How does the assessment determine which questions to ask?

The assessment begins by gathering your company profile including industry sector, company size, data handling practices, and relevant compliance frameworks. Based on this profile, the tool dynamically generates questions that are specifically applicable to your regulatory requirements. A healthcare organization will see HIPAA-focused questions, while an e-commerce business will see PCI DSS and GDPR requirements.

Can I save my progress and continue later?

Yes, your progress is automatically saved to your browser local storage as you complete the assessment. If you close the browser and return within 7 days, you will be prompted to resume from where you left off or start fresh. This allows you to gather necessary information from different team members without losing your work.

What do the compliance scores and ratings mean?

The assessment provides scores across multiple dimensions including overall compliance readiness, control implementation status, and risk levels by category. Ratings range from fully compliant to non-compliant, with partial compliance indicating controls that are in place but may need improvement. The results highlight gaps requiring immediate attention and provide prioritized recommendations.

Is this assessment a substitute for a formal compliance audit?

No, this self-assessment tool is designed for preliminary gap analysis and compliance readiness evaluation, not as a replacement for formal audits or certifications. Use it to identify potential gaps before engaging auditors, prioritize remediation efforts, and track progress over time. For official compliance certification, you will still need qualified assessors or auditors as required by each framework.

Can I share my assessment results with my team or auditors?

Yes, the tool generates shareable URLs that encode your assessment responses and results. You can copy this link to share with team members, management, or external consultants. The shared link allows others to view your compliance posture without exposing raw assessment data, making it useful for compliance discussions and remediation planning meetings.

How often should I reassess my compliance status?

You should reassess your compliance status at least quarterly or whenever significant changes occur to your organization, systems, or regulatory landscape. Major triggers include new system deployments, organizational changes, regulatory updates, security incidents, or after implementing remediation measures. Regular assessment helps ensure continuous compliance and identifies new gaps before they become audit findings.

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Compliance Readiness Checklist

Compliance readiness assessment for HIPAA, SOC 2, PCI-DSS, ISO 27001, and NIST CSF. Evaluate compliance gaps and get prioritized remediation roadmap.

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What Is a Compliance Checklist

A compliance checklist is a structured tool that maps an organization's security controls and practices against the requirements of specific regulatory frameworks, industry standards, and contractual obligations. Checklists transform complex compliance documents into actionable items that can be assigned, tracked, and verified.

Compliance is not optional for most organizations. Healthcare providers must comply with HIPAA, payment processors with PCI DSS, government contractors with CMMC/FedRAMP, and any organization handling EU personal data with GDPR. A compliance checklist ensures no requirement is overlooked and provides documented evidence of your compliance status.

Major Compliance Frameworks

Framework	Jurisdiction	Applies To	Key Requirements
SOC 2	Global (US-originated)	SaaS/cloud service providers	Trust Services Criteria (Security, Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, Privacy)
ISO 27001	Global	Any organization	Information Security Management System (ISMS) with 93 controls in Annex A
PCI DSS	Global	Any entity processing payment cards	12 requirements covering network security, data protection, access control, monitoring
HIPAA	United States	Healthcare entities and business associates	Privacy Rule, Security Rule, Breach Notification Rule
CMMC	United States	DoD contractors	3 maturity levels with 110+ practices based on NIST 800-171
GDPR	EU/EEA + global reach	Any entity processing EU resident data	Data protection principles, data subject rights, breach notification
FedRAMP	United States	Cloud services for federal agencies	NIST 800-53 controls at Low, Moderate, or High baseline

Common Use Cases

Gap analysis: Identify which compliance requirements your organization currently meets and which have gaps requiring remediation
Audit preparation: Organize evidence and documentation for upcoming compliance audits by framework requirement
Vendor assessment: Evaluate third-party vendors against compliance requirements relevant to your data sharing and integration
Security program maturity: Use compliance frameworks as a roadmap for systematically improving your security posture
Board reporting: Present compliance status in a structured format that board members and executives can quickly understand

Best Practices

Map controls to multiple frameworks — Many frameworks overlap. A single access control implementation may satisfy SOC 2, ISO 27001, and PCI DSS requirements simultaneously. Map once, comply many.
Maintain continuous compliance — Compliance is not a point-in-time achievement. Implement continuous monitoring, regular evidence collection, and automated compliance checks rather than annual scrambles.
Assign control owners — Every checklist item should have a named owner responsible for implementation, evidence collection, and maintenance. Unowned controls drift into non-compliance.
Automate evidence collection — Screenshots and manual exports are unsustainable. Use GRC platforms and API integrations to automatically collect compliance evidence from your security tools.
Prioritize by risk — Not all compliance requirements carry equal risk. Focus remediation efforts on controls that address your highest-risk areas first, then work through lower-priority items.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about the Compliance Readiness Checklist

This compliance checklist covers multiple major regulatory frameworks and security standards including HIPAA for healthcare, SOC 2 for service organizations, PCI DSS for payment card handling, GDPR for data privacy, ISO 27001 for information security management, and NIST Cybersecurity Framework. The tool tailors questions based on your industry and applicable frameworks to ensure relevance to your specific compliance needs.

ℹ️ Disclaimer

This tool is provided for informational and educational purposes only. All processing happens entirely in your browser - no data is sent to or stored on our servers. While we strive for accuracy, we make no warranties about the completeness or reliability of results. Use at your own discretion.