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Assessment Templates

Structured assessment tools for evaluating readiness, maturity, and compliance gaps before and during cloud platform adoption. Each template provides a scored framework with clear criteria, actionable outputs, and direct links to CSA-in-a-Box resources that address identified gaps.

Available assessments

Assessment Purpose Estimated Time Output
Migration Readiness Scored readiness checklist across 8 dimensions for evaluating preparedness to migrate workloads to Azure 2-4 hours Readiness score (40-200), risk matrix, recommended timeline, resource mapping
Platform Maturity Model 5-level maturity assessment across 8 platform dimensions to benchmark current capabilities and plan improvements 3-5 hours Maturity scores per dimension, radar chart visualization, level-specific action plans
Compliance Gap Analysis Template for identifying gaps between current controls and target compliance framework requirements 4-8 hours per framework Gap inventory, remediation plan with priorities, control mapping to platform capabilities

How to use the assessments

Before migration. Start with the Migration Readiness assessment to determine whether your organization is prepared to begin a cloud migration. This assessment identifies blockers and prerequisites across infrastructure, data, applications, skills, governance, security, financial, and organizational dimensions.

During platform build-out. Use the Platform Maturity Model periodically (quarterly is recommended) to measure progress across data engineering, governance, analytics, AI/ML, security, operations, cost management, and developer experience. The maturity model helps prioritize investment and track improvement over time.

For compliance. The Compliance Gap Analysis template works with any compliance framework — FedRAMP, SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, CMMC, or others. Use it to systematically identify gaps, prioritize remediation, and map existing CSA-in-a-Box controls to framework requirements.

Sequence matters

For new deployments, work through the assessments in order: Migration Readiness first (to validate you're prepared), then Compliance Gap Analysis (to understand the controls you need), then Platform Maturity (to track ongoing improvement). For existing deployments, start with whichever assessment addresses your most pressing need.

Scoring and interpretation

All three assessments use a consistent 1-5 scoring scale. Individual items are scored, then aggregated by area or dimension. The assessments provide interpretation tables that map aggregate scores to recommended actions.

Scores are meant to be honest, not aspirational. An organization that scores Level 2 across the board has a clear, actionable path forward — and that path is documented in the remediation guidance and CSA-in-a-Box resource links within each assessment.

Assessment workflow

The diagram below shows how the three assessments relate to each other and where they fit in a typical cloud adoption lifecycle.

flowchart TD
    Start["Considering Cloud<br/>Adoption?"] --> MR["Migration Readiness<br/>Assessment"]
    MR -->|Score ≥ 120| Plan["Begin Migration<br/>Planning"]
    MR -->|Score < 120| Remediate["Address Gaps &<br/>Reassess in 30-60 Days"]
    Remediate --> MR

    Plan --> CGA["Compliance Gap<br/>Analysis"]
    CGA --> Implement["Deploy Platform<br/>with CSA-in-a-Box"]
    Implement --> PM["Platform Maturity<br/>Model"]
    PM --> Improve["Prioritize<br/>Improvements"]
    Improve -->|Quarterly| PM

    style MR fill:#e3f2fd
    style CGA fill:#fff3e0
    style PM fill:#c8e6c9

Who should participate

Effective assessments require input from multiple stakeholders. The table below maps roles to the assessments where their input is most critical.

Role Migration Readiness Platform Maturity Compliance Gap Analysis
Platform / infrastructure engineers Primary Primary Supporting
Data engineers and analysts Supporting Primary Supporting
Security and compliance staff Supporting Supporting Primary
Finance / procurement Primary (financial area) Supporting (cost area) Supporting
Leadership / sponsors Primary (org change area) Supporting Supporting
Application owners Primary (app area) Supporting Supporting
Legal / privacy Supporting — Primary (GDPR, HIPAA)

Tips for effective assessments

Be honest

The value of these assessments comes from honest scoring. Inflating scores hides risks that will surface later — during migration, during an audit, or during an outage. Score where you are today, not where you hope to be.

Document evidence

For each score, note the evidence that supports it. This makes reassessments faster and provides a baseline for measuring improvement.

Involve the right people

A single person cannot accurately score all dimensions. Bring in domain experts for each area and resolve disagreements through discussion rather than averaging.

Set improvement targets

After scoring, set specific targets for the next assessment cycle (e.g., "move Data Governance from Level 2 to Level 3 by Q3"). Attach owners and action items to each target.