When a major disruption occurs, the impact on any organization could vary from negligible to extreme. Consequently, organizations need to assess the potential impact of these incidents by completing a Business Impact Analysis (BIA). A BIA is an essential component of an organization’s business continuity plan and evaluates the potential impact of an interruption to critical business operations because of an emergency.

To complete a BIA, the following questions may be discussed with personnel who are deeply knowledgeable about how the organization operates and provides goods/services to clients.

1. What essential processes do you need to perform to provide goods/services to your clients or to deliver on your mandate?
2. Who is responsible, oversees, or has the authority to make decisions regarding each process?
3. What is the longest amount of time you could go without performing each process?
4. What would the impact be if you surpassed that time period? Consider the impact on personal safety, the facility, operations, regulatory requirements (if applicable), and the reputation of the facility.
5. What would the financial impact be on the operation if you were unable to restore/recover certain processes within the time period shown in question 3?

Below is a template for organizing your discussion.

Copy the table below for each essential process you identified.