[BCM] [SIT] [E1] [C10] Identifying Critical Business Functions

Identify Critical Business Functions

eBook 1: Chapter 10

What are the Singapore Institute of Technology’s Critical Business Functions Concerning Business Continuity Management?

Introduction

Business continuity management (BCM) requires organisations to identify and safeguard the activities that must continue, without unacceptable interruption, during a disruption.

Under ISO 22301:2024, organisations are required to determine critical business functions (CBFs) — also known as prioritised activities — whose failure would cause significant operational, financial, legal, reputational, social, or contractual consequences.

For the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), identifying CBFs is essential to ensuring that academic delivery, campus operations, industry collaboration, and institutional obligations continue even under adverse conditions.

As Singapore’s university of applied learning, SIT has unique continuity dependencies arising from its integrated work-study pedagogy, applied research activities, industry partnerships, and the physical clustering of academia, industry, and community in the Punggol Digital District.

Purpose of the Chapter

The purpose of this chapter is to define and document the critical business functions (CBFs) of the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) in the context of business continuity management.

Under ISO 22301, the identification of CBFs is a foundational requirement, as it provides the basis for prioritising resources, determining recovery strategies, and ensuring that essential university operations can continue or be resumed within acceptable timeframes during a disruption.

The objectives of this chapter are to:

1. Explain the importance of identifying critical business functions as part of the BCM framework for SIT.
2. Present a structured, SIT-specific view of high-level CBFs whose disruption would lead to significant academic, operational, financial, legal, or reputational impact.
3. Provide a compliant baseline for subsequent BCM phases, including Business Impact Analysis (BIA), strategy formulation, plan development, and exercise.
4. Establish alignment between SIT’s mission and continuity priorities, ensuring that functions essential to applied learning, industry collaboration, research delivery, and student welfare are protected.

By achieving these objectives, this chapter ensures that BCM planning at SIT is not generic or theoretical, but directly tied to the university’s mission, risk profile, and operational realities, in accordance with ISO 22301 requirements.

Principles for Identifying Critical Business Functions (Per ISO 22301)

SIT’s CBFs are determined using the following ISO-aligned criteria:

• Impact over time if an activity is disrupted
• Regulatory, legal, or accreditation obligations
• Safety and security of learners, staff, and community
• Dependencies on third parties, digital systems, or physical assets
• Implications for academic progression and graduation
• Contractual and financial obligations
• Reputational and public trust consequences

Only functions whose prolonged disruption would create an unacceptable impact are classified as critical.

Critical Business Functions for SIT (High-Level Categories)

The following high-level CBFs are typical for SIT’s operating model. Each CBF encompasses sub-processes that will be further analysed in the BIA phase.

Interdependencies and Support Processes

Each critical business function relies on shared support services such as:

• Human Resources Management – ensuring staffing continuity and welfare.
• Information Technology Services – providing digital infrastructure resilience.
• Campus Security and Emergency Response – safeguarding people and assets.
• Vendor and Outsourced Services – sustaining utilities, maintenance, and outsourced teaching support.

These dependencies are mapped in SIT’s Business Impact Analysis (BIA) matrix to ensure a coordinated recovery sequence across departments.

Alignment with ISO 22301 Requirements

The identification and maintenance of critical business functions directly support several key clauses in ISO 22301:

Following ISO methodology, these CBFs will be further analysed in the Business Impact Analysis (BIA) phase to determine:

• Maximum tolerable downtime (MTD)
• Recovery time objectives (RTO)
• Minimum operating requirements
• Dependencies and recovery priorities

By first establishing these CBFs, SIT lays the foundation for a BCM programme that protects academic integrity, operational resilience, and trust in its applied learning mission.

More Information About Business Continuity Management Courses

To learn more about the course and schedule, click the buttons below for the BCM-300 Business Continuity Management Implementer [B-3] course and the BCM-5000 Business Continuity Management Expert Implementer [B-5].

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