SOC 2 is a marathon, not a sprint — but it doesn't have to feel like one. Over the last three years we've helped hundreds of teams achieve their first Type I report inside 90 days, and there's a consistent pattern in how the successful ones operate.
Week 1–2: scope before you sweat
The single biggest cause of audit pain is poorly defined scope. Before you map a single control, agree on which Trust Service Criteria you're including, which products and environments are in scope, and which subservice organisations you're carving out.
"Spend 80% of your first fortnight on scope. Every hour invested here saves a week later."
Week 3–6: control selection and ownership
Choose your control framework — most teams start with the AICPA's points of focus or a vendor template. The crucial step is assigning a single accountable owner per control. Shared ownership is no ownership.
- One control owner, with one delegated implementer if needed
- Defined evidence type and collection cadence
- Written description in plain English, not auditor-speak
Week 7–10: evidence automation
This is where the modern GRC platform earns its keep. Wire your cloud, identity, code, and ticketing systems into BoseTechSol and let evidence flow in automatically. The teams that hit 90 days are the teams that automate at least 70% of evidence collection.
Week 11–13: dry run and remediation
Run an internal dry-run audit two weeks before the real one. Treat findings exactly as you would auditor findings: open a remediation ticket, assign an owner, and close it with evidence. Walk into the real audit with zero open dry-run findings.
The bottom line
SOC 2 in 90 days is achievable when you get scope right, automate evidence aggressively, and treat the dry run as the real thing. Skip any of these and you'll spend the same effort over six months instead of three.