After completing a business impact analysis, what is the next step in business continuity planning?

After completing a business impact analysis (BIA), the logical next step in the business continuity planning process is to develop a business continuity strategy. The BIA provides critical information about the potential effects of disruptions on business operations, which serves as a foundation for identifying appropriate strategies for maintaining and restoring business functions.

The business continuity strategy involves determining how the organization will respond to various incident scenarios based on the insights gained from the BIA. This includes assessing potential risks, evaluating resources, and deciding on the methods and tools that will be used to manage continuity and recovery efforts effectively. Developing a strategy before moving on to crafting the official business continuity plan ensures that the organization’s response is well-thought-out and will adequately address its unique circumstances.

While creating a test and exercise plan, a user training program, and the business continuity plan itself are also important steps in the overall process, they typically come after the strategy has been formulated. A strategy provides the actionable framework needed to guide these subsequent actions.