Looking for Real-World GRC / IRM Practice Scenarios or POCs

Shashankmp1
Mega Contributor

3 weeks ago

Hi Everyone,

I have around 2 years of experience in ServiceNow ITSM and recently started working on ServiceNow GRC / IRM. I have completed the Now Learning training for GRC.

I am now looking to practice real-world GRC scenarios, such as:

  • Risk Management

  • Policy & Compliance

  • Audit Management

  • Vendor Risk

  • End-to-end GRC implementations or POCs

Could you please suggest:

  • Sample real-time use cases or projects

  • Any public documentation, labs, or demo data

  • Best ways to self-practice GRC in a personal developer instance

Any guidance from experienced professionals would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

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3 REPLIES 3

Its_Sagnic
Mega Guru

3 weeks ago

It’s great to see you expanding your expertise from ITSM into the GRC/IRM space. Having made a similar transition myself, I can confirm that the biggest shift is moving from a "ticket-based" mindset to a "lifecycle-based" mindset. In GRC, understanding the workflow is more important than the technical configuration.

To get started with your first POC (Proof of Concept), I recommend focusing on the Policy and Compliance Management module. It is the foundation of most IRM implementations.
 
1. The Core Framework (The "Why" and "How")
To build a realistic scenario, you must understand the data hierarchy. Think of it as a funnel:
  • Authority Documents: The high-level regulations (e.g., ISO 27001, GDPR, or NIST). This is the "Law."
  • Citations: The specific sections or "clausulae" within those laws (e.g., "Password Complexity Requirements").
  • Control Objectives: These are your internal templates. They define how your company intends to meet a Citation.
  • Controls: The actual "instances" of compliance. For example, if you have 10 Departments, you will have 10 Controls generated from one Control Objective to track each department's compliance.
  • Issues & Remediation: If a Control fails (Non-Compliant), an Issue is generated to track the fix.
 
2. Recommended Practice Scenario (Your First POC)
Instead of using demo data, try building this end-to-end scenario in your Personal Developer Instance (PDI):
  • Pick a Goal: "Ensure all laptop hard drives are encrypted."
  • Step A: Create an Authority Document called "Internal Security Standard."
  • Step B: Create a Citation for "Data at Rest Encryption."
  • Step C: Link this to a Control Objective.
  • Step 😧 Map this Objective to an Entity Type (e.g., "All Departmental Servers"). Watch how the system automatically generates Controls for every server in that list.
  • Step E: Perform an Attestation (an assessment) to move the Control from Draft to Compliant.
 
3. Top Resources for Practice
  • ServiceNow GRC/IRM Documentation (2026 Edition): Search specifically for "Entity Scoping," as scoping is the most critical skill in GRC.
  • Now Learning: GRC Fundamentals: Focus on the "Implementation Simulator" labs.
  • Compliance Accelerator: Use the UCF (Unified Compliance Framework) integration within ServiceNow to see how real-world regulations are imported.
Pro-Tip: Once you master Policy and Compliance, your next step should be Risk Management. In GRC, a "Failed Control" is almost always a "Risk" realized.
Best of luck with your GRC journey!

and for any further help may use this same loop I wil try to help you in other usecase as well.

If you find it helpful please mark it as helpful.

Regards,

Sagnic

Code_Gladiator
Tera Contributor
In response to Its_Sagnic

2 weeks ago

Hi @Its_Sagnic ,

This is Really helpful for me. Please Give me some more guidence How to start with Risk Management.

@Shashankmp1 --> You may also try the process mentioned above.

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VaishnaviK43271
Tera Contributor

16 hours ago

Hi @Shashankmp1 !!

 

 Risk Management Use Cases

  • Operational Risk Tracking:
    • Risk Statement: “Critical business process failure.”
    • Risks: “Server downtime,” “Manual errors in invoicing.”
    • Controls: Backup procedures, validation checks.
    • Goal: Assess likelihood, impact, and track mitigation plans.
  • IT / Cybersecurity Risk:
    • Risk Statement: “Unauthorized access to sensitive data.”
    • Risks: “Weak password policy,” “Phishing attacks.”
    • Controls: Multi-factor authentication, employee awareness training.
    • Goal: Score risks and monitor mitigation progress.
  • Project Risk Management:
    • Risk Statement: “Delays in project delivery.”
    • Risks: “Resource unavailability,” “Third-party dependency delays.”
    • Controls: Regular status meetings, contingency plans.

 

 Policy & Compliance Use Cases

  • Regulatory Compliance:
    • Policy: GDPR Data Protection Policy.
    • Controls: Data encryption, access controls.
    • Risks: Data breach, non-compliance penalties.
    • Goal: Map policies to controls and risks, schedule periodic reviews.
  • Internal Policy Management:
    • Policy: Employee Code of Conduct.
    • Controls: Training completion, acknowledgement of policy.
    • Goal: Ensure all employees attest to and follow internal policies.
  • Control Testing / Compliance Checks:
    • Example: Test IT password policies against security standards.
    • Goal: Track compliance evidence and generate reports.

 

 Audit Management Use Cases

  • Internal Audit Lifecycle:
    • Plan audits → assign auditors → collect findings → track remediation.
    • Example: Audit of HR onboarding process for compliance with internal policy.
  • SOX or Regulatory Audits:
    • Map controls to risks and policies → gather evidence → generate audit report.
    • Example: Financial process audit for segregation of duties compliance.
  • Continuous Monitoring Audits:
    • Example: Quarterly review of system access logs to ensure policy adherence.

 

 Vendor Risk Management Use Cases

  • Vendor Assessment:
    • Evaluate third-party vendors for financial stability, data security, and operational risk.
    • Example: Cloud hosting provider risk assessment.
  • Continuous Monitoring:
    • Periodic reassessment of vendor controls and risk scores.
    • Example: Quarterly security assessment of payment gateway providers.
  • Vendor Risk Mitigation:
    • Assign remediation tasks for high-risk vendors (e.g., implement encryption, perform security training).

 

 End-to-End GRC POC / Implementation Use Case

  • Scenario: Company wants an integrated GRC system for IT & operational risks.
  • Steps:
    1. Create Risk Statement: “Critical IT services downtime.”
    2. Define Risks: Server failure, application downtime.
    3. Map Controls: Backup procedures, monitoring tools.
    4. Link to Policies: IT Security Policy.
    5. Audit: Perform periodic control testing and record results.
    6. Vendor Risk: Assess cloud service provider supporting critical applications.
    7. Dashboard: Risk heatmap, compliance scorecards, audit findings summary.

Goal: Practice full GRC workflow from risk identification to reporting.

 

Public Resources & Demo Data

Best Ways to Self-Practice in a Developer Instance

  1. Set up your personal instance and activate GRC plugins.

  2. Load demo or sample data (policies, risks, controls, vendors).

  3. Create mini-projects / POCs:

    • Example 1: Map Risks → Controls → Policies → run reports.

    • Example 2: Vendor Risk Assessment → assign risks and controls → track remediation.

  4. Build dashboards & reports:

    • Risk Heatmaps, Compliance Scorecards, Audit Findings Summary, Vendor Risk Overview.

  5. Experiment with workflows & automation:

    • Notifications for risk mitigation deadlines.

    • Conditional control testing based on risk severity.

  6. Document everything like a real project: problem statement → solution design → implementation → results.

 

Mark this as Helpful if it clarifies the issue.
Accept the solution if this answers your question.

Regards,
Vaishnavi
Associate Technical Consultant

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