What should have been performed during the initial stage of business continuity planning, rather than during a privacy impact assessment (PIA)?

The initial stage of business continuity planning involves understanding the critical operations and the resources required to maintain them during a disruption. This foundational activity includes creating a comprehensive system inventory, which catalogs all systems, applications, and resources essential for business functions. By identifying and documenting these elements at the outset, organizations can effectively prioritize which systems need protection and recovery plans in place during incidents.

In contrast, a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) focuses on identifying and mitigating risks related to personal data and privacy concerns before implementing new systems or processes. While activities such as evaluating collection methods, documenting sharing methods, and performing sensitivity analyses are key components of a PIA, they do not capture the necessary infrastructure overview that a system inventory provides. Thus, conducting a system inventory is a vital part of business continuity planning but is not a relevant step typically carried out during a PIA.