- A
Data retention schedule, because it defines how long records are kept.
Why wrong: Data retention schedules deal with record keeping and legal storage periods, not outage notification or escalation contacts.
- B
Communication plan, because it defines who must be contacted and how.
A communication plan identifies the people, groups, and channels used during an outage or incident. If no one knows who to notify, the organization lacks a key continuity component that supports coordinated response and stakeholder awareness.
- C
Asset inventory, because it lists all hardware and software in use.
Why wrong: An asset inventory helps track systems and devices, but it does not tell the team who needs to be contacted during a disruption.
- D
Network segmentation, because it separates sensitive systems from user networks.
Why wrong: Network segmentation is a security design control. It does not provide incident contact lists or notification procedures.
Quick Answer
The answer is a communication plan, because it defines who must be contacted and how during an outage. This element of a business continuity plan specifically outlines the stakeholders—such as internal teams, vendors, and customers—along with the methods of contact like email, SMS, or a phone tree, ensuring the team can execute notification procedures to coordinate response and recovery. On the Security+ SY0-701 exam, this concept tests your understanding of the BCP components, often appearing in scenario-based questions about tabletop exercises or incident response gaps. A common trap is confusing the communication plan with the disaster recovery plan, but remember: the DR plan focuses on restoring systems, while the communication plan focuses on who to call. For a memory tip, think “Who and How” for the communication plan—who gets notified and how they are reached.
SY0-701 Security Program Management and Oversight Practice Question
This SY0-701 practice question tests your understanding of security program management and oversight. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
During a tabletop exercise, the team realizes no one has a list of who to notify if the online ordering system goes down. Which continuity planning element is missing?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Communication plan, because it defines who must be contacted and how.
A communication plan is the missing continuity planning element because it specifically defines the stakeholders who must be notified during an outage (e.g., internal teams, vendors, customers) and the methods of contact (e.g., email, SMS, phone tree). Without this plan, the team cannot execute the notification procedures required by the business continuity plan (BCP) to coordinate response and recovery efforts for the online ordering system.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Data retention schedule, because it defines how long records are kept.
Why it's wrong here
Data retention schedules deal with record keeping and legal storage periods, not outage notification or escalation contacts.
- ✓
Communication plan, because it defines who must be contacted and how.
Why this is correct
A communication plan identifies the people, groups, and channels used during an outage or incident. If no one knows who to notify, the organization lacks a key continuity component that supports coordinated response and stakeholder awareness.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Asset inventory, because it lists all hardware and software in use.
Why it's wrong here
An asset inventory helps track systems and devices, but it does not tell the team who needs to be contacted during a disruption.
- ✗
Network segmentation, because it separates sensitive systems from user networks.
Why it's wrong here
Network segmentation is a security design control. It does not provide incident contact lists or notification procedures.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse an asset inventory (which lists what you have) with a communication plan (which lists who to call), leading them to pick Option C because they think knowing the system's hardware is necessary for notification, but the question specifically asks about 'who to notify,' not 'what is affected.'
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
A communication plan in continuity planning typically includes an emergency contact list with roles, primary and secondary contact methods (e.g., phone, email, Slack), and escalation triggers (e.g., if the ordering system is down >15 minutes). Under the hood, this plan integrates with incident response playbooks and may use automated notification tools (e.g., PagerDuty, AWS SNS) to alert on-call engineers, but the human-defined hierarchy is critical for decision-makers like the CIO or PR team to be reached during a major outage.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A SOC analyst notices unusual lateral movement in the network at 2 AM. The IR playbook dictates: identify and contain (isolate the affected machine), then eradicate (remove the malware), then recover (restore from backup), then document. Skipping containment before eradication risks the attacker regaining access. Questions like this test the sequence and rationale of incident response phases.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SY0-701 question test?
Security Program Management and Oversight — This question tests Security Program Management and Oversight — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Communication plan, because it defines who must be contacted and how. — A communication plan is the missing continuity planning element because it specifically defines the stakeholders who must be notified during an outage (e.g., internal teams, vendors, customers) and the methods of contact (e.g., email, SMS, phone tree). Without this plan, the team cannot execute the notification procedures required by the business continuity plan (BCP) to coordinate response and recovery efforts for the online ordering system.
What should I do if I get this SY0-701 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This SY0-701 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the SY0-701 exam.
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