The answer is to conduct a business impact analysis (BIA) as the first step in the BCP process. This is correct because the BIA identifies and prioritizes critical business functions and their dependencies, providing the quantitative and qualitative data needed to determine recovery time objectives (RTOs) and recovery point objectives (RPOs) for IT systems. Without this foundational analysis, you cannot justify which systems require recovery strategies or resources, making the BIA the essential starting point for any business continuity plan. On the CISSP exam, this concept tests your understanding of the BCP lifecycle order, where the BIA precedes strategy development and plan implementation; a common trap is confusing the BIA with risk assessment, which occurs later. Remember the mnemonic "BIA Before Strategy" to recall that the BIA is the first step in the BCP process.
CISSP Security and Risk Management Practice Question
This CISSP practice question tests your understanding of security and risk management. 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.
An organization is developing a business continuity plan (BCP) for its critical IT systems. Which of the following is the FIRST step in the BCP process?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "first"
Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Conduct a business impact analysis (BIA) to prioritize critical business functions.
The first step in the BCP process is to conduct a Business Impact Analysis (BIA) to identify and prioritize critical business functions and their dependencies. Without the BIA, you cannot determine which systems require recovery strategies or what recovery time objectives (RTOs) and recovery point objectives (RPOs) are needed. The BIA provides the quantitative and qualitative basis for all subsequent BCP decisions.
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.
✗
Identify recovery strategies for critical systems.
Conduct a business impact analysis (BIA) to prioritize critical business functions.
Why this is correct
Correct - BIA determines criticality and recovery time objectives.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Develop a testing schedule for the BCP.
Why it's wrong here
Testing occurs after the plan is written.
✗
Perform a risk assessment to identify potential threats.
Why it's wrong here
Risk assessment is part of the overall planning but BCP specifically starts with BIA.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the risk assessment (which identifies threats) with the BIA (which identifies business impact), but the BCP process explicitly begins with the BIA to prioritize business functions before addressing threats or recovery strategies.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The BIA involves gathering data through interviews and questionnaires to calculate metrics such as Maximum Tolerable Downtime (MTD), Recovery Time Objective (RTO), and Recovery Point Objective (RPO) for each critical function. These metrics directly drive the selection of recovery strategies, such as hot sites, cold sites, or cloud-based failover, and determine the cost-benefit trade-offs. A common real-world mistake is skipping the BIA and jumping to risk assessment, which leads to recovery plans that are misaligned with actual business priorities.
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 security analyst at a medium-sized enterprise encounters this scenario during an investigation or architecture review. The correct answer reflects best practice for the specific threat or control described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Security exam questions test whether you can match controls to threats in context — not just recall definitions.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this CISSP question in full detail.
Security and Risk Management — This question tests Security and Risk Management — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Conduct a business impact analysis (BIA) to prioritize critical business functions. — The first step in the BCP process is to conduct a Business Impact Analysis (BIA) to identify and prioritize critical business functions and their dependencies. Without the BIA, you cannot determine which systems require recovery strategies or what recovery time objectives (RTOs) and recovery point objectives (RPOs) are needed. The BIA provides the quantitative and qualitative basis for all subsequent BCP decisions.
What should I do if I get this CISSP question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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