Question: Is there a continual-improvement program for incident readiness that integrates audit, risk, and awareness outcomes?
Why This Matters
A living IR program evolves with threats and lessons. Continual improvement links audits, risks, and culture to maintain readiness maturity.
Maturity
0 — Unaware
No review or improvement cycle.
No review or improvement cycle.
1 — Ad Hoc
Reactive updates after incidents only.
Reactive updates after incidents only.
2 — Defined
Annual readiness review performed.
Annual readiness review performed.
3 — Managed
Improvement plan approved and tracked.
Improvement plan approved and tracked.
4 — Integrated
IR findings feed audit, risk, and training plans.
IR findings feed audit, risk, and training plans.
5 — Optimized
Automated maturity metrics and external benchmarking.
Automated maturity metrics and external benchmarking.
How to Level Up
| From → To | Actions |
|---|---|
| 0 → 1 | Document issues identified post-incident. |
| 1 → 2 | Schedule annual IR maturity assessment. |
| 2 → 3 | Track action plan in GRC or spreadsheet. |
| 3 → 4 | Integrate outputs with risk and awareness programs. |
| 4 → 5 | Publish automated maturity dashboards quarterly. |
Enablers
- People: CISO, IR Lead, Internal Audit Head
- Process: Annual review → CAPA plan → tracking → reporting
- Technology: GRC tool, metrics dashboard
Evidence
- Readiness review reports
- CAPA register and closure records
- Updated training or policy materials
KPIs
- Number of improvement actions closed
- Percentage of controls re-tested after update
- Maturity score trend quarter-on-quarter
Low-Cost / Open-Source Options (MSME)
| Purpose | Tool | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tracking | Airtable / Odoo Community | CAPA management |
| Dashboards | Grafana / Metabase | Maturity trend charts |
| Benchmarking | ISO / NIST CSF Excel tools | Compare readiness levels |
Common Pitfalls
- Improvements logged but not implemented
- Audit findings not linked to IR plans
- No quantitative progress tracking
Compliance Mapping
| Standard | Clauses / Notes |
|---|---|
| ISO/IEC 27001:2022 | A.10 (Improvement) |
| CERT-In 2022 | Section 38 (Review & Maturity Evaluation) |
| DPDP Act 2023 | Sec 10 (Accountability & Governance) |
| NIST CSF 2.0 | GV.MA-1 / IM.ME-1 |
| NIRMATA Mapping | IR-Q12 completes the Incident Readiness maturity cycle. |