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Design Effectiveness Review

The organization shall review the design effectiveness of controls to ensure controls are appropriately designed to address the risks they are intended to mitigate. Design reviews shall include evaluation of control design, assessment of control adequacy, and identification of design weaknesses, using consistent methodologies with results documented.

Requirement ID
AUD-004-R002
Parent Control
Domain Code

Requirement Details & Guidance

AUD-004-R002 · AUD-004
Why This Requirement Exists

This requirement exists to ensure assessment of whether a control is appropriately designed to address its stated risk is consistently governed, documented, and capable of producing reliable assurance. Without it, audit activities may be inconsistent, difficult to evidence, or insufficient to support management, regulatory, and stakeholder decisions.

Implementation Guidance

Document the required assessment of whether a control is appropriately designed to address its stated risk; assign accountable roles and approval points; define minimum records and evidence; apply the approved audit methodology and risk criteria; and retain evidence of execution and review. Periodically review the process for changes in organizational risk, regulatory expectations, and audit scope.

Practical Application & Audit Readiness

AUD-004-R002 · Field Guidance

Business Examples

    Common Audit Findings

      Common Mistakes

        Best Practices & Ownership

        AUD-004 · Recommended Approach

        Recommended Practices

          Typical Owner

          Cross-Mapped Regulatory Frameworks

          Harmonized Control Mappings
          FRAMEWORK CODE FRAMEWORK NAME & DETAILS FAMILY / CATEGORY VERSION ACTION
          IRDAI IRDAI Information & Cyber Security Guidelines IRDAI information and cyber-security requirements... Clause: §2.16-3.6 – Information Security assessment
          India
          Guideline
          vLatest View →
          RBI-CSF RBI Cyber Security Framework / Master Directions RBI cyber-security requirements and directions set... Clause: Circular §13 – Cyber security preparedness indicators; 18) Vulnerability assessment and Penetration Test and Red Team Exercises – 18.4 Management monitoring of VA/PT findings and follow-up actions
          India
          Regulation
          vLatest View →
          SEBI-CSCRF SEBI Cyber Security & Cyber Resilience Framework SEBI’s Cybersecurity and Cyber Resilience Framewor... Clause: 4.4 Cyber Audit
          India
          Regulation
          vLatest View →
          DORA Digital Operational Resilience Act The EU Digital Operational Resilience Act establis... Clause: Article 6(6) – Regular internal audit of ICT risk management framework Article 9(1) – Continuous monitoring/control of ICT security and functioning
          EU
          Regulation
          vCurrent View →
          NIS2 NIS2 Directive The NIS2 Directive establishes EU-wide cybersecuri... Clause: Article 21(2)(f) – Policies and procedures to assess the effectiveness of cybersecurity risk-management measures
          EU
          Directive
          vCurrent View →
          COBIT2019 COBIT COBIT is an enterprise governance and management f... Clause: 4.5 – Monitor, Evaluate and Assess (MEA) > MEA02 – Managed System of Internal Control > MEA02.02 – Review effectiveness of business process controls. 4.5 – Monitor, Evaluate and Assess (MEA) > MEA04 – Managed Assurance > MEA04.06 – Execute the assurance initiative, focusing on design
          COBIT
          Governance Framework
          v2019 View →
          ISO22301 ISO/IEC 22301 ISO 22301 specifies requirements for a Business Co... Clause: 9.2.1 – General; 9.2.2 – Audit programme(s)
          ISO
          Standard
          v2019 View →
          NIST-CSF NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) The NIST Cybersecurity Framework provides high-lev... Clause: GV.OV – Oversight | GV.OV-03 – Organizational cybersecurity risk management performance is evaluated and reviewed for adjustments needed GV.OV – Oversight | GV.OV-02 – The cybersecurity risk management strategy is reviewed and adjusted to ensure coverage of organizational requirements and risks
          NIST
          Framework
          v2 View →
          NIST80053 NIST SP 800-53 NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 presents control families, i... Clause: 3.4 – ASSESSMENT, AUTHORIZATION, AND MONITORING; CA-7 – CONTINUOUS MONITORING
          NIST
          Control Catalog
          vRev. 5 View →
          SOC2 SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria SOC 2 is an independent examination and reporting... Clause: CC4.1 – Monitoring of Controls – COSO Principle 16: The entity selects, develops, and performs ongoing and/or separate evaluations to ascertain whether the components of internal control are present and functioning. CC4.2 – Monitoring of Controls – COSO Principle 17: The entity evaluates and communicates internal control deficiencies in a timely manner to those parties responsible for taking corrective action, including senior management and the board of directors, as appropriate.
          AICPA
          Audit Framework
          vLatest View →

          Parent Domain Context

          Governance Domain Baseline
          Domain Name:
          Audit & Assurance (AUD)
          Purpose:
          To provide confidence that security controls are effective and operating as intended.
          Scope:
          Enterprise

          Parent Control Context

          Control Baseline
          Control Name:
          Control Assurance & Validation (AUD-004)
          Summary:
          Establishes control assurance including design effectiveness review, operating effectiveness testing, continuous assurance, performance monitoring, validation reporting, exception management, assurance review, metrics reporting, and continuous improvement.
          Business Description:
          Establish and maintain processes for validating, testing, monitoring, and continuously assessing the design, implementation, operating effectiveness, and maturity of organizational controls.