The development and implementation of a business continuity plan entails seven steps. Which of the following steps involves assessing what events may occur, when they will occur, and how they could affect achievement of key objectives?

The development and implementation of a business continuity plan entails seven steps. Which of the following steps involves assessing what events may occur, when they will occur, and how they could affect achievement of key objectives?

• A. Conducting a business impact analysis
• B. Performing a risk assessment
• C. Developing a continuity plan
• D. Understanding the business

Answer: (A)

Conducting a business impact analysis. This step focuses on identifying which events could disrupt operations, when those disruptions could occur, and how they would affect the ability to meet key objectives. The BIA pinpoints critical processes, their dependencies (people, facilities, information, technology), and the acceptable downtime for each, so recovery priorities and resource needs are clear. By translating potential disruptions into business consequences, it directly informs what must be protected and how quickly recovery must happen. While a risk assessment looks at threats, vulnerabilities, and their likelihood, it doesn’t zero in on the specific impacts on objectives for each process. Understanding the business sets the context and objectives, and developing a continuity plan comes later to outline the actual response and recovery procedures.

Conducting a business impact analysis. This step focuses on identifying which events could disrupt operations, when those disruptions could occur, and how they would affect the ability to meet key objectives. The BIA pinpoints critical processes, their dependencies (people, facilities, information, technology), and the acceptable downtime for each, so recovery priorities and resource needs are clear. By translating potential disruptions into business consequences, it directly informs what must be protected and how quickly recovery must happen.

While a risk assessment looks at threats, vulnerabilities, and their likelihood, it doesn’t zero in on the specific impacts on objectives for each process. Understanding the business sets the context and objectives, and developing a continuity plan comes later to outline the actual response and recovery procedures.