How to Level Up Your GRC Maturity

You’ve got policies. You’ve got risks. And you’ve got questions.

“Are we doing this right?”
“Why does it feel like we’re always reacting?”
“How do we move from chaos to control?”

You’re not alone. Most organisations manage GRC in fragments—until something breaks. That’s where the GRC Maturity Model comes in. It helps you figure out where you stand, what’s missing, and how to level up without burning out.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to:

• Identify the 5 levels of GRC maturity (and spot where your team currently stands)
• Understand the risks and rewards at each stage
• Take clear, actionable steps to progress to the next level

Let’s dive in.

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What Is the GRC Maturity Model?

The GRC Maturity Model is a structured way to assess how well your organisation handles governance, risk, and compliance—and how to improve it.

Each stage reflects increasing levels of clarity, coordination, and control:

• From scattered spreadsheets to seamless systems
• From last-minute panic to proactive planning
• From policy checklists to culture change

Understanding your current level helps you:

• Spot gaps and opportunities
• Prioritise improvements
• Justify investments
• Align teams with a shared language and direction

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The 5 Levels of GRC Maturity

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Level 1: Initial — “We’re Just Getting By”‍

You’re the Head of Compliance. But you’re also the policy owner, the risk register keeper, the unofficial auditor—and somehow the only person who knows where the evidence lives.

Sound familiar?

At Level 1, GRC isn’t a program. It’s a scramble. Things get done—but barely. Everyone’s working hard, but no one’s working together.

You’ll recognise this stage if:

• Policies are created in a rush—usually after something breaks
• Risk assessments are missing, outdated, or sitting half-finished in someone’s inbox
• Teams operate in silos with zero shared visibility
• Ownership is vague, handoffs are messy, and documentation lives everywhere (and nowhere)
• GRC is viewed as admin overhead, not strategic infrastructure

According to industry research, 60% of organisations at this stage struggle to manage compliance effectively.

Real Talk: I once worked with a legal counsel who discovered her company’s “risk register” was a 3-tab spreadsheet maintained by a summer intern. They didn’t realise how exposed they were—until they missed a regulatory filing deadline and paid the price.

This isn’t a judgment. It’s a reality for a lot of growing businesses. But staying in this zone is risky. It drains your team, increases the chance of failure, and stalls strategic growth.

The good news? You don’t need a complete overhaul. You just need a foothold.

What to Focus on Next

Start simple. Focus your energy on building a baseline:

• Clarify ownership: Who’s responsible for policies, risk reviews, and compliance activities? Make it official.
• Centralise your documents: Even a shared folder beats chasing files across Slack, email, and hard drives.
• List your top 5 risks: Don’t overthink it. Start with the biggest headaches your team already knows about.
• Write one policy in plain English: Skip the legalese. Make it usable.
• Run a 15-minute tabletop drill: Simulate a breach or audit. Learn how your team reacts.

These aren’t “nice to haves.” They’re momentum builders. And momentum is what gets you out of survival mode—and into strategy.

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Level 2: Managed — “We’re Aware, But Disconnected”

You’ve moved beyond firefighting. GRC is no longer invisible—but it’s still inconsistent. You're doing the right things, but not always in the right way. Effort is high, but coordination is low.

You’ll recognise this stage if:

• Some policies and risk assessments exist—but aren’t applied consistently
• Teams begin tracking compliance, but each does it their own way
• Tools and data are scattered across departments
• GRC tasks often fall through the cracks when people shift roles or priorities
• Most processes are manual, time-consuming, and dependent on individuals

According to RSM, companies at this stage often overspend by 20–30% on compliance due to duplicated effort and inefficiency. You're doing the work—just without the structure that makes it scalable.

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The upside? You’ve got buy-in. You’ve started the work. Now it’s about turning momentum into consistency.

What to Focus on Next

At this stage, the goal is to connect the dots:

• Consolidate your policies and risk data: Choose a central location and bring everything together.
• Define and document your core processes: Standardise how risk is assessed and policies are reviewed.
• Assign cross-functional ownership: Create a GRC committee or working group across departments.
• Pick a framework: ISO 27001, NIST, COSO—anything that gives you a common language and structure.
• Start introducing basic automation: Even automated reminders for policy reviews or audit prep makes a big difference.

You don’t need enterprise-grade tooling to level up. You need clarity, accountability, and a few small wins you can build on.

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Level 3: Consistent — “We’ve Found Our Rhythm”‍

You’ve got the basics covered—and for the first time, things are starting to click. GRC no longer feels like a scramble. It’s consistent, coordinated, and beginning to earn the trust of leadership.

You’ll recognise this stage if:

• A formal GRC framework is in place (like ISO 27001, COSO, or NIST)
• Policies and processes are documented, trained, and repeatable
• Risk and compliance activities are planned—not panicked
• Teams collaborate across silos and share information proactively
• Regular audits and assessments happen without chaos

🧠 Story: I worked with a healthcare provider that had struggled with compliance for years. But once they centralised their risk register and aligned teams to a unified framework, they cut audit prep time by 75%. For the first time, compliance didn’t feel reactive—it felt strategic.

You’ve hit a new rhythm. Now it’s time to build scale and intelligence into your system.

What to Focus on Next

This is where consistency becomes your launchpad:

• Audit your program for gaps: Just because it’s consistent doesn’t mean it’s complete. Review your control coverage and reporting cadence.
• Establish KPIs: Begin tracking metrics like training completion rates, risk remediation timelines, and audit findings.
• Strengthen cross-functional accountability: Set up GRC roles and responsibilities across functions—not just within your risk team.
• Upgrade tooling if needed: Manual tracking worked to get you here. But dashboards and automation will take you further.
• Introduce regular tabletop exercises: Test how your team responds to risk in real time—and use the outcomes to improve.

You’re no longer laying the foundation. You’re reinforcing it—and preparing for the next level of scale.

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Level 4: Measured — “We Lead With Data”

This is the stage where GRC shifts from effort to intelligence. You’re not just doing the work—you’re learning from it. Data starts to drive decisions, and dashboards replace guesswork.

You’ll recognise this stage if:

• Real-time dashboards and reporting are in place
• Teams use metrics to evaluate controls, not just track tasks
• Risk and compliance are managed centrally and strategically
• Automation reduces manual overhead, freeing up resources
• Leadership trusts the GRC function to provide insight—not just updates

🧠 Story: I worked with a tech company that introduced real-time compliance dashboards across five business units. Within one quarter, they cut policy review delays by 80% and spotted a recurring issue in vendor onboarding that had flown under the radar for months. It wasn’t about doing more—it was about seeing more.

In this stage, automation becomes a growth lever. According to OneTrust, organisations that implement compliance technology save an average of $1.02 million annually.

What to Focus on Next

If you’re here, your next level is all about maturity and foresight:

• Advance your KPI strategy: Start tracking trend lines over time—not just point-in-time results.
• Integrate audit and risk platforms: Break down system silos to create a connected view of enterprise risk.
• Use automation to reduce cognitive load: Set up automated risk alerts, workflow triggers, and evidence collection.
• Build feedback loops: Use audit findings and incident data to continuously update policies and controls.
• Present insights to leadership: Turn your data into stories—show how GRC is enabling faster, smarter decisions.

You’re not just proving compliance. You’re building credibility. And that credibility opens doors to influence, investment, and innovation.

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Level 5: Optimizing — “GRC Is How We Work”

At this level, GRC isn’t a function—it’s a mindset. It’s not something your team does in response to a deadline. It’s how your business thinks, plans, and operates.

You’ll recognise this stage if:

• GRC is embedded in everyday decision-making
• Risk ownership is distributed and understood at every level
• Compliance is proactive and continuously refined
• Advanced tools like AI and predictive analytics are used to anticipate and respond to risk
• GRC metrics are tied directly to business performance and strategic goals

🎯 Story: I worked with a manufacturing company that used predictive analytics to flag equipment-related risk three months before failure. They saved over $500K in downtime and built a case for embedding risk signals into their operational planning. GRC wasn’t slowing them down—it was sharpening their edge.

At this level, GRC fuels innovation. It enables smarter risk-taking, faster adaptation, and deeper resilience.

What to Focus on Next

Even at the top, there’s always room to evolve:

• Refine your AI strategy: Use machine learning to anticipate emerging risks and adjust controls dynamically.
• Tie GRC to business outcomes: Show how GRC drives growth, innovation, and customer trust—not just compliance.
• Benchmark externally: Compare your maturity, metrics, and capabilities against peers and industry leaders.
• Elevate reporting: Deliver insights that help shape board-level decisions and strategic investments.
• Keep your culture sharp: GRC culture isn’t “set and forget.” Continue reinforcing behaviours, learning from incidents, and rewarding proactive thinking.

You’re no longer asking, “Are we compliant?” You’re asking, “What’s possible because we are?”

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How to Level Up: Practical Steps to Improve GRC Maturity

You don’t need a massive overhaul. You just need the next right move.

Start by assigning the right responsibilities—our guide to GRC roles and responsibilities can help you map the key players.

Looking to move beyond the basics? Choosing the right GRC framework gives you the structure to scale.

Curious where automation fits in? Here’s our deep dive on automating your GRC processes.

📊 Tools don’t just help you move faster—they help you move smarter. As OneTrust notes, the right GRC platform can free up strategic capacity and deliver measurable ROI.

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Final Thoughts: Maturity Is a Journey

Every business faces risk. What sets you apart is how you manage it.

You don’t need to be perfect. But you do need to make progress.

When GRC clicks:

• Your team moves faster
• Your audits feel effortless
• Your business earns trust by design

🚀 Start small. Scale smart. And level up—one step at a time.

👉 Want expert tips and real-world frameworks like this in your inbox? Subscribe to the GRCMana Newsletter and get weekly strategies to grow with confidence, stay compliant, and lead with clarity.

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