13.1.1. Define the Action

The New Action Item form allows users to create an action to address a need, threat, or disruption.

*As part of operational plans, action items help drive a coordinated and effective response in business continuity, disaster recovery, and crisis management.

*For guidance on common form functions, please refer to the dedicated section in the manual.

Form Submission Requirements

To submit this form, users must complete the following fields:

• Action Name: Enter a descriptive name for the action.
  
  
• Type: Select the action’s classification based on its purpose (e.g., Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery, Crisis Management).
  
  
• Category of Action: Select the specific function of the action within the chosen type (e.g., Response Strategy, Recovery Strategy, Other).
  
  
• Action Item Owner: Select the user responsible for executing the action.
  
  
• Action Reviewer: Select the party (user, role, or group) responsible for reviewing the action.
  
  
• Disaster Threat Vectors: Select the relevant threat vectors associated with the action.

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1. Action ID: A read-only field that automatically generates a unique identifier upon form submission.
2. Action Name: A text field for entering the name of the action.
3. Priority: A single-select dropdown for specifying the action’s priority level based on urgency and impact. It displays a fixed list of options.

   • Priority Levels

     Priority Level	Order	Description
     Critical	1	Must be addressed immediately to prevent severe consequences.
     Essential	2	High importance; required to maintain core functions.
     Necessary	3	Important but not urgent; supports essential operations.
     Desirable	4	Beneficial but not immediately required.
     Normal	5	Routine priority; can be scheduled without urgency.

4. RTO: A single-select dropdown for specifying the maximum acceptable downtime for the action.
5. Type: A single-select dropdown for classifying the action by its purpose and role in operational planning. This field displays a fixed list of options.

   • Action Types

     Action Type	Definition
     Business Continuity (BC)	Actions to sustain critical operations during and after a disruption.
     Disaster Recovery (DR)	Actions to restore critical systems, infrastructure, and resources after a disaster.
     Crisis Management (CM)	Actions for immediate, high-priority responses to a critical event.

     **Selecting an action type filters the available choices in the Category of Action field, ensuring only relevant options are displayed.

6. Category of Action: A single-select dropdown for classifying the action by its function within the chosen type.

   • Action Categories

     Action Category	Definition
     Response Strategy	Actions to mitigate disruption impact and stabilize operations.
     Recovery Strategy	Actions to restore normal operations after managing a disruption.
     Other	Actions that do not fit standard strategies but are still critical.

     *

     Classifying actions by type and category ensures clear organization, prioritization, and alignment with the appropriate plans or initiatives:

     Action Type	Associated Plan	Allowed Categories of Action
     Business Continuity (BC)	Business Continuity Plans (BCPs)	Response Strategy, Other
     Disaster Recovery (DR)	Disaster Recovery Plans (DRPs)	Recovery Strategy, Other
     Crisis Management (CM)	Crisis Management Plans (CMPs) or independent initiatives	Other

7. Action Item Owner: A single-select dropdown used to assign the user responsible for executing the action. It dynamically loads active users in the system.
   

   **Users are created and managed in the Users tab of the Organization Management (Admin) application.

8. Alternate: A single-select dropdown for assigning a backup owner for the action. It also dynamically loads active users in the system.
9. Action Reviewer: A single-select dropdown used to assign the party responsible for reviewing the action. It dynamically loads active users, roles, and groups in the system.
   

   **Users, roles, and groups are managed in the Organization Management (Admin) application under the Users, Roles, and Groups tabs.

10. Description: A rich text field for providing a description of the action.
11. Site: A single-select dropdown field for specifying the site or location where the action applies. It dynamically loads active sites in the system.
    • Site options in this dropdown follow the format: [Region] – [Country] – [Site].
      
      *

      Sites are configured in the Site form. Before adding a site, however, users must first set up the corresponding region in the Region form and the country in the Country form.

      • For example, to establish Montreal as the site, North America must first be defined as the region, and Canada as the country, in the respective forms.
        

      
      These forms can all be found in the Location module under General Settings.
      
12. Business Division: A single-select dropdown for selecting the major functional unit (department) associated with the action. It dynamically loads active business divisions in the system.
    
    *

    Business divisions are created and managed in the Departments tab of the Organization Management (Admin) application.

    • Selecting a division filters the available options in the Business Line field, displaying only child departments linked to the chosen division.
13. Business Line: A single-select dropdown for selecting a specialized unit within the chosen division. It dynamically loads active business lines in the system.
    

    **Business lines are also managed in the Departments tab, where they are linked to their respective parent divisions.

14. Process: A single-select dropdown for specifying the business process related to the action. It dynamically loads published processes form EPC.
15. Phase: A single-select dropdown for specifying the action’s lifecycle phase. It displays a fixed list of options.

    • Action Phases

      Action Phase	Definition
      Alert	Initial notification and awareness of a potential or actual disruption.
      Assess	Evaluation of the situation to determine the necessary response.
      Activation	Execution of response plans and mobilization of resources.
      Recovery	Restoration of operations and mitigation of impact.
      Return	Transition back to normal business operations.

16. Disaster Types: A multi-select dropdown for selecting one or more disaster types relevant to the action. It dynamically loads active disaster types in the system.
    

    **Disaster types are created and managed in the Disaster Type module.

17. Disaster Threat Vectors: A multi-select dropdown for selecting one or more threat vectors relevant to the action. It dynamically loads active threat vectors in the system.
    

    **Threat vectors are created and managed in the Disaster Threat Vectors module.

18. Team / Roles and Responsibilities: A rich text field for defining team members and their responsibilities.
19. Add Procedures: A checkbox for including procedural details.
    • Selecting this checkbox reveals the following field:
      
      • Procedures: A rich text field for documenting steps or instructions related to the action.
20. Add Assets: A checkbox for including relevant assets.
    • Selecting this checkbox reveals the following grid:
      
      • Add: A button to add an asset.
        • If selected, it will display the Add Asset form.
          

          **Once added, the asset appears in the Assets grid.
          
          

      • Delete ( ): A button to remove an asset.
        

        **Confirm deletion by clicking Save Changes or clicking outside the grid. To cancel, click Discard Changes or Undo ( ).

21. Add Checklist: A checkbox for including a checklist.
    • Selecting this checkbox reveals the following fields:
      
      • Add: A button to add a checklist item.
        • If selected, it will display the Add Checklist Item form.
          

          **Once added, the item appears in the Checklist grid. To customize or review, click the Edit ( ) button or double-click the item.
          
          

      • Delete ( ): A button to remove a checklist item.
        

        **Confirm deletion by clicking Save Changes or clicking outside the grid. To cancel, click Discard Changes or Undo ( ).

      • Required Completion Status: A multi-select dropdown used to select one or more statuses, which define the conditions under which a checklist item is considered complete.
        

        **Checklist statuses are created and managed in the Checklist Statuses module.

      • Set for All: A button to apply the selected status(es) to all checklist items.
        
        *

        Completion statuses can also be set individually when adding or editing a checklist item.

        • Once statuses are assigned, an item must be marked with at least one of them upon implementation; otherwise, it will be considered incomplete.
22. File Attachment: A file attachment field for uploading documents, images, or other relevant materials.
23. Submit Form: A button to submit the completed form.
    • Upon submission, this form will trigger the Action Review & Approval workflow. The assigned party will be tasked with reviewing the action.