👨💼 This article is for global and local pilots in charge of a perimeter's security base.
An improvement action lets you increase the efficiency of a measure that is already implemented in your security base.
A security measure's efficiency reflects your confidence in how well it currently works. If you identify areas for improvement, you can create one or several improvement actions.
There are two ways to create an improvement action:
directly from the Security bases module, starting from the relevant measure
from the Action plans module, by creating the action within an existing register
Creating an improvement action from Security bases
⚠️ The relevant measure must already be implemented in the perimeter's security base. It is recommended to create the action plan in the Action plans module beforehand, if it doesn't already exist.
Step 1: Access the perimeter's security base
In the left menu, go to the Security bases module. Filter on "All measures" or on a specific policy, then select the desired perimeter. Click on the measure you want to create the improvement action for to open its modal.
Step 2: Add an improvement action
From the measure's modal, click "Add improvement action".
Fill in the following information, then click "Create action":
Action name: title of the action to carry out
Impact on efficiency score: expected gain once the action is completed (value between 0 and 100)
Action plan: the register this action should be attached to
Owner: the user or group responsible for carrying it out
⚠️ The efficiency gain chosen immediately reduces the measure's current efficiency. For example, a measure at 80% with a gain of 30 drops to 50% as soon as it's created. Efficiency will be restored to 80% once the action is completed.
💡 There can be several improvement actions in parallel on the same measure. The sum of their gains should logically be able to bring the efficiency back up to 100%.
⚠️ The gain entered cannot exceed the measure's current efficiency: it is automatically capped at that value. If the measure's current efficiency is already at 0, any additional gain will automatically be set to 0. Efficiency cannot go negative.
Step 3: Complete the action's information (optional)
When creating an action from the Security base, some information is left blank: priority (set by default to the scale level corresponding to a value of 50 out of 100), description, status, and subtasks. To fill these in, click the shortcut icon visible from the measure to open the action in a new tab.
Creating an improvement action from Action plans
⚠️ An action plan (register) must already exist. The relevant measure must already be implemented (consumed) in the perimeter's security base. Creating actions in the "All actions" register is not possible: you must start from a specific register.
Step 1: Access the Action plans module
In the left menu, go to the Action plans module. If no plan exists yet, create one by clicking "Add a plan".
Step 2: Add a new "Improvement" action
In the selected action plan, click "+ Add action". In the modal that opens, select the action type "Improvement".
💡 The 3 available types are: Implementation (implement a measure not yet consumed), Improvement (improve the efficiency of an already implemented measure), Simple (not linked to a measure). Choose Improvement here. For more details on how to choose between these types, see this article.
Step 3: Link the action to a measure and a perimeter
In the "Perimeter" field, select the perimeter concerned by this measure. In the "Measure" field, search for and select the implemented measure you want to improve.
Step 4: Fill in the action's information
Complete the form fields:
Name: name of the action (e.g. Deploy MFA on administrator accounts)
Efficiency gain: value between 0 and 100, corresponding to the expected improvement once the action is completed
Status: current state of the action
Perimeter: perimeter the action is attached to
Owner: user or group responsible for carrying it out
Priority: priority level of the action, set to 50 out of 100 by default
Start / target date: optional at creation. If filled in, the action automatically moves to "Planned" status
⚠️ The efficiency gain chosen immediately reduces the measure's current efficiency. For example, a measure at 80% with a gain of 30 drops to 50% as soon as it's created. Efficiency will be restored to 80% once the action is completed.
Step 5: Confirm creation
Click "Save" to create the action. It appears in the action plan with status "To be planned" (or "Planned" if dates were entered). The linked measure's efficiency is immediately updated in the security base.
Frequently asked questions
How many improvement actions can I create on the same measure?
Several, in parallel. The sum of their efficiency gains should logically be able to bring the measure's efficiency back up to 100%.
What happens if the measure's efficiency is already at 0%?
Any additional gain chosen when creating a new improvement action will automatically be brought back to 0: efficiency cannot go below 0.
What happens if I delete an improvement action instead of completing it?
The measure's efficiency is restored immediately: it returns to the value it had before this action's gain was subtracted. Completing the action (status "Completed") has the same effect, adding the gain back to the measure's efficiency.
What's the difference between an improvement action and an implementation action?
An improvement action targets a measure that is already implemented, to increase its efficiency. An implementation action, on the other hand, targets a measure that is not yet implemented: once completed, the measure becomes implemented.
🔎 To learn more about the different action types, see: The 3 different action types.