What is a POA&M?
A POA&M lists security weaknesses, the actions planned to fix them, the resources required, and milestone dates. It is common in federal programs, FedRAMP, and CMMC.
A plan of action and milestones (POA&M) is a document that lists known security weaknesses or unmet requirements, the actions planned to correct them, the resources required, responsible parties, and scheduled completion dates. POA&Ms are standard in U.S. federal security programs, including FISMA and FedRAMP, and are allowed on a limited basis under CMMC.
- You are trying to get a straight answer before you sit through a sales call
- You need language you can take to a CISO, auditor, or procurement
What a POA&M includes
- The weakness or unmet requirement
- Its source (assessment, scan, audit)
- Severity or risk rating
- Planned corrective actions and milestones
- Responsible owner and resources
- Scheduled and actual completion dates
POA&Ms under CMMC
CMMC allows limited POA&Ms at Levels 2 and 3 for certain requirements, which must be closed out within 180 days.
When this becomes a buying decision
If CMMC or FedRAMP is in play, a POA&M that is not the same data as your findings will fail the assessor. One list of weaknesses, owners, and dates.
If that is the situation you are in, see the product pages linked below, or ask us for a 30-minute demo on one real document.
Questions
Is a POA&M the same as a risk register?
No. A POA&M tracks specific weaknesses and their corrective actions; a risk register tracks risks more broadly, including those accepted or transferred.
See it run on your own data.
Thirty minutes with a GRC expert, not an SDR. Bring one real document (a SOC 2 report, a risk register, a vendor list; redacted is fine) and watch TruOps set up a live program from it, with an assessment already pre-filled.