The last week before an assessment doesn’t leave much room for second-guessing. By now, the systems should be locked in, paperwork tight, and your teams dialed into the details. But this is also the time where a few overlooked pieces can quietly slip under the radar—and cost you.
Updated POA&M Accuracy Ensuring Assessment Readiness
The Plan of Actions and Milestones (POA&M) isn’t just a list—it’s your trail of accountability. As you approach your CMMC assessment, every line item must reflect up-to-date statuses. Inaccuracies, outdated mitigation dates, or vague remediation descriptions raise red flags for a c3pao. At this point, the POA&M should show only those items that are acceptable under CMMC level 2 requirements, meaning limited and justified—if any remain at all.
Each entry in your POA&M must be cross-referenced with documented remediation efforts. If a gap has been closed, show how it was addressed, by whom, and when. If an item is still in progress, ensure the risk impact is clearly minimized or isolated. Your POA&M is one of the first documents an assessor reviews, and inconsistencies here often lead to deeper scrutiny across your CMMC level 2 compliance efforts.
SSP Completeness Confirmed Through Final Control Mapping
The System Security Plan (SSP) needs to match reality—not just intention. In the final week before your assessment, take time to re-validate that each control listed in the SSP is mapped accurately to your current technical and procedural implementations. Control descriptions shouldn’t read like boilerplate. They must reflect your environment’s specific configurations, tools, and responsibilities. A well-prepared SSP shows not just what protections are in place but also why they are implemented that way. For organizations aligning to CMMC level 2 requirements, your assessor expects to see consistency between the SSP, system diagrams, and operational behavior. Clear mapping of each NIST 800-171 control across your organization’s architecture will reinforce confidence in your maturity level and readiness.
Boundary Diagrams Validated Against Actual System Architecture
Boundary diagrams illustrate your security perimeter and the trusted systems inside it. But those drawings are only useful if they accurately mirror what’s live in production. Changes to cloud architecture, added endpoints, or revised trust zones should all be reflected in the final version of your network boundaries. The c3pao will rely on these visuals to understand your environment before diving deeper.
Each diagram should be clearly labeled, with data flows, system roles, and segmentation controls visible. This helps show that your environment is well-scoped and tightly managed, which is essential under CMMC level 2 compliance. If you’ve moved workloads or restructured access paths in recent weeks, this is the time to ensure your diagrams show those adjustments. A mismatched diagram invites confusion—and extra questions during the review.
Evidence Inventory Matching the Latest NIST 800-171 Criteria
During the assessment, it’s not enough to say a control is in place. You must prove it. Your evidence collection should include screenshots, configuration exports, policy documents, and logs tied directly to each control requirement. Organize these artifacts in a way that makes it easy for the assessor to review, cross-reference, and confirm.
Verify that each piece of evidence is current, timestamped, and directly relevant to the applicable control. Outdated screenshots or generic policies that don’t reference actual configurations won’t cut it. A strong evidence inventory shows the maturity of your processes and helps satisfy both the assessor and your organization’s internal confidence in its CMMC RPO readiness.
Multi-Factor Authentication Verification Across Critical Systems
MFA must be enforced across all systems that process, store, or transmit Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). This includes administrative access, remote logins, cloud dashboards, and internal user accounts with elevated privileges. Assessors will look for both policy enforcement and evidence of functioning MFA mechanisms.
This is the moment to test MFA configurations yourself. Log in through a few endpoints and validate that secondary authentication is triggered and cannot be bypassed. If you’re using cloud services, check audit logs to confirm compliance across all accounts. The requirement is clear under CMMC level 2—without MFA, access controls don’t pass. And if your MFA setup has gaps, the entire control family might be questioned.
Endpoint Configuration Checks for Consistent Security Enforcement
Endpoints are one of the most common weak links, especially in hybrid or remote environments. This final stretch is a great time to verify that all workstations, laptops, and mobile devices meet your security baseline. Device encryption, antivirus, screen lockouts, patching, and logging should be configured uniformly across the fleet.
Use centralized tools to validate endpoint compliance—don’t rely on assumptions. If a few devices were provisioned manually or outside of standard imaging procedures, they may have slipped through with weak settings. CMMC compliance requirements expect endpoint protection to be consistent and enforceable. A strong configuration baseline, documented and applied uniformly, reduces the assessor’s concern about inconsistent enforcement.
Incident Response Testing Validated by Current Procedures
It’s one thing to have an incident response plan—it’s another to prove it works. Within the final week, conduct a tabletop or real-time test that demonstrates how your team responds to a threat scenario. Walk through each phase: detection, reporting, containment, and recovery. This proves operational maturity and reinforces your CMMC level 2 compliance posture.
Keep documentation from the drill, including participant logs, response times, and post-mortem analysis. Assessors value real-world proof that your team isn’t just trained—but ready. These exercises give insight into your team’s coordination and ability to follow defined procedures under stress. That preparation can make the difference between passing and needing to reassess.
