Governance is the initiative of Business Continuity Management that is a regulatory system that controls an organization and its activities. Governance refers to the set of policies, processes, roles, and responsibilities that define how an organization is directed and managed. Governance ensures that the organization's objectives, strategies, and operations are aligned with the expectations and needs of its stakeholders, such as customers, employees, regulators, and shareholders. Governance also provides oversight and accountability for the organization's performance, risks, compliance, and continuity.

Business Continuity Management (BCM) is a key component of governance, as it enables the organization to protect its critical assets and functions, and to respond and recover from disruptive incidents. BCM helps the organization to maintain its reputation, resilience, and value in the face of uncertainty and crisis. BCM also supports the organization's compliance with relevant laws, regulations, standards, and best practices, such as ISO 22301, the international standard for business continuity management systems.

Therefore, governance is the initiative of Business Continuity Management that is a regulatory system that controls an organization and its activities, by providing direction, oversight, and accountability for the organization's continuity and resilience.Reference:

ISO 22301 Auditing eBook, Chapter 1: Introduction to Business Continuity Management, Section 1.1: What is Business Continuity Management?, Page 4

ISO 22301 Auditing eBook, Chapter 2: Introduction to ISO 22301, Section 2.1: What is ISO 22301?, Page 9

ISO 22301 Auditing eBook, Chapter 3: Business Continuity Management System, Section 3.1: Context of the Organization, Page 13

ISO 22301 Auditing eBook, Chapter 3: Business Continuity Management System, Section 3.2: Leadership, Page 16

The Incident Management Structure (IMS) is a framework for organizing and managing the response to a disruptive incident. The IMS defines three levels of management activities: strategic, tactical, and operational. The strategic level is responsible for setting the overall direction and objectives of the response, as well as allocating resources and coordinating with external stakeholders. The tactical level is responsible for implementing the strategic decisions and managing the operational teams. The tactical level also monitors the situation and reports to the strategic level. The operational level is responsible for executing the specific tasks and actions required to achieve the objectives of the response. The operational level also provides feedback to the tactical level on the progress and issues encountered.Reference:

ISO 22301 Auditing eBook, Chapter 4: Incident Response and Recovery, Section 4.2: Incident Management Structure1

ISO 22320:2018(en), Security and resilience --- Emergency management --- Guidelines for incident management2

According to ISO 22301:2019, clause 10, improvement consists of two elements: nonconformity and corrective action, and continual improvement. Nonconformity and corrective action is the process of identifying and addressing any deviations from the requirements of the standard or the organization's own policies and procedures. It involves taking actions to eliminate the causes of nonconformities, prevent their recurrence, and reduce their impact. Continual improvement is the process of enhancing the suitability, adequacy, and effectiveness of the BCMS and its performance. It involves identifying and implementing opportunities for improvement based on the results of monitoring, measurement, analysis, evaluation, internal audit, and management review.Reference:: ISO 22301 Auditing eBook, page 11 : ISO 22301:2019, clause 10 :ISO 22301: Clause 10 - Improvement -- ISO Templates and Documents Download:ISO 22301 continuous improvement -- How to achieve it - Advisera

According to ISO 22301 Lead Auditor objectives and content, the communication structure for managing information between various groups of stakeholders in the organization should include both internal and external communication. Internal communication refers to the exchange of information and messages within the organization, such as between employees, managers, and business continuity teams. External communication refers to the exchange of information and messages with parties outside the organization, such as customers, suppliers, regulators, media, and the public. Both types of communication are essential for ensuring the effective operation of the business continuity management system (BCMS) and the successful response and recovery from disruptions. The communication structure should be aligned with the organization's communication strategy, which should identify the communication needs, define the communication channels, and establish the communication procedures for the BCMS.The communication structure should also consider the unique communication requirements that may arise during a disruption, such as timely and accurate information, alternative communication channels, and managing rumours and misinformation.Reference: ISO 22301 Auditing eBook, page 291; ISO 22301 Clause 7.4 Communication2

Support does not lay out the foundation of planning and managing the BCMS, but rather provides the necessary resources and arrangements to enable the effective operation of the BCMS. Support includes aspects such as competence, awareness, communication, documented information, and organizational knowledge.The foundation of planning and managing the BCMS is laid out by the leadership and planning clauses of ISO 22301, which define the roles and responsibilities, policies, objectives, and actions to address risks and opportunities for the BCMS.Reference: ISO 22301 Auditing eBook, page 151; ISO 22301:2019, clauses 5, 6, and 72