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20 Pre-CMMC Assessment Tips
CMMC is now a reality. While phase one only mandates self-assessments, many primes and larger contractors are asking their supply chains to complete a third-party assessment with a C3PAO (CMMC Third-Party Assessor Organization) as soon as possible. As you prepare for your third-party assessment, which you will have to complete at some point in the future, if not by the end of 2025, there are some key items to consider. We put together this list of 20 items as a means of kickstarting conversations in your organization.
1. Know Your Systems and Protocols
Every control depends on knowing your data flows, boundaries, and dependencies.
2. Document Everything and Keep It Accessible
CMMC is as much about evidence as it is about practice. Clear, version-controlled documentation shows your maturity.
3. Understand Your Scope
Clearly
Define what systems and environments handle, store, or transmit Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). Unclear scope leads to costly delays.
4. Don’t Rely Solely on Your MSP or Consultant
External partners can guide you, but accountability resides with your organization. The assessor will evaluate you, not your vendors.
5. Verify That Policies Match Practice
Policies are promises. Practices are proof. Assessors look for alignment between what your organization says what your organization does.
6. Close All POA&Ms Before Scheduling
Remediate all Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M) items before your assessment begins. Partial compliance is not enough.
7. Ensure Leadership Buy-In
CMMC compliance is an organizational discipline. Executives must understand their role in funding and sustaining compliance efforts.
8. Validate Your SSP Accuracy
The System Security Plan (SSP) is the foundation of your C3PAO (CMMC Third-Party Assessor Organization) assessment. Every control, asset, and justification must be current.
9. Train Your Staff
Human behavior is the front line of defense. Ensure everyone understands their role in protecting CUI.
10. Check Your Evidence Trail
Evidence should be ready, organized, and timestamped. Screenshots, system logs, and meeting records should reflect consistent activity.
11. Align with NIST SP 800-171r2
CMMC Level 2 assessments are rooted in NIST 800-171. Review each requirement as well as the assessment objectives line-by-line before engaging your C3PAO.
12. Prepare for the Interview Process
Assessors will speak to personnel across roles. Ensure everyone can confidently describe how security controls work in practice.
13. Keep Configuration Management Current
Document and track every change in systems that affect your CUI environment. Configuration drift can create compliance gaps.
14. Test Your Incident Response Plan
A plan that exists only on paper will not satisfy your C3PAO. Demonstrate that you can detect, respond to, and recover from incidents.
15. Maintain Continuous Monitoring
CMMC is not a one-time event. Continuous monitoring and regular internal reviews build credibility with your C3PAO.
16. Prepare a Clean Evidence Repository
Whether it’s SharePoint, a compliance platform, or a shared drive, your evidence repository should be intuitive and logically structured.
17. Review Your Subcontractor Compliance
Your supply chain can be your weakest link. Know which partners must also comply with CMMC requirements.
18. Schedule a Pre-Assessment
A pre-assessment or readiness review helps uncover unseen weaknesses and builds confidence before your formal engagement.
19. Understand the C3PAO’s Role
The C3PAO cannot consult or remediate. Enter the process with all remediations complete and evidence finalized.
20. Think Beyond Certification
CMMC is not a finish line. It’s a maturity model — a continuous journey toward stronger cybersecurity resilience.