NIST SP 800-53
Operational

Contingency Planning Policy (CP Family) Template

Establishes contingency planning requirements including backup, recovery, and continuity of operations, aligned with NIST SP 800-53 CP control family.

What This Policy Covers

Purpose and Scope-Policy objectives and applicability (CP-1).
Business Impact Analysis-Critical system identification and impact assessment (CP-2).
Contingency Plan Development-Plan content, roles, and activation criteria (CP-2).
Information System Backup-Backup types, frequency, and offsite storage (CP-9).
System Recovery and Reconstitution-Recovery procedures and RTO/RPO targets (CP-10).
Alternate Processing and Storage Sites-Failover facilities and geographic separation (CP-6, CP-7).
Contingency Plan Testing-Testing frequency, methods, and success criteria (CP-4).

Required Sections

A compliant Contingency Planning Policy (CP Family) for NIST SP 800-53 must include the following7 sections. Each section addresses a specific control requirement that auditors will review.

1

Purpose and Scope

Policy objectives and applicability (CP-1).

2

Business Impact Analysis

Critical system identification and impact assessment (CP-2).

3

Contingency Plan Development

Plan content, roles, and activation criteria (CP-2).

4

Information System Backup

Backup types, frequency, and offsite storage (CP-9).

5

System Recovery and Reconstitution

Recovery procedures and RTO/RPO targets (CP-10).

6

Alternate Processing and Storage Sites

Failover facilities and geographic separation (CP-6, CP-7).

7

Contingency Plan Testing

Testing frequency, methods, and success criteria (CP-4).

Generate a Customized Version

This template shows the required structure. PoliWriter generates a fully customized Contingency Planning Policy (CP Family) that references your actual cloud providers, identity systems, tools, and team practices — ready for auditor review.

Policy Details

Category

Operational

Sections

7 total (7 required)

Other NIST SP 800-53 Templates

Access Control Policy (AC Family)

Establishes access control requirements covering account management, access enforcement, separation of duties, and least privilege, aligned with NIST SP 800-53 AC control family.

Audit & Accountability Policy (AU Family)

Defines audit logging, monitoring, and accountability requirements aligned with NIST SP 800-53 AU control family.

Security Assessment & Authorization Policy (CA Family)

Establishes requirements for security assessments, system authorization, and continuous monitoring, aligned with NIST SP 800-53 CA control family.

Configuration Management Policy (CM Family)

Defines configuration management requirements including baseline configurations, change control, and configuration monitoring, aligned with NIST SP 800-53 CM control family.

Identification & Authentication Policy (IA Family)

Defines requirements for identifying and authenticating users, devices, and services, aligned with NIST SP 800-53 IA control family.

Incident Response Policy (IR Family)

Establishes an incident response capability including preparation, detection, analysis, containment, recovery, and post-incident activities, aligned with NIST SP 800-53 IR control family.

System & Communications Protection Policy (SC Family)

Defines requirements for protecting system communications and data, including boundary protection, cryptography, and denial-of-service protection, aligned with NIST SP 800-53 SC control family.

Risk Assessment Policy (RA Family)

Establishes requirements for assessing security risks including vulnerability scanning, threat analysis, and privacy impact assessments, aligned with NIST SP 800-53 RA control family.

View all 10 templates