Operational Resilience: Comparing Outcome-based versus Time-based Objectives for Impact Tolerance

Outcome-based versus Time-based Objectives

One important aspect of operational resilience is impact tolerance, which refers to an organization's ability to withstand the impact of a disruption to its critical business services.

When it comes to impact tolerance, there are two types of objectives: outcome-based objectives and time-based objectives.

Outcome-based Objectives

Outcome-based objectives are focused on the desired result or outcome of a disruption.

In operational resilience, this means defining the level of impact that an organization can tolerate in terms of its critical business services. Outcome-based objectives are about how much impact the organization can tolerate when it can tolerate it, and for how long it can tolerate it.

This approach to impact tolerance is more flexible and adaptable, focusing on the desired outcome and allowing organizations to respond to disruptions more agilely.

Time-based Objectives

On the other hand, time-based objectives are focused on the duration of the disruption. This approach to impact tolerance is more rigid and inflexible, as it sets a specific timeframe for the organization to recover from a disruption.

For example, a time-based objective for disrupting a critical business service may be to recover within two hours. While time-based objectives can provide a clear target for recovery, they may not be realistic or adaptable in all situations.

In Conclusion ...

The difference between outcome- and time-based objectives in impact tolerance is significant. Outcome-based objectives allow organizations to focus on the desired outcome of disruption and respond in a more agile manner, while time-based objectives provide a clear target for recovery but may not be realistic or adaptable in all situations.

Organizations should consider both approaches when developing their operational resilience strategies and choose the best approach to their specific needs and circumstances.

In practice, Impact tolerance focus on outcome-based objectives, which are about how much, when, and for how long. 

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