What it is and why you need it
A critical process register is a list of a company's processes with an assessment of how important each one is. It is the input for the business impact analysis (BIA) and the business continuity plan (BCP). You cannot protect everything equally, so first you identify what the business cannot work without.
Criticality criteria
- How quickly a stopped process hits revenue and clients.
- Whether a disruption brings fines or breaches obligations.
- How long the process can be “down” without irreversible damage.
- Whether there is a workaround (a manual way to run it).
A simple template
| Process | What stops it | Impact after 1 day | Criticality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Order intake | CRM/1C failure | Lost sales, client churn | High |
| Shipping/logistics | Loss of route data | Missed deliveries, penalties | High |
| Accounting/invoicing | Accounting system unavailable | Delayed payments | Medium |
Take 10–15 processes, score each one against the criteria and mark the 3–5 most critical. Start your protection with them.
Critical process register: Excel template
An extended version of the template from the previous section: 16 columns, including four types of dependencies, single points of failure, plan status and the date of the last test, plus a sheet with the criticality scale.
Download the template. A “Process register” sheet with a filled-in example and a “Criticality scale” sheet with plan requirements for each level. Format: xlsx.
The completed register becomes the first section of an operational continuity and recovery (ONiVD) plan (in Russian) or a business continuity plan. No registration, no forms. If you need the template adapted to your organisation, or want to run a review with it, contact us: how we do it and how long it takes.
Frequently asked questions
How many processes should the register include?
Usually 10–15 key processes are enough. Of these, 3–5 are critical: the business cannot work without them for even a day. Protection is focused on them.
How is the register different from a BIA?
The register is a list of processes and their criticality. A BIA goes further: it estimates the cost of downtime and sets recovery targets (RTO/RPO).
Check your recovery numbers
The assessment shows where the recovery times the business needs do not match what the technology can deliver. After that, either your specialist calculates these numbers, or we do.
