I've got a Plan of Action & Milestones (POA&M) document that was finalized a couple of quarters ago, but now almost none of the target dates or assigned owners are correct. Some remediation steps were completed but not marked, and there are new dependencies on others. It feels like my only option is to hire someone full-time just to keep this document in check. I'm curious if anyone has found a better system that doesn't involve endless spreadsheet updates?
2 Answers
I feel your pain. The excessive acronyms can be a bit much! Just to clarify, a POA&M is basically a Plan of Action & Milestones, which identifies vulnerabilities, assigns owners, and sets completion dates based on how critical those issues are. Everyone has their own way of managing it, but it can get tricky, especially when you're trying to make progress.
I totally get where you're coming from! For larger or more complex environments, having someone dedicated to managing the POA&M can really make a difference. It's a huge job to keep everything organized and updated with all the changes that come up. But you’re not alone in feeling overwhelmed by it.
Exactly! And just to add on, while it's important to have this in place, the real challenge lies in translating those security gaps into documented progress that can hold up during audits.