The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification is the Department of Defense helps ensure contractors protect Controlled Unclassified Information with proven, repeatable security practices. As CMMC Level 2 assessments continue to move forward across the Defense Industrial Base, contractors must be ready to demonstrate that their policies and processes are not only documented but consistently practiced in daily operations.
This blog will help you understand how to prepare effectively for all parts of the CMMC Evidence Triad so your people, documentation, and technical safeguards work together to support a strong assessment outcome.
To understand what assessors expect during a CMMC Level 2 assessment, it is helpful to break down the CMMC Evidence Triad and why it is so important. The triad is the method assessors use to validate whether a security control is actually implemented. Instead of relying on documentation alone, assessors evaluate three distinct forms of evidence: what people say, what the organization has documented, and what the systems show through technical validation.
The CMMC Evidence Triad is made up of three categories of evidence:
| Interview | Examine | Test |
| Assessors speak directly with the individuals who perform security-related tasks to confirm they understand and execute their responsibilities correctly. | Assessors review documented policies, procedures, plans, and artifacts that define how each control is expected to operate within the organization. | Assessors observe or verify technical safeguards in action through live demonstrations, screenshots, system outputs, or configuration settings to ensure controls function as documented. |
These three evidence categories are interconnected. Strong alignment among interview, examine, and test results shows that the organization is operating as documented. If one area is inconsistent or incomplete, assessors may determine the control is not fully implemented.
Once organizations understand the purpose of the CMMC Evidence Triad, many quickly realize a common issue. Documentation alone cannot carry a CMMC assessment. Policies and procedures are important, but assessors weigh interview and technical evidence equally. If personnel cannot explain how controls work or technical systems do not reflect what is documented, the documentation loses credibility.
This disconnect appears frequently. Staff may not know how their responsibilities relate to specific controls. Systems may be configured differently than policies described. Logs may not be retained long enough, or monitoring tools may not generate the output expected. Even small inconsistencies can create findings during a CMMC Level 2 assessment.
With documentation in place, the next part of preparing for preparing the CMMC Evidence Triad is ensuring personnel are ready for the interview portion. Assessors prioritize interviews because they want to hear directly from the people who execute and oversee security practices. Their goal is to confirm that personnel understand their responsibilities and can describe how controls are applied in daily operations.
Interview preparation often feels uncomfortable for teams who are not used to formal assessments. The good news is that assessors are not looking for memorized policy language. They want clarity, confidence, and honest explanations of how tasks are performed. When staff can describe their processes naturally and accurately, it signals strong operational maturity.
Just as interviews validate the human side of compliance, the test portion of the CMMC Evidence Triad validates the technical side. Assessors will expect to see proof that your security tools and system configurations behave exactly as your documentation claims. This is often the point where organizations discover gaps between intention and configuration.
During the test portion of the CMMC Evidence Triad, assessors commonly request to see:
| Multifactor authentication enforcement | to verify it is applied across all required systems |
| Log retention settings | that demonstrate appropriate storage and duration |
| Audit records | showing activity tracking and evidence of monitoring |
| Encryption details | for data at rest and in transit |
| Endpoint configurations | that reflect secure system settings |
| Monitoring outputs | that confirm alerts, events, and security activity are being captured |
Technical readiness requires reviewing system configurations, validating tool outputs, and confirming that safeguards perform as expected. MAD Security helps organizations prepare for this step through SOC services, vulnerability scans, endpoint monitoring, and technical readiness assessments. These services ensure your environment is operating exactly as required before assessors begin reviewing your controls
Misalignment is common. A policy may reference an outdated system, while the current configuration behaves differently. Staff may describe a procedure based on old habits rather than current requirements. A technical tool may be implemented but not configured to match what the documentation states. These discrepancies can make it clear that a control is not fully implemented.
Alignment requires intentional coordination across people, processes, and technology. MAD Security uses the Completely MAD Security Process to help organizations bring all three areas together, so the documentation reflects actual behavior, and the technical safeguards reinforce both.
Many organizations struggle not because they lack documentation but because they lack alignment. MAD Security helps contractors bridge these gaps by strengthening documentation, preparing personnel, and validating technical safeguards before assessors arrive.
If you want confidence heading into your next CMMC Level 2 assessment, MAD Security is ready to help you align all three parts of the CMMC Evidence Triad and achieve complete readiness.
Original Published Date: December 04, 2025
By: MAD Security