Which statement best differentiates Contingency Plans from Incident Management Plans in the ASP?

• A. Contingency Plans are proactive measures; Incident Plans are reactive measures.
• B. They are identical in purpose and use.
• C. They are not part of the ASP.
• D. Contingency Plans are reactive; Incident Plans are proactive.

Answer: (A)

Contingency planning is about preparing in advance to keep essential operations running during or after a disruption, so it is proactive. It lays out backup facilities, alternate processes, data protection, and predefined recovery steps to minimize downtime before anything happens. Incident management plans, by contrast, describe how to respond once an incident occurs—how to detect, contain, eradicate, recover, and communicate—so they’re activated in reaction to events. The best differentiation is that contingency plans are proactive measures aimed at preventing or mitigating impact before disruption, while incident management plans are reactive measures guiding the response after an incident. The other options misstate the relationship or omit that these plans are part of ASP planning.