Leaders can’t make good decisions if they don’t understand why something matters and how much it matters compared to everything else. The purpose of any business impact analysis is to test organizations, probe for weak spots and uncover opportunities for improvement. This kind of thorough analysis is a vital part of strategic development and risk management.
Overview: What is business impact analysis?
A business impact analysis is a comprehensive and goal-oriented examination of a company’s operations to predict the outcome of potential future scenarios. This includes everything from taking a full stock of corporate assets to interviewing individual employees, stakeholders and outside consultants about the state of the company. An impact analysis is usually concluded by filing an official BIA report that details key findings.
3 benefits of business impact analysis
The first impact analysis is usually the hardest. Starting this kind of process in an organization for the first time can be a little complicated, but there are too many benefits to the practice to ignore it.
1. Avoid the icebergs
Most potential problems can be overcome, worked through or patched up after the fact. Icebergs are the problems that are lethal and hard to recover from. One of the most significant benefits of a business impact analysis is identifying your icebergs. The analysis will help you figure out what disasters and dangers you need to avoid at all costs compared to the ones that are just a little painful.
2. Ready to pivot
You can’t fully prepare for every possible outcome, but just being aware of them can make your organization more flexible. If leaders and employees are aware of pitfalls, consequences and possibilities, they can prepare for them physically and mentally. This means the company can respond quicker when challenging circumstances arise.
3. Build confidence
Conducting a formal BIA can also build confidence within and outside an organization. Stakeholders are more likely to invest and feel secure in backing a company that anticipates and prepares for the future.
Why is business impact analysis important to understand?
This concept is important to understand because it revolves around one of the core pillars of business. Thinking about the future and understanding how different outcomes can impact a company is what leadership is all about.
1. Challenges are coming
It doesn’t matter how innovative you’ve been or how much you dominate the market now, challenges will come. A good BIA should shake any organization out of its complacency. There are always things that can go wrong and there will always be ways you can prepare for them.
2. It’s all about data
Information is king. Since every business impact analysis is designed to gather relevant information about a company’s key operations, it’s a perfect opportunity to collect more detailed data about people, processes and results.
3. Strategic and risk management
This type of analysis is also a fundamental starting point for other management objectives, including risk management and long-term strategic development. That’s why BIAs should be a recurring feature in any workplace, especially in growing companies.
An industry example of a business impact analysis
A medium-sized toy manufacturer has been making and selling their products at a steady rate for years and enjoy a decent share of market demand. However, rumors in their industry and global financial markets indicate that a certain material that they use could become scarce in the near future. Faced with the prospect of suddenly losing suppliers or access to the material supply altogether, the company starts an impact analysis around this possibility.
The analysis examines the potential consequences on operations and sales if there was a shortage. Investigation starts with the potential for getting the material from alternate suppliers if the current partner runs out. It also explores the possibility of shifting manufacturing methods or priorities to minimize use of the material in a worst-case scenario.
All of this information is distilled into a BIA report to inform the company’s leaders. This report may also be used to help leadership make a reaction decision if the global supply for the material starts failing.
3 best practices when thinking about business impact analysis
If a business impact analysis is worth doing, it’s worth doing right. All of the findings uncovered in this undertaking hinge on the thoroughness and accuracy of the base data.
1. Pick a priority
There are a lot of different kinds of threats, which can make developing a comprehensive company-wide analysis seem impossible. Instead, it’s a good idea to approach the BIA from a particular perspective each time. Limit the scope and direction to certain areas, time-frames or risks.
2. Divide considerations impact areas
Even though businesses typically measure everything by the financial value, there are a few different ways to classify impact during an analysis. These areas include finances, reputation, regularly, operational and environmental.
3. Talk to enterprise architects
Business management consultants and enterprise architects are among the consulting professionals that help companies approach BIA. Working with outside contractors can be a cost-effective and powerful solution for companies running lean who want to import specific experience onto the team for a while.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about business impact analysis
1. What kind of information and records does a BIA use?
An impact analysis should include as much information as is possible and reasonable given the circumstances. Key areas usually include dependencies, service agreements and operational records.
2. What are the categories of BIA?
BIA isn’t just about identifying risks or weak points, but also figuring out which ones represent the most serious or likely threat. Potential scenarios or problems are usually divided into impact categories, which can range from insignificant at the lowest to critical at the highest.
3. What is the purpose of BIA?
At its simplest, the purpose of a business impact analysis is to predict disruptions to key business functions and anticipate the consequences of those disruptions. The information about potential disruptions informs leadership decisions and can be used to launch more strengths and weaknesses analysis.
Be ready for changes and challenges
In commerce, things are always changing. Even if you make wooden chairs by hand, the way you do business changes every year. That’s why company leaders have to embrace the uncertainty of the future and become masters of their own destiny by analyzing, anticipating and acting on the information available.
