ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A · Control 5.8

Information Security in Project Management: A Practical Implementation Guide

Integrate security decisions into project governance from initial idea through delivery and closure.

This control ensures that information security risks and requirements are considered within projects, regardless of project type or delivery method.

Practical interpretation: A security review shortly before launch is too late. Projects should identify risks, requirements, owners and assurance activities while design choices can still change.

What should the control achieve?

Projects are screened for security relevance.
Security requirements and risks are documented early.
Specialists and control owners participate at defined gates.
Residual risks are accepted by authorized owners before launch.

Step-by-step implementation

Add security screening

Use project intake questions covering data, criticality, internet exposure, suppliers, new technology and regulatory scope.

Classify project risk

Apply simple criteria to determine the depth of review and required specialists.

Define requirements

Translate risks, policies and obligations into testable project requirements and acceptance criteria.

Assign responsibilities

Name the project manager, security reviewer, asset owner and risk owner.

Embed assurance gates

Review architecture, suppliers, testing, operational readiness and residual risk at suitable milestones.

Handover securely

Transfer documentation, risks, configurations, monitoring and ownership into operations.

What this could look like in practice

A CRM migration is rated high risk because it contains customer data and uses a new cloud supplier. Security requirements enter the backlog, Legal reviews the contract, architects assess integration, testers verify access controls and the business owner accepts documented residual risks before go-live.

Activity	Practical implementation	Evidence
Project intake	Security screening determines review level.	Completed intake questionnaire
Design gate	Architecture and data flows are reviewed before build.	Approved design and action log
Go-live	Testing, monitoring, ownership and risks are verified.	Operational readiness checklist

Implementation evidence

Project security procedure
Screening questionnaire
Risk classification
Security requirements
Architecture reviews
Supplier assessments
Security test results
Go-live approvals

Useful metrics

Projects screened before approval
High-risk projects with security representation
Security defects found after go-live
Overdue project security actions

Common mistakes

Applying the process only to IT projects.
Engaging security at the end.
Using vague requirements that cannot be tested.
Launching with unnamed residual-risk owners.
Failing to hand security obligations to operations.

Questions an auditor may ask

How are projects screened for security impact?
Show security requirements in a current project.
Who accepts residual project risks?
How is secure operational handover confirmed?

Implementation test: Select a recently launched project and trace security from intake through requirements, testing, risk acceptance and operational ownership.

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This independent educational guide paraphrases the practical intent of the control and does not replace the official ISO standards, professional advice or an organization-specific risk assessment. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by ISO.

ISO 27001 Annex A 5.8: Information Security in Project Management – Practical Implementation Guide