

• Taking an objective out of scope sets its status to Not Applicable.
• Bringing it back into scope sets its status to Not Assessed.
• Setting the status to Not Applicable also takes the objective out of scope. Setting any other status brings it back in.

To change scope from the table:

1. On the By Objectives tab, click Display and turn on Scope.
2. To see objectives that are already out of scope, remove the In scope filter.
3. Click the switch in the objective's Scope column, which shows In scope or Out of scope.
4. Confirm with Take out of scope or Bring into scope.

Work on several objectives at once

Tick the checkbox beside two or more objectives, or the checkbox in the header row to select them all. A bar of actions appears, with options to:

• Add notes
• Add implementation details
• Create an action item
• Attach documents, evidence and other items
• Upload evidence
• Set status

Before most of these apply, you are told how many selected objectives will be affected and asked to confirm.

How progress is shown

An objective's progress is its status. In the table, the Status column and the Artifacts counts show where each objective stands.

When you group the table by Domain or Sub Domain, each group row shows a progress bar and a percentage assessed. This is the share of the group's objectives that have any status other than Not Assessed.