Has your company ever had to scramble to prepare for an audit that includes your business continuity (BC) program? Are you unsure about the steps you should take next to make your organization more resilient? If you answered yes to either of these questions, you should consider performing a gap analysis.
Another name for a gap analysis is a current state assessment (CSA); that’s the term we use at MHA Consulting and the one I’ll be using for the remainder of this post.
A current state assessment is a structured evaluation of your business continuity program that compares it against established standards, best practices, or regulatory requirements. It helps identify where your program is solid, where it needs refinement, and where critical gaps exist that could hinder your ability to respond and recover in a disruption.
In a competent CSA, the organization’s continuity capabilities are reviewed across several core domains. These typically include program administration, crisis management, business recovery, IT disaster recovery, supply chain risk management, fire and life safety, and third-party risk management.
The process usually involves reviewing BC documentation and conducting interviews, typically of one to two hours, with subject matter experts (SMEs) from key departments across the organization.
A CSA should be objective, collaborative, and evidence-based. The goal is not to point fingers. It’s to uncover the current state of the organization’s business continuity position, identifying its strengths and vulnerabilities in preparation for making improvements.
A well-executed CSA typically includes the following:
A CSA is both a diagnostic device and a planning tool. It helps leaders understand what’s working, what’s missing, and what steps should be taken in what timeframe in order to elevate resilience as swiftly and cost-effectively as possible.
In today’s business environment, regulators, customers, and stakeholders increasingly expect organizations to demonstrate the ability to recover swiftly from disruptions and keep essential operations going no matter what. A compliance gap analysis, or current state assessment, helps you verify that your program meets those expectations or shows where it falls short.
One of the biggest benefits of performing a state assessment is that it keeps you from being caught napping when regulators or customers want information on your business continuity program. Time and again, we’ve seen unprepared organizations scramble to meet an audit requirement or respond to a customer’s request. The stress is tremendous, and frantic, last-minute efforts are rarely effective or persuasive.
Organizations that fall short in compliance risk face regulatory findings and penalties. They can also lose business to their more resilient competitors.
By doing a current state assessment well ahead of time, your organization can:
This last point is critical. Not every gap needs to be closed immediately; some are more significant than others. A good assessment helps leadership focus on what matters most: improving recoverability for core business functions and meeting external expectations without spending time and effort on low-impact areas.
Compliance gap analyses, or current state assessments, can fall short if they’re not approached thoughtfully. Unfortunately, few assessments follow all of the steps listed in the first section.
Other common mistakes include the following:
Organizations are constantly changing. A gap analysis that isn’t repeated periodically becomes obsolete. We recommend that newer programs conduct one at least twice a year (at the start of the program and after the initial phase), while mature programs should review annually. Without regular assessments, gaps can creep in unnoticed.
Many organizations start their continuity journey by focusing on the most critical departments. But once those are covered, momentum slows, and other areas are left unaddressed. This creates a false sense of completeness and leaves major components of the organization vulnerable.
We’ve seen organizations that haven’t updated core elements, like their business impact analysis (BIA), in over three years. That’s risky. If an auditor asks, “How do you know your recovery priorities are still valid?”—and your answer is silence—your program is out of date.
Even with a strong program, assumptions can become outdated as the organization grows or changes. New functions may become critical. New vendors may increase third-party risk. Plans that were sufficient two years ago might now be inadequate.
Assessing the state of your BC position is not a one-time project. It’s an ongoing process that helps you keep your continuity program relevant, aligned, and responsive to new challenges.
At MHA Consulting, we’ve refined our methodology for conducting CSAs over decades of experience working with organizations across various industries, sizes, and business continuity maturity levels.
We typically recommend that an organization conduct a CSA when it’s at any of the following points:
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We work with your internal sponsor to determine which areas to assess and who we should talk to.
We send diplomatic, informative outreach and request relevant documentation up front.
Through targeted sessions with SMEs and department leaders, we dig into your current practices, challenges, and documentation.
We benchmark your program against the appropriate standards or best practices to ensure objectivity and relevance.
We deliver a clear, actionable report—starting with an executive summary of strengths, gaps, and risks, followed by a detailed analysis of each program area. The roadmap provides a prioritized, phased plan with timeframes and task owners.
The roadmap is the most critical part of a CSA. It’s also an area where many organizations struggle. MHA consultants’ depth and breadth of experience enable us to make swift, informed decisions about which gaps should be closed right away and which can wait.
We also help clients navigate the how of making improvements. This might include guidance on external-facing documentation, strategies for implementing quick wins, or ideas for phased rollout that align with organizational priorities.
The compliance gap analysis (our CSA) isn’t just a report card. It’s also a blueprint for building a resilient organization, starting from where you are today and pointing toward where you want to go.
Whether you’re trying to satisfy auditors, reassure customers, or simply make smart decisions about your continuity investment, a structured assessment is the first step to moving from uncertainty to confidence.
Do you have questions about your current continuity posture or where you should focus in making improvements? Want to learn more about how an MHA Current State Assessment can help? If so, please get in touch.
Whatever you call it, compliance gap analysis or current state assessment, figuring out where your BC program stands involves asking the right questions of the right people and intelligently reviewing the relevant documentation. Such an assessment replaces confusion with clarity, helping you understand where you’re strong, where you’re vulnerable, and what to do next.
Avoiding common pitfalls—like stalling out early or relying on outdated assumptions—keeps the process focused and actionable. The end result should be a practical roadmap that helps you prioritize improvements, use resources wisely, and move forward with confidence toward lasting resilience.