The Certification Assistant Dashboard, also known as the Assessment Homepage, provides links to navigate to different areas of the current assessment, snapshot information for the Assessment (progress, status, etc.), as well as administrative options for those with the appropriate role. This is the home-base for the Assessment Dashboard.
Access Existing Assessment
To access an existing assessment:
1. Login to Exostar’s Managed Access Gateway (MAG) via your User ID/Email Address and Password.
2. Click Launch in the Certification Assistant tile, located under the Open Applications tab.
NOTE: If the status button says Inactive, click it anyways to open the application. This is a known defect.
3. Select to send the One-Time Passcode. Once delivered to your phone, input in the field provided to redirect to the Certification Assistant dashboard.
4. Select Launch next to the desired Assessment.
Navigation Menu
The lefthand navigation menu displays throughout the entire Certification Assistant application. The following options display:
| Tab | Description |
|---|---|
| Org Info | Enter and manage your organization’s information and points of contact. |
| System Info | Enter and manage your information system, leveraged systems, and environments of operation. |
| Practices | A Practice is a specific security requirement under CMMC or NIST SP 800-171 for access control. Each practice must be reviewed and documented during an assessment. This section is where you complete the bulk of your assessment work: implementation statements, evidence, and status, per control. |
| POA&Ms | A Plan of Action & Milestones (POA&M) is an individual remediation plan created for a specific deficiency or unmet requirement. Each POA&M outlines the issue, responsible party, planned corrective actions, and target completion dates. This section of the application is where you will create, modify, review, and delete POA&M items. |
| Evidence | Evidence is supporting documentation uploaded to show that a control has been implemented, for example policies, screenshots, or audit logs. This section of the application is where you will upload and manage supporting files for the assessment. |
| Documentation | Generate and download your final deliverables, including your System Security Plan (SSP), which is a comprehensive document that describes how an organization meets applicable cybersecurity requirements. It includes system architecture, responsibilities, and implementation details for each control. |
Main Dashboard
The main dashboard, displayed in the middle of the screen, provides a snapshot of information for the assessment.
Assessment Progress
This section of the dashboard provides an overall percentage of completion for the assessment.
Task Status
This panel breaks down assessment areas and includes each sections current status and who it is assigned to:
- Organization Info
- System Info
- Practices
- POA&Ms
To navigate this section:
1. Select any task title to navigate directly to that section.
2. Use the Status or Assigned To filter options.
3. Search for the desired section via the Search field.
4. Select the arrows located next to each column title to relist the display.
Journal
This panel allows you to create or view messages from other assessment users. To create a new message:
- Type in the box provided.
- Click Post.
This panel is also available throughout the assessment via a Journal icon in the upper, right corner.
Practices
This panel provides a comprehensive list of all practices associated with the assessment, as well as a status, and to whom the practice is assigned.
To navigate this section:
1. Select any task title to navigate directly to that section.
2. Use the Status or Assigned To filter options.
3. Search for the desired section via the Search field.
4. Select the arrows located next to each column title to relist the display.
Practices and Tasks Graphs
Both panels provide a graph with percentage complete for each respective section.
SPRS Score
The SPRS Score panel shows your current score, on a scale of -203 to 110, reflecting your organization’s level of NIST SP 800-171 compliance based on your assessment so far. This is the score you submit to the Department of Defense.
POA&Ms
This panel provides a comprehensive, scrollable list of any Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&Ms) created within the assessment, each POA&M’s status, as well as to whom it is assigned.
To navigate this section:
1. Select any task title to navigate directly to that section.
2. Use the Status or Assigned To filter options.
3. Search for the desired section via the Search field.
4. Select the arrows located next to each column title to relist the display.