In the context of ISO 22301, a Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) is established and maintained as a holistic, strategic initiative. This is best described as Programme Management. A BCM programme coordinates a set of related projects, processes, and activities (e.g., business impact analysis, risk assessment, plan development, exercising) to achieve the strategic objective of organizational resilience. This framework operates as a continuous and progressive cycle of planning, implementation, evaluation, and improvement, rather than a single, finite project. It requires sustained support and resources from managerial, operational, administrative, and technical functions across the organization to be effective.

A. Product Management: This framework is incorrect as it focuses on the lifecycle of a specific product or service, not the overarching organizational capability of business continuity.

B. Project Management: This is incorrect because projects are temporary endeavors with a defined start and end. A BCMS is an ongoing, permanent function, not a one-time project.

D. Process Management: While a BCMS consists of many processes that are continuously improved (using the PDCA cycle), Programme Management is the more appropriate term for the high-level coordination of all constituent projects and processes to achieve strategic benefits.

1. Business Continuity Institute (BCI), "Good Practice Guidelines (GPG), 2018 Edition." The GPG, a key industry framework related to ISO 22301, explicitly defines its first professional practice as "PP1: Policy and Programme Management." It states, "BCM programme management is required to direct, implement and maintain the BCM programme... The BCM programme is managed as any other programme in the organization." (Section 4.1, p. 32). This establishes BCM as an ongoing programme.

2. ISO 22301:2019, "Security and resilience — Business continuity management systems — Requirements." The standard requires a holistic and coordinated approach that aligns with the organization's strategic objectives (Clause 5.1, 6.2). The management of the interrelated components of the BCMS (Clause 8) to achieve these objectives is characteristic of programme management, which oversees multiple components to deliver benefits.

3. Elliott, D., Swartz, E., & Herbane, B. (2010). Business Continuity Management: A Crisis Management Approach (2nd ed.). Routledge. This academic text discusses the implementation of business continuity, stating, "The business continuity management process is best managed as a programme of activities... The programme approach allows for the coordination of the various projects that will need to be undertaken." (Chapter 5: Managing the BCM Programme, p. 101).