Dependencies
Every critical activity relies on something — people, a site, a system, a supplier, data. The BIA records each dependency, flags the ones that are a single point of failure, and turns a single point of failure with no workaround into an action item.
Who may do it: whoever drafts the activity — a Risk Champion or unit head for their own team — and the Entity Risk Manager. See Roles and permissions.
Kinds of dependency
Section titled “Kinds of dependency”| Kind | Examples |
|---|---|
| People | Key staff, a team with a scarce skill |
| Site | An office, a branch, a data centre |
| System | An application, a network, a platform |
| Supplier | An outsourced service, a vendor, a counterparty |
| Data | A data set, records, documents the activity needs |
Recording a dependency
Section titled “Recording a dependency”- Open the activity in the BIA.
- Add a dependency and choose its kind.
- Name it and describe what the activity needs from it.
- If the activity stops when this dependency fails and nothing can stand in, mark it a Single point of failure (SPOF).
- For a SPOF, record the workaround if there is one.
- Save.
What the system does or refuses
Section titled “What the system does or refuses”- A SPOF with no workaround creates an action item in the action register, with an owner and a due date.
- Every dependency is stamped with who recorded it and when — see Who-filed is stamped.