GRC Glossary
To identify threats, opportunities and requirements; assess the level of risk, reward and conformance; and align an approach to reliably achieve objectives while addressing uncertainty and acting with integrity.
Is the act of objectively evaluating an entity, process or resource using suitable criteria.
Help objectively evaluate an entity, process or resource.
Is the corporate board of directors or any other oversight authority for the organization.
An indicator that accurately represents current activity.
Delivers relevant, reliable, and timely information to the right audiences as required by mandates or as needed to perform responsibilities and effectively shape attitudes.
Is the combination of knowledge, skills and behavior that enables an individual to do their job.
Is the state of being able to prove the fulfillment of a requirement.
Includes the values, beliefs and behaviors about the governance, assurance, and management, of compliance including: identifying compliance requirements.
Views about the impact of compliance on conduct and decisions; and modeling of appropriate and compliant behavior.
Is a state of being that has a desirable or undesirable effect (or both) on objectives.
Is the act of externally directing, controlling and evaluating a corporation.
Cleans up the mess caused by the occurrence of undesirable conditions or events; and reduces the ongoing likelihood, impact and velocity of additional undesirable conditions, events and effects.
Standards against which evaluation or decisions are based.
Includes the values, beliefs and behaviors characteristic of an entity
Ongoing progress toward objectives as well as actual and potential undesirable conditions and events using management actions and controls.
Detect the actual or potential occurrence of desirable and undesirable conditions and events.
A measure of the likelihood, timing and impact of an event on something.
The ways and means of governance, performance, risk, control, compliance, and ethics capabilities into other business processes.
Any individual or collection of individuals such as a team, group, organization or company.
Includes the values, beliefs and behaviors about responsible behavior and integrity.
To measure something against criteria.
An observable action, occurrence, or a change in condition.
A change in knowledge about a condition, even if the condition did not change.
Includes the entity and its network of suppliers and business partners.
Drive events, conditions and requirements that affect the achievement of objectives.
The act of externally directing, controlling and evaluating an entity, process or resource.
Help externally direct, control and evaluate an entity, process or resource.
Includes the values, beliefs and behaviors about how processes, resources and the organization itself are externally directed, controlled and evaluated including the involvement of the board of directors.
How power and decision-making authority is allocated; and the responsiveness to stakeholders.
The integrated collection of capabilities that enable an organization to reliably achieve objectives while addressing uncertainty and acting with integrity. It encompasses the governance, assurance and management of performance, risk, and compliance.
Is a capability that enables an organization to reliably achieve objectives while addressing uncertainty and acting with integrity; including the governance, assurance and management of performance, risk, and compliance.
Includes any role that is primarily charged with the governance, assurance or management of performance, risk and compliance.
Is a live or on-demand channel for individuals to ask questions before or while they are engaging in a task.
A measure of how an entity or its objectives are affected.
A metric that can be used to judge underlying activity.
Implements and manages so that capability information is relevant, reliable, timely, secure and available.
Is the level of risk in the absence of actions and controls.
Periodically seek input to understand perceptions about the governance, assurance and management of performance, risk and compliance; and the occurrence of undesirable events and activities.
To organize separate parts to provide a coordinated harmonious whole.
Provides “just-in-time” advice and education to individuals while they are performing a task.
The state of being whole and complete.
The keeping and honoring of promises.
An indicator that records past activity.
An indicator that predicts future activity.
A measure of the chance of an event occurring.
The hypothetical probability that an event that has already occurred would yield a specific outcome.
The act of internally directing, controlling and evaluating an entity, process or resource.
Are decisions, processes and use of associated resources which increase the likelihood that objectives are achieved.
Help internally direct, control and evaluate an entity, process or resource.
Includes the values, beliefs and behaviors about how processes, resources and the organization itself are internally directed, controlled and evaluated including: the way authority is delegated; the degree to which management is centralized and decentralized; and how individuals and teams are enabled and inspired.
To reduce the uncertainty of a value using a standardized unit of measure.
A value or a metric.
A single value obtained by direct measurement, or calculated using several other constituent values.
states what the organization will achieve
A measure, expressed as a function of the likelihood that an event may occur, how fast the event may impact objectives and the estimated negative impact that an event may have on objectives.
A measure of the negative impact that an event had on objectives.
A scale on which information is displayed in categories without any specific order.
Provides multiple pathways to report the actual or potential occurrence of undesirable conditions, events and conduct; as well as the occurrence of desirable events.
Something that an entity intends to attain or accomplish.
Is an event that has, on balance, a desirable effect on achieving objectives.
The ways and means of governance, performance, risk, control and compliance capabilities
A scale on which information is displayed in order of magnitude because there is no standard of measurement of differences.
Includes the values, beliefs and behaviors about the governance, assurance and management of performance including: setting objectives and indicators of performance; enabling and evaluating performance; and how individual and team performance is recognized
Is the act of managing processes and resources to pursue reward while also addressing risk
Is the level of reward that the organization expects to gain once planned actions and controls are operating.
Provides the “why;” is high level and strategic; sets the tone, context or intent; and changes infrequently.
The act of reliably achieving objectives while addressing uncertainty and acting with integrity.
Proactively incent desirable conditions and events; and prevent undesirable conditions and events with management actions and controls.
Proactively incent desirable; and prevent undesirable conditions or events.
A measure of the chance that an event (or set of events) will occur expressed on a linear scale from 0 (impossibility) to 1 (certainty).
Provides the “how to” of policies and guides their implementation; is audience-specific; provides exact instructions that will ensure compliance with a given policy.
A sequence of interdependent and linked procedures which consume one or more resources to convert inputs into outputs.
Is an impact often expressed using an ordinal scale or nominal scale.
Is a positive/negative affect on financial assets, tangible assets, intangible assets, business continuity, and health & safety.
Is something that an entity must address as a result of making a promise.
Is the level of risk after actions and controls are in place.
A useful asset that can be used to achieve objectives such as capital, people, technology, facilities and information.
Desirable conditions and events with rewards; and correct undesirable conditions and events so that the organization recovers from and resolves each immediate issue and improves future performance.
Reward desirable; and correct undesirable conditions or events
Is the use of internal funds to finance risk.
To recognize desirable conduct; and encourage similar conduct in the future.
A measure of the negative effect of uncertainty on achieving objectives.
A measure of the likelihood that an event may occur, how fast the event may impact the entity, and the estimated negative impact that an event may have on objectives.
Are quantitative or qualitative values against which level of risk is evaluated.
The level of risk that the organization is willing to accept to achieve objectives.
The maximum level of risk that the organization is able to address.
Includes the values, beliefs and behaviors about the governance, assurance and management of risk including: setting risk appetite and tolerances; views about impact of risk on conduct and decisions; and modeling of appropriate risk-taking behavior.
Provides funds to reduce the financial impact of undesirable effects experienced by an organization.
Is the act of managing processes and resources to address risk while pursuing reward.
Is the level of risk that the organization is unwilling to exceed to achieve objectives.
Is a person, group, or organization that has direct or indirect stake in an organization because it can affect or be affected by the organization’s actions, objectives, and policies.
A measurable value that an entity strives to achieve.
Is an event that has, on balance, an undesirable effect on achieving objectives.
Is an estimate of when something may happen.
The acceptable level of departure from a target.
Is the use of external funds to finance risk.
The state of being unable to completely predict; determine; or define something.
State what the organization stands for and the guide the conduct of both individuals and the organization as a whole.
A measure of how quickly an entity is impacted once an event occurs.
States what the organization will be.
Includes operators of the organization at all levels.