PLAN NOTE: This plan has been designed to provide steps for implementing the GDPR and assessing your readiness and gaps. It is a lengthy document and as the GDPR is not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ Regulation, it is impossible for us to create a specific plan that suits all businesses. The ‘Condition or Purpose’ column provides guidance on whether the actions are ‘mandatory’, ‘condition-based’ or ‘guidance’, which aids in excluding those areas not relevant to you.
The suggested actions in this plan will not give you a complete approach for implementation, because there will be specific requirements and functions that are unique to your business; and the plan is not legal advice, but professional guidance based on our knowledge and expertise in this area. However, through the actions that have been provided, you will be able to review each business area against the requirements and systematically assess your organisation.
For small and micro-organisations, the only specific exemption relative to your size is the Article 30 Processing Activities Requirement; however, the GDPR states several times that all measures and requirements should be ‘proportionate to your size, scope and nature’. It is likely to for many small businesses, policy sections on ‘Appointing a DPO’, ‘International Transfers’ and ‘Third-Party Processors’ can be reduced or even removed. However, there will also be SME’s or sole traders who must comply with these areas, so inclusion of all requirements is essential in a GDPR Toolkit. Our documents take a universal approach, meaning all requirements for all businesses are included and you then customise or reduce if not applicable. This method is essential for compliance and to ensure that smaller firms are not being given an ‘easier’ package that opens them up to penalties and enforcement down the line.
BUSINESS REVIEW: At the end of the plan, you will see 2 additional sections titled ‘Small & Micro Businesses’ and ‘Medium & Large Organisations’. Obviously, the size of a business is only one part of the equations (nature and scope being just as important); however, these sections provide some business specific guidance that may be useful for business functions and the GDPR.
GDPR CHECKLIST: We recommend starting by working through our GDPR Checklist and answer all questions (where applicable). This is to give you a written list of the areas where you have gaps, are non-compliant or just need to make some improvements.
Our checklist is extensive and may seem geared to larger organisations (i.e. overkill for small firms); however, businesses big and small must comply with the GDPR and except for Article 30 – Processing Activities records, there are no limited or diluted exceptions or conditions based on size. It is all about the type and volume of the personal data you process, which is not dependent on how many employees you have!
GDPR Implementation Project Plan
REQUIREMENT | CONDITION OR PURPOSE | ACTIONS | NOTES |
Review Existing Data Protection Processes & Documents | Guidance:
Many UK organisations processing personal data will have been obligated under the previous Data Protection Act 1998. This means that you may already have some form of program already in place |
1. Identify any documents, policies, processes, systems and job roles that relate to data protection (i.e. HR forms, employee handbooks, bank details templates, assessment reports, appraisals etc)
2. If you are continuing to use any existing data protection relevant documents, ensure that any reference to Data Protection Act 1998 is replaced with the GDPR & DPA18 (or your country’s relevant Data Protection Law and any guidelines) 3. If the document, system, application or online form collects personal data, ensure it is accompanied by a compliant Privacy Notice (see Privacy Notice section) and if applicable, consent request |
It is important to remember that many parts of the GDPR are the same as those in the current DPA. With so much emphasis on the GDPR, many firms are starting from scratch with processes that may just need tweaking.
As you have purchased our GDPR documents, you are likely to be replacing any policies & templates; however, you will likely have forms, documents & templates specific to your business type that can be revised instead of restarted |
Accountability Principle
(Article 5(2)) |
The controller shall be responsible for, and be able to demonstrate compliance with, the data protection principles | 1. To demonstrate compliance with the GDPR, you need to be documenting all procedures, processing activities, training, measures and controls that evidence compliance with the principles and requirements
2. Ensure that you have and continuously maintain a clear and structured set of records for all GDPR & DPA18 requirements 3. For organisations with managerial levels, providing Management Information on a regular basis is an essential part of demonstrating compliance and also support the accountability principle |
Accountability is a new addition to the data protection principles and focuses on demonstration and documentation |
REQUIREMENT | CONDITION OR PURPOSE | ACTIONS | NOTES |
GDPR Awareness & Staff Training | Guidance:
The GDPR will affect all staff and all business functions, so ensuring that everyone is aware of the changes is essential |
1. Organise a meeting with Management to discuss the timeframe, requirements & impact of implementing GDPR
2. Decision makers & key people must understand the changes and what is expected 3. Dependant on your size & scope, allocate the resources & budget required 4. Identify which employees handle personal data or are directly involved in, affected by data protection 5. Provide those identified above with GDPR staff training sessions as soon as possible 6. Roll out training to all other staff (in stages or in full dependant on your size) 7. Create an intranet or location where GDPR support and resources can be accessed 8. Create/revise training records for all staff and document all training sessions, support & resources |
This part of the implementation project can run alongside the other requirements; however, it is important not to lead awareness and training to the last minute. Large organisations can end up with gaps if not planned correctly and smaller ones with duplications, which can cost time & money.
For small organisations, working through this plan, reading the policy documents and templates & referring to ICO’s extensive guidance can serve as training |
Appoint a Data Protection Officer (DPO) or Lead
(Article 37) |
A DPO is mandatory when:
a) Processing is carried out by a public authority or body b) Core activities consist of processing operations which require regular & systematic monitoring of data subjects on a large scale; or c) consist of processing on a large scale of special category or criminal convictions personal data |
1. Designate a Data Protection Officer or Lead
2. Ensure adequate training and support is made available to the appointed person 3. Document reporting lines to and from the DPO to employees, senior management & third-parties 4. Complete the DPO Responsibilities template with the DPO/Leads details 5. Register the details of your DPO with the ICO |
See Article 9 for definitions of special category data & Article 10 for criminal convictions
Even if you are not obligated to appoint a DPO, having a designated lead is useful for carrying out DPO duties & maintaining compliance with the GDPR requirements Note: if it is not clear from the conditions whether you need to appoint a DPO, you should record your assessment determination process |
REQUIREMENT | CONDITION OR PURPOSE | ACTIONS | NOTES |
Carry out an Information Audit | Guidance:
Essential for documenting data flows & recommended by the ICO to assist with GDPR preparation & ongoing compliance |
1. Decide if you are completing one audit for the whole company or one per business area
2. Use the Information Audit template map the personal data flowing through your organisation 3. Review all personal data sources and document in the audit which legal basis you using to process under Article 6(1) & 9(1) 4. Aim to have a separate line for each processing purpose (i.e. you collect name, address, email & DOB from customer; the name & address are for delivery; the email is opt-in marketing & the DOB for a credit check. These categories have different processing purposes and so should be on a separate line, despite being collected at same time & from same source) |
If completing multiple audits, you must bring the data together and review for gaps and duplications at the end
Optional: You can add a column to the audit template for ‘Rights’ with details of which rights apply to each category (i.e. Employee have the right to request access, but not to erasure; those under legal obligation processing can request rectification of data, but not object to processing). This would then give you an at-a-glance view of which data subject rights are applicable for the personal data categories you have detailed on the audit and can be reference when you receive a request. |
Record Processing Activities
(Article 30) |
Not applicable to organisations with less than 250 employees, unless processing: –
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1. Using the headings in the register template, you can gather the required information per business area using a questionnaire
2. Review existing retention periods, processor agreements, information security measures & recipients of data to obtain the necessary data 3. Complete the Processing Activities Register 4. The register should be reviewed regularly to ensure it is still accurate and up-to-date. Choose a frequency based on your size and add review date to a calendar or audit register |
You can use some of the information already documented in your Information Audit
Controllers and processors have slightly different documentation obligations
If you are a controller and process special category or criminal conviction offence data, also complete the blue section of the register to comply with Schedule 1 of the Data Protection Act 2018 |
REQUIREMENT | CONDITION OR PURPOSE | ACTIONS | NOTES |
Review Existing Privacy Notice(s)
(Articles 12, 13, 14) |
Mandatory requirement:
All controllers are required to have a Privacy Notice in place providing the GDPR information disclosures |
1. Using the Information Audit data, you will be able to identify where personal data is initially obtained
2. Assess how many notices you need & what format they should be in* 3. Review/create a new Privacy Notice noting: – a) Name & contact details of the controller & if applicable, their representative & DPO 4. Use the Privacy Notice template for revise/create your notice(s) & customise to suit your business 5. Ensure your notice is legible, clear & is not bundled with any other information or T&C’s 6. If relying on consent for processing data, the notice needs to be accompanied by a consent form If you offer promotions, offers, newsletters, marketing etc as an option when obtaining personal data, you must have a clear opt-in section towards the end of the notice with unticked, opt-in boxes (see template) |
*It is best practice to have a notice for each processing activity (i.e. a paper format customised to employees, an electronic notice for online forms etc)
If data is not obtained directly from individual, you must also specify the categories and source of personal data |
REQUIREMENT | CONDITION OR PURPOSE | ACTIONS | NOTES |
Consent
(Article 7) |
Relevant if you use consent for any processing:
Where processing is based on consent, the controller can demonstrate that the data subject has consented to processing of their personal data |
1. Using the data from your Information Audit, identify if you have any processing activities that rely on consent or special category explicit consent 2. Review any existing consent mechanisms for compliance with the GDPR requirements (i.e. online consent, employee forms etc) 3. Your consent mechanisms should always accompany a Privacy Notice 4. Can you evidence time & date for previous consents? If no, you will need to reobtain consent from those individuals 5. Review how you record and manage consents. What process do you have if someone withdraws consent? 6. Add the specific steps you take when you receive a withdrawal request to you Data Protection Policy 7. If you only use consent for marketing, offers etc, you can use a paragraph in your Privacy Notice(s) to offer the service and utilise unticked boxes to gain positive consent (see below note on marketing) 8. Name your business and any third-party who will rely on the consent 9. Provide guidance on how to withdraw consent |
Remember: Some organisations do no rely on consent for any processing, in which case you just need to provide the Privacy Notice as an information source, without opt-in consent
For direct marketing consent, it is a good idea to use ‘double opt-in’ as this ensures an extra layer of positive opt-in and serves as your date & time evidence for the consent A withdraw consent/unsubscribe option must be included where processing is based on consent Consent must be clear, detailed and enable a positive opt-in. It cannot be a precondition of a service and must be separate from any other matters (i.e. terms & conditions) There is a consent template in your Privacy Notice template |
REQUIREMENT | CONDITION OR PURPOSE | ACTIONS | NOTES |
Direct Marketing | Relevant if you send any marketing emails/SMS (i.e. offers, newsletter, promotions, extra services etc) that individuals sign up for |
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We have added this note on marketing as there is some confusion about using consent or legitimate interests. Which legal basis to use is the cause of a much bigger discussion that we have noted here, but we have written an article for Business Marketing Online which may prove useful – https://www.bmon.co.uk/2018/05/individual-non-customer-contacts-the-key-to-gdpr-compliance
NOTE: One of the confusing part here is that if you have previously obtained consent from an individual to market to them, you cannot now switch to legitimate interests (as you gave them a consent/opt-in option and would not have stated your interests at the time the data was collected). So, if you used obtained consent for marketing from existing customers, you need to review that consent for GDPR compliance and regain consent where applicable |
Data Protection Policy
(Article 24(2)) |
Mandatory requirement:
The controller must implement appropriate data protection policies to demonstrate the technical and organisational measures taken to comply with the GDPR |
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The Data Protection Policy that we have provided is extensive and covers all GDPR requirements. However, we understand that for small firms or those with limited processing activities, some parts of this policy may not apply. As every business is bespoke, we are required to cover all aspects, but have detailed to the left the areas that can be customised if not relevant, leaving you with a smaller policy where applicable.
Owing to the vast array of requirements presented in the GDPR and that not all requirements are relevant to all businesses, we have created a main Data Protection Policy and then have standalone policies/procedures for: –
We recommend leaving all subject rights sections in the Data Protection Policy, even if you are never required to action them (i.e. if you only process personal data based on a contract or legal obligation, withdrawing consent, restricting processing rights etc are not applicable). However, it is good practice to have procedures to action all rights as part of your policy. * E.g. registers held by the ICO, codes of conduct, adequacy decisions etc can all change, so any reference in your document must be kept up-to-date |
REQUIREMENT | CONDITION OR PURPOSE | ACTIONS | NOTES |
Subject Access Requests
(Article 15) |
Mandatory requirement:
The data subject shall have the right to obtain from the controller confirmation as to whether or not personal data about them is being processed |
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Data must be provided free of charge under the GDPR (unless it is a duplicate request, when a admin fee to cover costs can be charged)
Your Data Protection Policy contains a list of the information that must be supplied to the individual – ensure that this list is available to the person responding to the requests The SAR Procedures provided in your toolkit do not require much customisation as they cover all mandatory requirements, however you are free to alter the format and/or customise the content to suit your organisation’s requirements The right to access personal information must be noted in your SAR Procedures and Privacy Notice (as per our templates) |
REQUIREMENT | CONDITION OR PURPOSE | ACTIONS | NOTES |
Subject Rectification Request
(Article 16) |
Mandatory requirement:
The data subject shall have the right to request from the controller, the rectification of inaccurate personal data |
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The right to rectify personal information must be noted in your SAR Procedures and Privacy Notice (as per our templates)
Ensure that staff have effective reporting lines to advise of any data quality issues (i.e. are the sales team getting out of date numbers, are accounting having to recheck bank details?) |
REQUIREMENT | CONDITION OR PURPOSE | ACTIONS | NOTES |
Data Retention & Erasure
(Articles 5, 13, 14, 15 & 17) |
Mandatory Retention Requirement:
The period for which the personal data will be stored ensuring that the period is limited to a strict minimum Condition Based Erasure Requirement:
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Data retention, disposal and erasure all go together, so we have provided a policy that adequately covers all 3 requirements.
Legal and statutory retention schedules for the UK have been added to the Retention Schedule found in the Data Retention & Erasure Policy. However, these should be reviewed to ensure compliance with your business sector and you should also include any retention period specific to your organisation |
REQUIREMENT | CONDITION OR PURPOSE | ACTIONS | NOTES |
Data Portability
(Article 20) |
Condition Based Requirement:
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If the personal data you process is not based on consent and is not carried out by automated means, you do not need to comply with a request for data portability or to allow individuals to obtain and reuse their personal data for their own purposes across different services |
Other Data Subjects Rights
(Articles 18, 21 & 22) |
Conditional Based Requirements:
The controller shall facilitate the exercise of data subject rights Right to restrict the processing of personal data is applicable:
Individuals have the right to object to:
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We have provided thorough and compliant Data Protection Policies, encompassing all rights and requirements. This naturally means that whilst some of the data subjects rights and procedures may not apply to you directly, we have included them anyway.
We have noted in the ‘Conditions’ box when you must comply with each data subject right, but for those rights that will not apply to you at any point, we still recommend retaining the procedures in the policy to demonstrate that understand each right and know why you are not obligated under it (if applicable) For objections, you must stop processing personal data unless you can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for continuing, but they must override the interests, rights and freedoms of the individual. You can also continue processing if it is for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims If you have disclosed the personal data to any third-party, you have an obligation to inform them of any right exercised by the data subject and to have them enforce the right where applicable |
REQUIREMENT | CONDITION OR PURPOSE | ACTIONS | NOTES |
Data Breaches
(Articles 33 & 34) |
Mandatory Requirement:
The controller shall document any personal data breaches and have data breach procedures in place. Processors’ must notify the controller immediately of any personal data breaches However, breach notifications only required when: The breach is likely to result in a risk to the rights and freedoms of the individual(s) |
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Notification to the supervisory authority & data subject(s) must be within 72 hours of becoming aware of the breach, where it is likely to result in a risk to the rights and freedoms of individuals |
International Transfers
(Articles 44-50) |
Only applicable if transferring any personal data outside the EU |
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The International Data Transfer Procedures provided in your toolkit cover most of the requirements and conditions; however, transfers to non-EU countries or organisations is a bespoke process, so ensure that you customise this document and create any contracts, agreement or controls as required by Chapter V of the GDPR. |
REQUIREMENT | CONDITION OR PURPOSE | ACTIONS | NOTES |
Technical & Organisational Measures
(Articles 24 & 32) |
Mandatory Requirement:
Proportionate to their nature, size & scope, the controller shall implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure a level of security appropriate to the risk & to demonstrate that processing is performed in accordance with the GDPR The controller should adopt internal policies and implement measures which meet the principles of data protection by design and default (Recital 78) |
a. Accidental or unlawful destruction of personal data b. Loss, alteration or unauthorised disclosure of personal data c. Unauthorised access to personal data transmitted, stored or otherwise processed
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The provided Data Protection Policy and (if applicable) Information Security Policies contain numerous pre-written controls and measures for protecting and security personal data. However, this area is specific to each organisation and, so you need to add any measures, systems, controls or procedures that you already have in place (or intend to put in to comp with the GDPR).
Guidance for assessing what measures to implement are provided on the left |
Information Security Policy | Mandatory Requirement:
The controller should adopt internal policies and implement measures which meet the principles of data protection by design and default |
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If you have purchased our full Toolkit, we have included a standard Information Security Policy as well as standalone policies in the Info Sec required areas. If you are using our GDPR Bundle, you should review your existing standard Information Security Policy and ensure that you have documented the appropriate measures |
REQUIREMENT | CONDITION OR PURPOSE | ACTIONS |
Data Protection Impact Assessment
(Article 35) |
Mandatory Requirement when the processing is likely to result in a high risk to the rights and freedoms of natural persons:
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Processor Agreements
(Article 28(3)) |
Only applicable if you use any third-party to process personal data of which you are the controller
Processing by a processor on behalf of a controller shall be governed by a contract or other legal act |
a. The subject-matter and duration of the processing b. The nature and purpose of the processing c. The type of personal data & categories of data subjects d. The obligations and rights of the controller e. That the processor: i. cannot engage another processor without prior written authorisation from the controller 5. Obtain evidence from each processor that they have the above requirements in place |
Specific Business Guidance
Small & Micro Businesses | Guidance:
These are business specific suggestions that may be suitable for many small & micro businesses. Due to your size and scope, guidance on HR departments and training your staff is often not applicable, so this guidance is tailored to those with only a few staff or sole traders. |
Training – the Regulation guidance from the ICO and European Data Protection Board’s (EDPB) (formerly the Article 29 Working Party (WP29) refer to training staff and having sessions/workshops, however this is often not how small businesses find their training happening. You may choose to go on a ‘GDPR Training Course’ but can also document training as ‘reading articles on the internet’, ‘CPD’, ‘reviewing guidance materials’, etc. Your GDPR knowledge and training does not have to take the same form as larger organisations, so the key is to document what you are doing.
Auditing – The accountability requirement necessitates ongoing reviews and audits on your GDPR measures and procedures. For small business, this is often time-consuming and can seem pointless as you are using the measures and procedures daily, so know they are working. The key is ‘relative to your size & scope’ – you do not need an external auditor or to spend hours walking through processes you already complete daily. Pick a specific day each month or quarter and document your audit as you go through your usual tasks. Simply check that you are still following the written procedures and that those procedures are still fit for purpose. Security – the smaller you are, the less you probably use in terms of security for your personal data. Whilst larger firms have encryptions, firewalls, cloud storage, disaster recovery and high-tech solutions; many small businesses use just one or two safeguarding measures. Security does not have to be costly or time-consuming. Simple measures like using good anti-virus & malware applications on all PC’s and laptops, keeping personal data encrypted (using software or on removable devices), locked filing cabinets, alarms and door locks, secure passwords. Even those working from their own home can implement most of those measures to security the data they process. Consent – if you are relying on consent for processing data, even if this is only for a small mailing list where handful of those subscribers are individuals, you will need to comply with the GDPR in full, except for the Processing Activities Register and optional assigning of a DPO. Processing under consent means that data subjects have stronger rights in areas such as objecting to processing, data portability, erasure and restricted processing. No matter how few ‘individuals’ you are handling data for, you need to have procedures for them to exercise their rights, demonstrable security measures, compliance with the principles and documented evidence that you can and are complying with the Regulation. |
Medium & Large Organisations | Guidance:
These are business specific suggestions that may be suitable for many medium and larger organisations, with multiple departments and bigger staff sizes. |
Department Reviews – If you have several departments (HR, Admin, Sales etc), it can be useful to complete many of the actions on this plan at a departmental level and then bring the data together at the end. Doing an Information Audit or recording Processing Activities for each business area will be a lot easier and more structured than a single person covering the whole company.
HR – if you have many employees, you will likely have a HR function. It is important that you review all employee related documents and templates (i.e. employee handbooks, grievance procedures, appraisals, sick leave etc) and ensure that they are GDPR compliant. Many businesses spend so much time getting data protection right for their users and customers but forget that the GDPR applies to your employees as well. You may need specific procedures and forms for them to make rights requests. Awareness – being big can be a compliance issue in itself! You need to assess your existing reporting lines, dissemination processes and communication functions. The senior management and supervisors may seem well versed in the GDPR and what their responsibilities are, but can you evidence that this information is reaching all levels in the business? For larger offices, use wall posted Privacy Notices, download our GDPR Infographs and have them printed to A3 as reminders, set-up a GDPR intranet – there are many actions you can take to make GDPR a focal point for all employees. Suppliers – review you list of suppliers and recheck your due diligence measures. It is not just those third-parties being as for processing activities that need to be reviewed, but any organisations with whom you have a business relationship. If you have cleaners or contractors who carry out work for you, have you address their GDPR awareness and revised any confidentiality clauses? Visitors – larger organisations often having visitors at their offices. Procedures for visitors should be documented in your Information Security policies, but you also need to review you sign-in book, ID badge process, restricted access, bringing their own devices, bag searches and confidentiality agreement. Website – reviewing and updating website content is part of your GDPR obligations and come areas are already covered in this plan and the Regulation (i.e. Privacy Notices, SAR Procedures). It is worth reviewing your website content, fields on contact forms, Cookie Policy, access to complaint and SAR procedures etc) |