The "Clarify and confirm" step is fundamental to the Business Impact Analysis (BIA) and requirements gathering phase of implementing an ISO 22301 Business Continuity Management System (BCMS). During this stage, continuity planners engage directly with business leads and process owners to review, validate, and refine the initial data collected. This interactive process ensures that critical business processes, their dependencies, and requirements—such as Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPOs)—are accurately understood and documented. This validation is crucial for building a BCMS that genuinely reflects the organization's operational priorities and resilience needs.

B. Commit: This step typically occurs after requirements have been clarified and agreed upon, where business leads formally approve the plans and commit the necessary resources.

C. Check: This is a general term for verification. While clarification involves checking, "Clarify and confirm" is more specific to the collaborative dialogue with business stakeholders.

D. Compile: This refers to the initial gathering and organization of data from various sources. The clarification and confirmation process happens after or during compilation to validate this data.

1. ISO 22301:2019, Security and resilience — Business continuity management systems — Requirements.

Section 8.2.2, Business impact analysis: This clause mandates a formal process to analyze the impacts of disruption over time. The standard states the organization shall "use the information from the analysis to identify prioritized activities." This identification and prioritization process inherently requires dialogue with business leaders to clarify needs and confirm findings, which is the essence of the "Clarify and confirm" step.

2. Heng, G. M. (2005). A Manager's Guide to ISO 22301. IT Governance Publishing.

In discussions of the Business Impact Analysis (BIA) process, the guide emphasizes the need for workshops and interviews with business managers. It describes a cycle of data collection (Compile), followed by analysis and review sessions (Clarify and confirm) to ensure the accuracy of impact assessments and recovery requirements before seeking formal sign-off (Commit).

3. University of Washington, UW Emergency Management. (n.d.). Continuity Planning Guide.

Page 6, "Step 2: Conduct a Business Impact Analysis (BIA)": The guide outlines the BIA process, which includes steps for gathering information and then explicitly states the need to "Review and validate information with department leadership." This action directly corresponds to the "Clarify and confirm" step, highlighting its importance in a practical BCM framework.