SOC 2 Readiness Timeline: How Long to Prepare by Company Size

After guiding dozens of companies through their first SOC 2 engagement, one question comes up in nearly every kickoff call: "How long is this actually going to take?" The answer depends on company size, existing security maturity, and the tools you bring to the table. Here is what we have seen across our client base — and what you should plan for.

The readiness phase — the period between deciding to pursue SOC 2 and being ready for the auditor to begin fieldwork — is where most of the compliance effort concentrates. For a first-time SOC 2 engagement, readiness preparation typically takes four to sixteen weeks depending on company size, existing security maturity, and whether the organization uses a GRC automation platform. The readiness timeline is distinct from the total SOC 2 timeline, which includes the observation period (three to twelve months) and the audit itself (three to six weeks). Understanding the readiness timeline specifically helps compliance leads and project managers build realistic internal project plans, set expectations with leadership, and allocate resources effectively across each sub-phase of preparation.

This article provides benchmark data on the readiness phase, segmented by company size, existing security maturity, and preparation approach. It includes time estimates for each readiness sub-phase: gap assessment, policy development, control implementation, evidence collection setup, and employee training.

For cost benchmarks, see the SOC 2 audit cost breakdown.

Readiness Timeline Overview

Total Readiness Duration by Company Size

Company Size	With GRC Platform + Consulting	With GRC Platform Only	Manual / DIY
Startup (under 50 employees)	4-8 weeks	6-10 weeks	10-16 weeks
Growth (50-200 employees)	6-10 weeks	8-14 weeks	12-20 weeks
Mid-market (200-1,000 employees)	8-14 weeks	12-18 weeks	16-24 weeks
Enterprise (1,000+ employees)	12-20 weeks	16-24 weeks	20-32 weeks

In our experience, the readiness timeline increases with company size primarily because of two factors: more systems to evaluate and configure, and more people whose controls (training, access, acknowledgments) must be managed. GRC platforms compress the timeline by automating evidence collection, providing policy templates, and identifying gaps through integration-based scanning.

Readiness vs Total SOC 2 Timeline

Phase	Duration	What Happens
Readiness	4-24 weeks	Gap assessment, policy development, control implementation, evidence setup, training
Observation period	3-12 months	Controls operate while evidence is collected; auditor may begin during this period
Audit fieldwork	3-6 weeks	Auditor tests controls, reviews evidence, conducts interviews
Report issuance	2-4 weeks	Auditor drafts and finalizes the report
Total (first Type II)	6-18 months	From project start to report delivery

The readiness phase directly determines when the observation period can begin. Delays in readiness push back the observation period start, which pushes back the audit date and report delivery. Every week of readiness delay adds approximately one week to the total timeline.

Readiness Sub-Phases

Phase 1: Gap Assessment

What it covers: Evaluating your current security posture against SOC 2 Trust Service Criteria requirements to identify what you already have, what needs improvement, and what must be built from scratch.

Company Size	Duration (With Platform)	Duration (Manual)	Key Activities
Startup	1-2 weeks	2-4 weeks	Connect integrations; review automated gap scan; identify control gaps
Growth	1-3 weeks	3-5 weeks	Same plus multi-system evaluation; stakeholder interviews
Mid-market	2-4 weeks	4-8 weeks	Same plus cross-team coordination; legacy system assessment
Enterprise	3-6 weeks	6-12 weeks	Same plus multi-division scoping; complex infrastructure mapping

GRC platform impact: Platforms like Vanta, Drata, Secureframe, and Sprinto accelerate gap assessment by connecting to your cloud provider, identity provider, code repository, and other tools to automatically identify configuration gaps. Manual gap assessment requires reviewing each system individually and documenting findings in spreadsheets.

Common gap assessment findings by company size:

Company Size	Typical Gaps Found
Startup	Missing policies (often all policies); no formal risk assessment; inconsistent MFA enforcement; no access review process; no endpoint management
Growth	Incomplete policies; access reviews not documented; deprovisioning process informal; monitoring gaps; vendor management ad hoc
Mid-market	Policies exist but outdated; access reviews inconsistent across teams; change management varies by team; incident response not tested
Enterprise	Policies comprehensive but not centralized; legacy system controls lag; cross-division inconsistencies; vendor management incomplete

Phase 2: Policy Development

What it covers: Writing or customizing the security policies required for SOC 2. Ten core policies are required: Information Security, Access Control, Change Management, Incident Response, Risk Assessment, Data Classification, Acceptable Use, Vendor Management, Business Continuity/DR, and HR Security.

Company Size	Duration (With Platform)	Duration (Manual)	Key Activities
Startup	1-2 weeks	3-5 weeks	Customize platform templates to reflect actual practices; management review and approval
Growth	2-3 weeks	4-6 weeks	Same plus more stakeholders to coordinate; more complex processes to document
Mid-market	2-4 weeks	5-8 weeks	Same plus legal review for some policies; cross-team alignment
Enterprise	3-6 weeks	6-12 weeks	Same plus multi-division policy harmonization; extensive review cycles

GRC platform impact: Platforms provide pre-written policy templates that cover SOC 2 requirements. Customization typically takes one to three days per policy versus three to five days for writing from scratch. The platform also handles distribution, acknowledgment tracking, and version control.

Critical path items:

• Management approval is the most common bottleneck — policies require executive signature
• Policy content must match actual practice — the most common audit finding is policies that describe processes the organization does not actually follow
• All employees must acknowledge policies before the observation period begins

Phase 3: Control Implementation

What it covers: Implementing the technical and administrative controls identified during the gap assessment. This is typically the longest sub-phase because it involves system configuration, tool deployment, and process changes.

Company Size	Duration (With Platform)	Duration (Manual)	Key Activities
Startup	2-4 weeks	4-8 weeks	Enable MFA everywhere; configure IdP; set up logging; deploy endpoint management; establish access review process
Growth	3-6 weeks	6-12 weeks	Same plus formalize change management; implement access review workflow; configure monitoring and alerting
Mid-market	4-8 weeks	8-16 weeks	Same plus cross-team control standardization; legacy system remediation; vendor management program
Enterprise	6-12 weeks	12-24 weeks	Same plus multi-division deployment; complex infrastructure controls; extensive testing

Most time-consuming implementations by priority:

Implementation	Typical Duration	Why It Takes Time
Identity provider configuration and MFA enforcement	1-3 weeks	Requires all employees to enroll; may need device provisioning
Endpoint management deployment	1-3 weeks	Agent installation on all devices; configuration and testing
Access review process establishment	1-2 weeks	Defining reviewers, creating review cadence, documenting the first review
Monitoring and logging configuration	1-3 weeks	Centralizing logs, configuring alerts, setting retention periods
Change management formalization	1-2 weeks	Configuring branch protection, code review requirements, deployment controls
Vendor management program	1-3 weeks	Building vendor inventory, conducting initial risk assessments, establishing review cadence
Risk assessment	1-2 weeks	First formal risk assessment requires cross-functional input
Business continuity / DR testing	1-3 weeks	Documenting plan, conducting first test, recording results

Phase 4: Evidence Collection Setup

What it covers: Configuring automated evidence collection systems and establishing manual evidence collection processes to ensure all required evidence is captured from the beginning of the observation period.

Company Size	Duration (With Platform)	Duration (Manual)	Key Activities
Startup	0.5-1 week	2-3 weeks	Verify all integrations collecting evidence; set up manual evidence upload processes for non-integrated controls
Growth	1-2 weeks	3-5 weeks	Same plus validate evidence against auditor expectations; establish evidence review cadence
Mid-market	1-3 weeks	4-6 weeks	Same plus multi-system evidence coordination; evidence owner assignment
Enterprise	2-4 weeks	5-10 weeks	Same plus cross-division evidence collection; evidence quality review

GRC platform impact: This is where GRC platforms provide the most significant time savings. Platforms automate evidence collection for connected integrations — cloud configuration, identity provider settings, code review records, endpoint compliance, and more. Without a platform, evidence must be manually collected, organized, and stored for each control.

Phase 5: Employee Training and Acknowledgments

What it covers: Completing security awareness training for all employees and collecting policy acknowledgments — both required before the observation period begins.

Company Size	Duration (With Platform)	Duration (Manual)	Key Activities
Startup	0.5-1 week	1-2 weeks	Assign and complete training; distribute and collect policy acknowledgments
Growth	1-2 weeks	2-3 weeks	Same plus follow-up with employees who have not completed; contractor training
Mid-market	1-3 weeks	2-4 weeks	Same plus department-specific training coordination; global workforce scheduling
Enterprise	2-4 weeks	3-6 weeks	Same plus multi-division rollout; multiple training sessions; translation for international teams

Common bottleneck: Getting one hundred percent training completion. There are always employees who delay completing training. We recommend setting a clear deadline, sending reminders through the GRC platform, and escalating to managers for employees who have not completed training by the deadline.

Timeline by Starting Security Maturity

Starting from Zero

In our experience, companies with no existing security program (common for early-stage startups) should plan for the following:

Sub-Phase	Duration (With Platform)	Duration (Manual)
Gap assessment	1-2 weeks	3-5 weeks
Policy development	2-3 weeks	4-6 weeks
Control implementation	4-8 weeks	8-16 weeks
Evidence collection setup	1-2 weeks	3-5 weeks
Training and acknowledgments	1-2 weeks	2-3 weeks
Total readiness	8-14 weeks	16-28 weeks

Existing Security Program

In our experience, companies with an established security program but no SOC 2 history can move considerably faster:

Sub-Phase	Duration (With Platform)	Duration (Manual)
Gap assessment	1-2 weeks	2-3 weeks
Policy development	1-2 weeks (policy updates, not creation)	2-4 weeks
Control implementation	2-4 weeks (gap closure, not greenfield)	4-8 weeks
Evidence collection setup	0.5-1 week	2-3 weeks
Training and acknowledgments	0.5-1 week	1-2 weeks
Total readiness	4-8 weeks	10-16 weeks

Post-SOC 2 Type I (Preparing for Type II)

For companies that have completed a Type I and are preparing for their first Type II observation period, we typically see the following:

Sub-Phase	Duration (With Platform)	Duration (Manual)
Gap assessment	0.5-1 week (verify Type I findings remediated)	1-2 weeks
Policy updates	0.5-1 week	1-2 weeks
Control verification	1-2 weeks	2-4 weeks
Evidence collection confirmation	0.5 week	1-2 weeks
Training refresh	0.5 week	1 week
Total readiness	2-4 weeks	5-10 weeks

Resource Requirements by Phase

Level of Effort (Hours) by Role

Role	Gap Assessment	Policy Development	Control Implementation	Evidence Setup	Training	Total
Compliance lead	20-40	30-60	20-40	10-20	10-20	90-180
Engineering lead	10-20	5-10	30-60	10-20	2-5	57-115
IT / DevOps	5-10	2-5	20-40	5-10	2-5	34-70
HR	2-5	5-10	5-10	2-5	10-20	24-50
Executive sponsor	5-10	5-10	2-5	1-2	1-2	14-29
All employees	—	—	—	—	2-4 each	2-4 each

Total Readiness Effort

Company Size	Total Hours (With Platform)	Total Hours (Manual)
Startup (under 50 employees)	150-300 hours	300-600 hours
Growth (50-200 employees)	250-500 hours	500-1,000 hours
Mid-market (200-1,000 employees)	400-800 hours	800-1,500 hours
Enterprise (1,000+ employees)	600-1,200 hours	1,200-2,500 hours

In our experience, GRC platforms reduce total readiness effort by approximately forty to sixty percent, primarily by automating gap assessment, evidence collection, and policy management workflows.

Accelerating the Timeline

Timeline Compression Strategies

Strategy	Time Saved	How
Start GRC platform setup immediately	1-2 weeks	Begin integration connections and gap scanning before formally kicking off the readiness project
Use readiness consulting	2-4 weeks	Expert guidance eliminates trial-and-error; consultants know exactly what auditors expect
Address access management first	Reduces control implementation phase	Access management produces the most findings; resolving it first eliminates the biggest risk area
Set a training deadline early	1-2 weeks	Announce the training deadline in week one; give employees the full readiness period to complete
Parallelize sub-phases	2-4 weeks	Policy development, control implementation, and training can overlap — they do not need to be sequential
Conduct the risk assessment early	Reduces rework	Completing the risk assessment during gap assessment ensures controls are risk-informed from the start

What Not to Rush

Activity	Why You Should Not Rush
Policy customization	Generic policies create audit findings; invest time to make policies match your actual practices
Access review process	The first access review reveals access management gaps that need remediation before the observation period
Management approval	Executive sign-off legitimizes the compliance program; rushed approvals without review undermine credibility
Employee training	Training that employees complete without actually reading creates a compliance checkbox without genuine security awareness

Common Timeline Delays

Delay	Impact	How to Prevent
Waiting for executive approval on policies	1-3 week delay	Schedule policy review with executives early; set a specific review deadline
Engineering team bandwidth conflicts	2-4 week delay	Secure dedicated engineering time for control implementation before starting
Vendor security questionnaire backlog	1-2 week delay	Start vendor inventory and outreach in week one of the readiness project
Identity provider migration in progress	4-8 week delay	Either complete the IdP migration first or start SOC 2 after migration
Disagreement about scope (which systems are in scope)	1-3 week delay	Define scope in week one with executive sponsor alignment
Employee training non-completion	1-2 week delay	Set clear deadline with consequences; escalate to managers; follow up individually

We recommend tackling scope definition and executive alignment in the first week of the project. In our experience, companies that delay these conversations end up absorbing the largest preventable delays in their readiness timeline.

Key Takeaways

• We consistently see readiness preparation take four to twenty-four weeks depending on company size, maturity, and approach — with GRC platforms compressing the timeline by forty to sixty percent
• What we recommend for startups: pair a GRC platform with advisory support and plan for four to eight weeks to reach audit-readiness; enterprises should plan for twelve to twenty weeks even with platform support
• Control implementation is the longest sub-phase (two to twelve weeks) — it involves system configuration, tool deployment, and process changes
• What we tell clients about policy development: plan for one to six weeks, and while GRC platform templates reduce the effort, customization is essential to avoid audit findings
• In our experience, companies starting from zero should plan for eight to fourteen weeks with a platform or sixteen to twenty-eight weeks manually
• In our experience, companies with existing security programs can reach readiness in four to eight weeks with a platform
• The most common timeline delays we see are executive approval bottlenecks, engineering bandwidth conflicts, and employee training non-completion
• What we recommend: parallelize sub-phases to compress the timeline — policy development, control implementation, and training can run concurrently
• We advise addressing access management first in control implementation because it produces the most audit findings
• Every week of readiness delay adds approximately one week to the total time-to-report

Frequently Asked Questions

Can we complete SOC 2 readiness in under four weeks?

What we tell clients is that it is possible for very small organizations (under twenty employees) with an existing security program, using a GRC platform with readiness consulting. The minimum practical timeline involves one week for gap assessment and platform setup, one week for policy customization and management approval, one week for any remaining control implementations, and one week for training completion and evidence verification. Based on what we see, organizations starting from zero cannot realistically complete readiness in under four weeks without cutting corners that will create audit findings.

How does the readiness timeline change for Type II vs Type I?

Based on what we see, the readiness timeline is similar for both report types because the controls must be suitably designed for either Type I or Type II. The difference is what happens after readiness: Type I assessment occurs at a point in time (the readiness completion date), while Type II requires an observation period (three to twelve months) before fieldwork. What we often recommend to clients is using Type I as an intermediate milestone — completing readiness, obtaining a Type I report, and then beginning the Type II observation period.

Should we hire a dedicated compliance lead for readiness?

What we tell clients is that for startups under fifty employees, a fractional or part-time compliance lead (engineering lead, CTO, or operations manager wearing a compliance hat) can manage readiness with GRC platform and consulting support. For organizations with fifty or more employees, we recommend a dedicated compliance lead — it significantly accelerates the timeline and improves quality. The compliance lead role typically requires twenty to forty hours per week during the readiness phase, decreasing to five to ten hours per week during the observation period.

What is the minimum viable readiness for starting the observation period?

Based on what we see, the observation period can begin when all controls are implemented and operating — even if evidence collection and monitoring are still being optimized. At minimum, you need: all policies approved and distributed, MFA enforced, access review process in place, change management controls operational (branch protection, code review), monitoring and logging configured, employee training completed, and evidence collection active (either automated or manual). What we always caution clients about is that gaps that exist at the start of the observation period become findings in the audit.