DORA Checklist Template

Feb 11, 2025by Rajeshwari Kumar

DORA Checklist Template serves as a methodical tool to evaluate major regulatory needs throughout zones encompassing ICT risk governance as well as operational resilience examinations, information sharing protocols, and third-party systems oversight. The template enables organisations to detect gaps and monitor their compliance coverage while promoting necessary improvements. It provides officials from regulatory compliance, internal auditors, and risk managers with a practical resource to develop strong digital resilience systems that fulfill DORA standards. The template provides streamlined compliance work and improves cybersecurity leadership functions and emergency response preparedness. 

Components Of The DORA Checklist Template 

DORA Chapter/Pillar represents the core organisational sections contained within the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) that divides necessary regulations into dedicated operational resilience fields. 

  • The sections under the DORA Chapter/Pillar cover ICT Risk Management and ICT-related Incident Reporting as well as Digital Operational Resilience Testing and ICT Third-Party Risk Management and Information Sharing Arrangements. 

  • Each specific section in DORA (Command Pillar) presents distinct operational resilience parts that help financial entities maintain strong cybersecurity and ICT governance systems to stay resilient through disruptions.

DORA uses specific article numbers to mark the position of each requirement inside the regulation. Financial entities need to follow several compliance requirements according to the specified articles included in these documents. 

  • For example, Article 3 focuses on the ICT third-party service provider, while Article 11 deals with ICT-related incident reporting.

  • Organization achieved improved efficiency in compliance tracking through article numbers which enable them to link these requirements to their internal controls as well as their processes.

The article names supply compliance teams essential information about what the regulation focuses on. 

  • Every DORA Article receives a concise title that describes its main objective at a glance. The short definition for Article 6 "Governance and Organization of ICT Risk Management" tells financial entities to create proper frameworks for ICT security management. 

The Article reg. link serves as a direct Internet path that leads viewers to read the authorised regulatory text on European Union legislative platforms and financial regulatory domain pages. 

  • Through this link, organisations can verify the official regulation text to establish correct interpretations of compliance from the authentic reference.

  • Open access to the regulation streamlines auditing procedures, policy reviews, and legal assessment activities.

The Article Description outlines the essential requirements together with the original article's main purpose. 

  • A summary presents essential requirements for financial entities to implement or fulfil according to the article guidelines.

  • The description of Article 5 (ICT Risk Management Framework states as follows: "Financial entities must establish an ICT risk management framework which includes risk identification and protection and detection and response and recovery measures to preserve digital operational resilience."

  • The summarised version benefits from assessing compliance levels and provides guidance for implementation plans.

The questions serve as DORA-based indicators to assess if organisational security measures and processes and implemented policies function correctly. 

  • The control question must verify if organisations establish documented ICT risk management frameworks that clearly define responsibilities and roles.

  • The assessment of these questions reveals where organisations are non-compliant.

  • Financial entities need to evaluate themselves regarding the particular compliance checkpoints and questions stated in this section.

The recommended ISMS Policy/Procedure defines connections between DORA requirements and Information Security Management System (ISMS) policies to maintain financial entities at industry best practice standards. 

  • The proposed ISMS policy under Article 5 should contain "Information Security Policy" together with "Incident Management Policy" and "Business Continuity Plan" to meet regulatory demands.

  • The section provides organisations guidance about which existing policies need review or development for compliance purposes.

Existing policy/procedures/control at the financial entity section reveals the established policies, operational procedures, and information security measures that exist in the financial entity that adhere to DORA requirements.

  • The section provides a perspective on existing compliance initiatives to help determine if the entity fulfils regulatory standards.

  • An entity with a Cybersecurity Incident Response Plan can submit it to Article 11 (ICT-related Incident Reporting) of the existing control section.

Adequacy of Coverage Pass (Adequate)/Fail (Not Adequate)/NA evaluation section determines whether existing policies and controls of the financial entity fulfill their obligations under DORA.

  • A Pass (Adequate) rating indicates entire compliance, while a Fail (Not Adequate) shows non-compliance and N/A indicates no relevance to the entity.

  • By classifying issues, the system helps financial entities direct their remediation work while closing down compliance areas that need attention.

The GAP or limitation that exists at the financial entity becomes apparent when Fail (Not Adequate) criteria are met. 

  • This section specifies exactly what aspects of a DORA requirement a financial entity has not met to achieve compliance.

  • The GAP or Limitation at the Financial Entity could stem from absent policies together with insufficient technical controls and unrecorded documentation and insufficient testing methods.

  • A financial entity would face this identified gap because they lack a documented system for ICT risk governance which includes risk assessment methodology and mitigation strategies.

  • Using identified analysis gaps allows organizations to create specific plans for regulatory compliance objectives.

Benefits Of DORA Checklist Template

  • This assessment system provides organizations with a methodical process to check compliance with DORA requirements for ICT risk management and incident reporting and resilience testing and third-party risk management obligations.

  • The DORA checklists allow organizations to recognize and fix gaps and weaknesses in their existing policies by analyzing DORA principles against current established procedures.

  • The template enables organizations to document their compliance activities which produces simplified evidence used for demonstrating regulatory compliance during audit and inspection assessments.

  • This checklist leads organizations to enhance their cyber resilience by directing them to follow best practices in ICT security and resilience thus they develop stronger risk management frameworks which lower their exposure to cyber threats alongside operational interruptions.

  • The checklist implements precise responsibility and governance requirements for DORA articles while establishing targeted policy and control measures for ICT risk management and incident handling tasks.

In conclusion, Financial entities can use the DORA Checklist Template as an extensive compliance evaluation tool which assists them in performing structured DORA adherence reviews. The checklist links regulatory needs to organizational policies and risk frameworks thus organizations can detect weaknesses and strengthen their resilience program while maintaining regulatory compliance. The template provides both streamlined compliance work and it improves cybersecurity leadership functions and emergency response preparedness.