Assuredly User Guide - Creating Custom Notes

Creating Custom Notes

What you want to do

Every business applies security controls in its own way, and comments help explain how each control works in the specific context of the business being assessed.

You might be:

A business user who wants to record something about a control so colleagues understand the context behind your answer.
An assessor or auditor who wants to add a comment or record a key finding about the control being assessed.

In both cases, you need a clear place to capture that commentary alongside the assessment question and control it relates to.

Why this matters

A single security assessment often feeds many different reports, and each one is written for a different reader with different needs.

For example, the same assessment might be used to produce:

Supplier reports that show how a supplier manages its security risks and where improvements are needed.
Client security capability reports that give customers confidence in how you protect their data and services.
Internal management reports that help leadership understand risks, priorities and where to invest.

A comment that is helpful in one report may be irrelevant, too detailed or even inappropriate in another. An internal note about a weakness being fixed, for example, may belong in a management report but not in a report shared with a client.

By creating notes for specific reports, you make sure each audience sees the commentary that matters to them, and nothing they shouldn't.

Features and benefits

Making custom notes during an assessment ensures the right information is included when the assessment is presented to other readers.

Capture context while it is fresh. Record explanations and findings at the moment you review a control, rather than trying to remember them later.
Share knowledge with your team. Business users can explain why a control is answered the way it is, so others don't need to ask.
Record key findings clearly. Assessors and auditors can document observations directly against the control they relate to.
Tailor reports to their audience. Notes can be directed to the reports where they belong, keeping each report relevant and appropriate.
Save time when reporting. Commentary is already in place when reports are produced, so there is less rework and copying between documents.

How Assuredly helps: Creating Custom Notes

In Assuredly, you can create custom notes against any assessment question and tag them so your commentary appears in the right reports.

Notes sit alongside the question they relate to, so anyone reviewing the assessment can see the context behind an answer. Tagging then lets you decide which reports each note should feed into, such as a supplier report, a client security capability report or an internal management report.

How to create a custom note

Go to the Notes section. Open the assessment question you want to comment on and go to its Notes section.
Write your note. Type your comment, explanation or key finding into the note field.
Format your note (optional). Use the rich text editor to add formatting such as bold text, bullet points or headings so the note is easy to read.
Select Create Note. Your note is saved against the question and is visible to others reviewing the assessment

Tip: Once your note is created, tag it so it appears in the right reports. See Read more about tagging notes above.