Configure RTO and RPO Smart Assessment templates workflow

Configure Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO) assessments using the Smart Assessment Engine for Business Impact Analysis (BIA). The Smart Assessment Engine replaces the traditional non-smart assessment questionnaires with an automated, rule-based approach.

Before you begin

Role required: sn_bcm.admin

About this task

Prerequisites

Table 1. Prerequisites

Applications	Names	App id
Required applications	Smart Assessment Designer (sn-smart-assessment-designer) - Core designer functionality	(sn_smart_asmt_desg)
	Connected component for Smart Assessment instance (sn-amrt-assessment-connected) - Base components	(sn_smart_asmt-conn)
	Smart Assessment Impact Automation (Post Assessment Actions for Smart Assessments) - Enables automation tab and RTO and RPO calculations	(sn_smart_imp_auto)
	Smart Assessment Core - Foundation application	(sn_smart_asmt)
Optional applications	Basic Scoring for Smart Assessment (Enable scoring for Smart Assessments)	(sn_smart_scoring)
	Smart Assessment Advanced Response Automation - (Set up automatic responses for assessment questions based on specific conditions)	(sn_smart_resp_auto)
	Smart Assessment for Mobile - (Reusable application offers common mobile functionalities for Smart Assessment)	(sn_smart_asmt_mob)
	Now Assist for Smart Assessment - (AI-powered assistance)	(sn_smart_ai_assist)

The Automations tab only appears when the Impact Automation (Post Assessment Actions for Smart Assessments, sn_smart_imp_auto) app is installed. Similarly, the Scoring tab requires the Scoring (sn_smart_scoring) app.

Procedure

1. Navigate to All > Business Continuity > Business Impact Analysis > Smart Assessment template Categories.

   Assessment template categories determine which templates can be selected in BIA templates.

   
   1. Verify that the out-of-the-box category is configured as "Business impact assessment."

      This category has the following configuration: Template category role: sn_bcm.core_viewer and Active: true.

      

      Note:

      Only templates assigned to the “Business impact assessment” category are displayed in the Impact assessment templates field when configuring a BIA template.

      
2. Select New template in the Assessment Workspace or open an existing template.

   When you select New template, the Create assessment template form is displayed.

   1. To configure the General tab, fill in the fields in the Create assessment template form and select Create.

      Table 2. Create assessment template form

      Field	Description
      Template name	Unique and descriptive name for the template, for example, "BIA RTO/RPO” or “Recovery point objective assessment template."
      Assessment name	Name for the assessment used to conduct the BIA.
      Description	Details about the template’s purpose. For example, Regulatory reporting assessment of IT incidents.
      Purpose	Purpose or intended use of the template. This is a critical step. To enable selection in BIA templates, select Business impact assessment.
      Assessment target	Table records that are used for the assessment. Select Impact analysis so that the template assesses the impact analysis records.
      Settings
      Duration (number of days)	Assessment duration to be specified as needed.
      Assessment reader role	Role set to (sn_bcm.core_viewer).

      

      For more information on creating templates, see Create an assessment template.

   2. To save your changes, select Save.
      The General settings are saved.
3. Set up the assessment questions in the Questions tab.

   Questions gather the information needed to calculate RTO and RPO values automatically.

   

   The following steps show examples for Data change frequency and Data value questions.

   1. Select Add section in the Questions tab.
   2. Name the section.
      According to your requirements, you can add a section name such as Data change frequency.
   3. Add a question and its description.

      The table shows sample questions text for Section 1: Data change frequency.

      Table 3. Sample questions text

      Sample question	Sample answer
      Section 1: Data change frequency
      Question text	What is the data change frequency?
      Question type	Dropdown
      Selection type	Single select
      Required	Yes
      Choices	Low, Medium, High
      Question description	Mention the frequency at which the data in the asset is updated.

      The table shows sample questions text for Section 2: Data value.

      Table 4. Sample questions text

      Sample question	Sample answer
      Section 2: Data value
      Question text	What is the value of data?
      Question type	Dropdown
      Selection type	Single select
      Required	Yes
      Choices	Low, Medium, High
      Question description	Mention the value of data stored in the asset.

   4. Select the Publish button and verify that the template status changes to Published.
      Note:

      The Create automation option only appears after publishing the template.
4. Create automation rules in the Automations tab.

   Automations define the rules that automatically calculate RTO and RPO based on the question responses.

   

   The following steps show examples with conditions and actions.

   1. Select Create automation in the Automations tab.
   2. Select or create an automation.

      According to your requirements, you can add an automation such as Recovery point objective as shown in the example.

      

      The table shows sample conditions and actions for Action set 1 and "High" data change frequency. Each automation consists of action sets with If-Then logic.

      

      Table 5. Sample conditions and actions for "High" data change frequency

      Sample condition	Sample action
      Action set 1: High data change frequency + High data value
      If	Response based > Section: Data change frequency > What is the data change frequency? is High and Response based > Section: Data value > What is the value of data? is High
      Then	Set recovery point objective: Immediately Impact analysis: Scope based > Impact analysis

      The table shows sample conditions and actions for Action set 2 and "Medium" data change frequency. Each automation consists of action sets with If-Then logic.

      

      Table 6. Sample conditions and actions for "Medium" data change frequency

      Sample condition	Sample action
      Action set 2: Medium data change frequency + High data value
      If	Response based > Section: Data change frequency > What is the data change frequency? isMedium and Response based > Section: Data value > What is the value of data? is Medium
      Then	Set recovery point objective: 24 Hours Impact analysis: Scope based > Impact analysis

      The table shows sample conditions and actions for Action set 3 and "Low" data change frequency. Each automation consists of action sets with If-Then logic.

      

      Table 7. Sample conditions and actions for "Low" data change frequency

      Sample condition	Sample action
      Action set 2: Medium data change frequency + High data value
      If	Response based > Section: Data change frequency > What is the data change frequency? isLow and Response based > Section: Data value > What is the value of data? is Low
      Then	Set recovery point objective: 1 week Impact analysis: Scope based > Impact analysis

      Conditions use Response based filtering to check question answers. Multiple conditions can be combined with and/or operators. The "Else" clause provides a fallback action if none of the conditions match. Each action set can have multiple conditions and actions.

   3. To enable automation, select Activate after configuring all action sets and verify that the automation status shows as “Active.”
      Note:

      Automations only run when they’re activated. Deactivated automations don’t set RTO and RPO values.
5. Verify the Action type subflows in the Workflow Studio.
   Action types are implemented as Flow Designer subflows. Each subflow:

   • Receives inputs from the automation:
     • Recovery timeframe - The value to set (for example, “Immediately”, “24 hours”, “1 week”)
     • Impact analysis - The scope-based impact analysis record being assessed
   • Updates the corresponding field on the impact analysis record:
     • Recovery point objective field
     • Recovery time objective field
     • MTPD field

   You can create custom action types by performing the following steps:

   1. Creating a Flow Designer subflow.
   2. Defining required input parameters.
   3. Adding logic to update impact analysis fields.
   4. Registering the subflow as an action type.
   5. Selecting the custom action type in the automation configuration.

   A use case example: A single questionnaire can update RTO, RPO, and MTPD simultaneously, or you can create separate assessments for each metric depending on your organization’s requirements.

   1. Search for the Set recovery point objective action type subflow in the Workflow Studio.
      
   2. Verify that the Recovery timeframe and Impact analysis are selected as the subflow inputs.
      
   3. Review the update action that sets the field value.
      
6. Link the assessment templates to the BIA templates.
   1. Access BIA templates in the Business Continuity Workspace.
   2. Open your BIA template.
      The example shows the BIA RTO/RPO template.
   3. Configure the template.

      The example shows a BIA template and its parameters.

      

      • Name: BIA RTO/RPO
      • Primary element assessed: Datacenters
      • Assessment type: Smart assessment
      • Impact assessment templates: Select “Recovery time objective assessment template”, select “Recovery point objective assessment template."

      
   4. Select Update.
      Verify that automations are activated in the selected assessment templates. Inactive automations do not calculate RTO/RPO values.
7. To create a BIA, select New in the Business Continuity Workspace.
   For more information, see Create a business impact analysis.
8. Complete the BIA configuration and save the BIA.

   Assessment generation

   When you create a BIA using the configured template, assessment records are automatically created:

   1. Assessments appear in Assessment Workspace > Lists > Business Impact Analysis > In draft.
   2. Each assessment contains the questions defined in the template.

   Completion of assessments

   You can complete assessments by performing the following tasks:

   1. Open the assessment.
   2. Answer all required questions (for example, data change frequency, data value)
   3. Submit the assessment.

   Automatic RTO and RPO calculation after submission

   After submission, the system calculates the RTO and RPO:

   1. Automation rules evaluate the question responses.
   2. Matching conditions trigger the corresponding actions.
   3. RTO and RPO fields are automatically populated on the impact analysis record.
   4. Values appear in the Business Impact Analysis record.