The "Plan" phase of the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle is where the foundation of the Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) is built. This stage involves understanding the organization and its context, determining the scope of the BCMS, and establishing the business continuity policy, objectives, controls, processes, and procedures. In essence, it is the phase dedicated to designing and establishing the entire operating framework required to deliver results that align with the organization's overall strategic goals, as mandated by ISO 22301.

B. Do: This phase is for implementing and operating the BCMS framework that was established during the "Plan" phase, not for creating the framework itself.

C. Check: This phase involves monitoring, measuring, and reviewing the performance of the implemented BCMS against the established policy and objectives.

D. Act: This phase focuses on maintaining and continually improving the BCMS by taking corrective and preventive actions based on the results of the "Check" phase.

1. ISO 22301:2019, Security and resilience — Business continuity management systems — Requirements. International Organization for Standardization. Section 0.3, "Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) model", states for "Plan": "establish business continuity policy, objectives, controls, processes and procedures relevant to improving business continuity in order to deliver results that align with the organization’s overall policies and objectives."

2. Heng, G. M. (2021). Business Continuity Management System: A Complete Guide to Organizational Resilience (ISO 22301). IT Governance Publishing. Chapter 3, "The Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle," details how the Plan phase (Clauses 4, 5, 6, and 7) is used to establish the BCMS.

3. Ab-Al-Hameed, H. A., Al-Shargabi, B., & Al-Mekhlafi, A. A. (2021). Implementation of Business Continuity Management System according to ISO 22301: A case study in a university. International Journal of Information Management Data Insights, 1(2), 100041. Section 3.1, "Plan Phase," describes this stage as where "the BCMS policy, objectives, processes, and procedures are established." https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jjimei.2021.100041