Kevin Gilligan – Head of Business Advisory
Across the compliance and risk landscape, one trend is becoming increasingly clear: organisations want more than just a list of controls. They want structure, clarity, and assurance. That’s why so many of our clients are using Resolver by Aspida to build robust controls libraries with clear taxonomy and hierarchy, and it’s changing how they approach control validation testing.
What is a controls library, and why does it matter?
A controls library is a centralised repository of internal controls derived from the policies, procedures, and mechanisms that help organisations achieve their operational, reporting and compliance objectives. For compliance teams, internal auditors, and risk managers, it’s a foundational tool. It enables consistency, traceability, and confidence when used to demonstrate assurance to regulators or senior stakeholders.
The real value comes when that library is intelligently structured. Clients are increasingly focused on creating libraries with a clear taxonomy, clustering controls in a defined way such as by risk category, business process activity, or regulatory sources. This hierarchy makes it easier to navigate, maintain, test and report on controls in a meaningful way.
The shift toward clustered control testing
One of the most notable developments we’re seeing is a growing preference for clustering controls, grouping related controls together for validation testing. This approach allows teams to test control groups to identify gaps more effectively and streamline assurance activities. It’s a smarter, more strategic way to manage control testing.
How Resolver by Aspida supports this evolution
Resolver gives clients the flexibility to design their control framework, link controls to risks and obligations, and run targeted testing programmes. Whether building from scratch or refining an existing framework, Resolver helps teams move from reactive compliance to proactive assurance.
If you’re exploring ways to strengthen your control environment or make your testing more efficient, get in touch with Kevin Gilligan and he will be happy to show you how Resolver by Aspida is helping firms do just that.
