How do I work through the 15 requirements in AffirmReady?
KB-075 | Applies to: All plans | Last reviewed: November 7, 2026 | Version 1.1
The guided walkthrough is where your company records its self-assessment, one requirement at a time. This article explains what's on each screen and what the statuses mean.
The short answer
Select Walkthrough in the menu and open a requirement. For each assessment objective, write how your company handles it, choose a status, and save. Every status is your company's own self-assessment. AffirmReady never marks anything for you.
The walkthrough page
At the top, a How the walkthrough works box sums up the steps. Below it, the 15 requirements are grouped into six families, such as Access Control and Physical Protection. Each requirement shows how many of its objectives your company has marked Ready, with a progress bar. Each family links to its evidence guide.
Inside a requirement
Open a requirement to see:
- How to fill in this page: a short box at the top that sums up the page and what each status means.
- The requirement: the official wording.
- In plain English: what it means.
- In a small shop: an example of what it looks like in practice.
- A link to the evidence guide that explains what evidence usually shows it.
- Assessment objectives: the specific things to check, taken from the CMMC Assessment Guide for Level 1. Every requirement has at least one. Each objective starts closed and shows its label (such as 9[c]), its heading and its status. Click an objective to open it, or use Expand all and Collapse all.
Answering an objective
- Click the objective to open it. Then open Help with this objective to see What this asks, Ways to show it, and Watch out for. Some objectives also have a May not apply note.
- Under How we do this, describe in your own words what your company does and who does it. Not sure what to write? Click See examples in the light green strip and tap an example to drop it in the box, then change it to fit. Nothing is saved until you click Save.
- If you want to leave a reminder for your team, such as a follow-up task, click Add a note. Notes are optional. A note you've saved always shows.
- Choose a Status.
- Click the Save button under that objective. It names the objective, such as Save 9[c].
Each objective saves on its own, so save before you move on. Then use Next requirement or Previous requirement to keep going.
When you have evidence for a requirement, click Record where evidence lives to add it to your evidence register. See KB-013.
What the statuses mean
- Not started: nothing recorded yet. Every objective starts here.
- In progress: you're working on it, or a gap is still being fixed.
- Ready: your company does this today, and you can point to evidence that shows it.
- Needs review: something to look at again, such as an answer carried forward from last year or a practice that has changed.
At Level 1, every requirement must be met before your company affirms. There's no partial credit. See KB-009.
Who can change answers
Owners and Editors can write answers and change statuses. Read-only members can see everything but can't make changes. If a payment is past due, everyone can still look, but changes are paused until it's resolved. See KB-054.
Where your progress shows up
Your Home page shows your progress by family and overall, what needs review, and your next SPRS affirmation due date. Under Progress by family, click See each objective under a family to see every objective in it with the status your team chose. Click an objective to go straight to it on its requirement page.
Still need help?
Email support@affirmready.com and include your company name and the email address on your AffirmReady account. Our team is available Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern, and replies within one business day.
For CMMC Level 1 readiness purposes only. Not legal advice. Your company is responsible for the accuracy of its self-assessment and affirmation.