GRC Maturity Assessment Guide

Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) has become increasingly complex. Regulatory pressure is rising, organisations rely on more third parties and technology, and expectations around transparency and control continue to grow.

Yet many organisations struggle to answer a fundamental question: How mature is our GRC capability?

The CERRIX GRC Maturity Assessment Guide helps organisations gain clarity on their current GRC maturity, identify improvement opportunities, and build a fact-based roadmap toward stronger, more resilient governance.

What is the GRC Maturity Assessment?

This practical self-assessment guide has been developed by CERRIX to help organisations benchmark their GRC maturity across eight core capability domains.

Using structured questions and a clear scoring model, the assessment enables teams to:

• Reflect on how GRC is organised today
• Identify gaps between policy and execution
• Understand where manual processes create inefficiencies or risk
• Create a shared view across Risk, Compliance, Internal Audit, IT, and management

The accompanying Excel scoring workbook allows you to calculate your overall maturity score and visualise results using a radar chart, making strengths and improvement areas immediately visible.

Five Levels of GRC Maturity

The assessment is based on five clearly defined maturity levels:

• Ad Hoc / Reactive – Informal processes, largely manual, tactical compliance
• Developing – Basic frameworks exist but are inconsistent or siloed
• Managed – Policies and processes are standardised and monitored
• Optimised – Integrated across functions, proactive management, emerging automation
• Strategic – GRC embedded in strategy, data-driven and continuously improved

This structure helps organisations understand not only where they stand, but also what progressing to the next level requires.

Eight Core GRC Capability Domains

The assessment covers the full breadth of modern GRC, including:

• Governance & Oversight – Board involvement, ownership, and governance structures
• Risk Management – ERM framework, risk appetite, and consistency across units
• Compliance Management –  Regulatory tracking, monitoring, and audit readiness
• Controls & Assurance – Standardisation, automation, and remediation
• Incident & Issue Management – From detection to learning and improvement
• Third-Party Risk Management – Vendor due diligence, monitoring, and integration
• Technology & Data Enablement – Tooling, integrations, analytics, and reporting
• Culture & Training – Awareness, accountability, and role-specific training

Each domain includes reflective questions scored on a scale from 1 to 5, enabling both domain-level and overall maturity insights.

What You’ll Get

When you download the CERRIX GRC Maturity Assessment, you receive:

• A structured self-assessment guide outlining five levels of GRC maturity
• A maturity and an ROI Excel workbook to calculate and visualise your maturity profile
• Insights to support internal discussions and build a GRC business case

Self-Assessment or Formal Maturity Scan?

This guide is designed as a first step: a lightweight, internally driven self-assessment that supports awareness, prioritisation, and preparation.

In practice, organisations often distinguish between two approaches:

Self-Assessment

• Internal reflection and scoring
• High-level maturity indication
• Fast, accessible, and practical
• Ideal for internal alignment and business case development

Formal GRC Maturity Scan

For organisations seeking independent, evidence-based validation, the self-assessment can be complemented by a formal GRC maturity scan performed by our partner TriFinance.

Such a scan typically includes stakeholder interviews, documentation review, benchmarking against peers, and a prioritised improvement roadmap, providing additional depth and executive-level assurance.

From Insight to Execution

Understanding your GRC maturity is only the beginning.

To structurally embed improvements, organisations often adopt a GRC platform to operationalise risks, controls, incidents, and compliance obligations, enabling automation, traceability, and continuous monitoring.

CERRIX supports this transition by providing a structured, integrated GRC platform that helps organisations move from insight to execution, bringing transparency, consistency, and continuous oversight across the organisation.

Who Is This For?

This assessment is designed for professionals involved in

• Risk management
• Compliance
• Internal audit
• IT & security
• Governance and control functions
• Senior management seeking oversight and alignment
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Start Your GRC Maturity Assessment

Download the free CERRIX GRC Maturity Assessment Guide and gain clear insight into where your organisation stands, and what it takes to move forward.

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