# NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 PM-26 — Complaint Management - Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/pm-26-complaint-management - Section: [Compliance](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance) › [NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 Controls](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5) › PM — Program Management - Last updated: 2026-06-05 - Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com) **NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5**·Control `PM-26`·medium·Component: **Program Management** ## What this control requires > Implement a process for receiving and responding to complaints, concerns, or questions about the organization's security and privacy practices. The process should include accessible mechanisms, necessary information for filing complaints, tracking mechanisms, and timely responses, including acknowledgment of receipt within the organization-defined time period. This control supports the Governance capability within the Program Management family. > > — NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5, Control PM-26 ### In plain English Implement a process for receiving and responding to complaints, concerns, or questions about the organization's security and privacy practices. In practice, this means you can prove you policy management-level controls on a defined cadence. ## Why it matters SP 800-53 is the catalogue every U.S. federal authorisation (FedRAMP, FISMA, CMMC) and most regulated industries point at. A missing control surfaces as a Plan of Action & Milestones (POA&M) item that an Authorizing Official must approve before the Authority To Operate is granted or renewed. ## What an auditor looks for A 3PAO (FedRAMP) or Independent Assessor (NIST RMF) tests against NIST SP 800-53A assessment procedures. For each control they expect a documented implementation that addresses every assessment objective (Examine, Interview, Test) and an implementation summary in the System Security Plan. Within **Program Management**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Control PM-26) and look for objective evidence on the latest two assessment cycles. ## How to implement #### Policy Management **Docs.** Keep each policy in version-controlled Markdown alongside the code that implements it; ship a signed PDF snapshot at each annual review and link the SHA into the SoA. ### Operational checklist - **Policy.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Information.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Process.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Security.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Time.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Scope:** management, information, privacy, organization, time, time period, capability, implement. ## Evidence to collect - **Policy Document.** A signed and version-controlled policy / standard / procedure document. Signed policy or standard documents the safeguard. Focus: Complaint Management. ## Common pitfalls - Policies that no engineer has read; the version in Confluence drifts from the version that's actually being enforced. ## How it maps to other frameworks Computed from shared tags, control component and key-operation subjects — handy when you are reconciling controls across an audit. - [**HIPAA (45 CFR Part 164) 164.316(b)(2)(i)** — Documentation - Time Limit](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/hipaa/164-316-b-2-i-documentation-time-limit) - [**ISO/IEC 27001:2022 A.5.1** — Policies for information security](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022/a-5-1-policies-for-information-security) - [**BSI C5:2020 SP-01** — Documentation, communication and provision of policies and instructions](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/sp-01-documentation-communication-and-provision-of-policies-and-instructions) - [**NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 3 3.1.9** — System Use Notification](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3/3-1-9-system-use-notification) - [**ISO/IEC 27701:2025 A.3.4** — Information security roles & responsibilities](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27701-2025/a-3-4-information-security-roles-responsibilities) ## Related controls in NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 - [**Control PM-29** — Risk Management Program Leadership Roles](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/pm-29-risk-management-program-leadership-roles) - [**Control PM-4** — Plan Of Action And Milestones Process](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/pm-4-plan-of-action-and-milestones-process) - [**Control SC-16(3)** — Cryptographic Binding](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/sc-16-3-cryptographic-binding) - [**Control PM-3** — Information Security And Privacy Resources](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/pm-3-information-security-and-privacy-resources) - [**Control SI-6(2)** — Automation Support For Distributed Testing](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/si-6-2-automation-support-for-distributed-testing) - [**Control PL-2(3)** — Plan And Coordinate With Other Organizational Entities](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/pl-2-3-plan-and-coordinate-with-other-organizational-entities) ## References - [NIST Computer Security Resource Center — NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5](https://csrc.nist.gov/Projects/risk-management/sp800-53-controls) - Catalogue identifier: `Control PM-26` Topics: governance riskpolicy managementprivacy management ## Related compliance guidance - [NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5: a practical implementation guide for cloud teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5): Start with the full NIST SP 800-53 implementation guide — scope, roadmap, evidence and how the assessment runs. - [NIST SP 800-171 and CMMC: a practical guide to protecting CUI in the cloud](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3): If your obligation is protecting CUI in your own systems for a federal or defence contract, this derived subset — not the full catalogue — is the requirement. - [SOC 2 compliance: a practical implementation guide for cloud-native SaaS teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria): Most commercial SaaS already hold a SOC 2 Type 2, and FedRAMP 20x Class A is designed for providers that have one.