The design phase of a BIA must begin with identifying critical business functions, since they determine: Which systems/processes need protection Recovery priorities Acceptable downtime (RTO/MTD) Without clearly defining what's critical, the BIA cannot guide resource allocation or continuity strategies effectively. "A successful BIA must begin with identifying which business functions are critical to achieving organizational objectives." - CISM Review Manual 15th Edition, Chapter 3: Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery, Section: BIA Methodology*