HLS 6080 DF4: Processes for MEF and PMEF Identification

Comment on these 2 postings as if you were talking in my voice, do not lose the name above each post. 100 words and 3 sources each:
Matthew Berry:
Processes for MEF and PMEF Identification
First, Mission Essential Functions are the functions that provide vital services, exercise civil authority, and attempt to ensure general public safety. Once they are identified, they serve as key planning factors for training, communications, staffing, and facilities. There is a strenuous process that produces and identifies these functions. Identification includes an objective review of departmental and agency functions that impact critical activities that must be upheld in the time immediately following an emergency.
Each entity must review their organizational functions as directed by the President and other Executive Orders. Once these functions are reviewed, and understood, a BPA, or Business Process Analysis is conducted in order to more specifically identify personnel expertise, workflows, functional processes, systems, data, and facilities inherent to the direct execution of all Mission Essential Functions. Furthermore, each Mission Essential Function is evaluated in its connection to provide vital interdependent support to other Mission Essential Functions performed by allied departments and agencies. Finally, a department head will review the overall necessity and relevance of a prospective Mission Essential Function, and validate, approve, or deny the implementation of that function.
Alongside Mission Essential Functions are Primary Mission Essential Functions. These also undergo a rigorous selection and identification process. These PMEF’s must be enacted within 12 hours following the catastrophic event, and must be sustainable for up to 30 days out. Following the approval of MEF’s, a joint effort between involved agencies, departments, and the National Continuity Coordinator will establish a preliminary identification of PMEF’s that could potentially support National Essential Functions.
An IAB, or Interagency Board, put together by the National Continuity Coordinator, conducts a thorough review of submitted possible Primary Mission Essential Functions, and validates their relationship to National Essential Functions. Within this analysis, a Risk Management evaluation is conducted to determine the applicability of the proposed PMEF. Once the Primary Mission Essential Function is approved and validated, it will be ranked and prioritized amongst the other PMEF’s in order to determine overall criticality of that function. To the same effect as Mission Essential Functions, the IAP will conduct a Business Process Analysis that takes a variety of factors into account including staffing and communication to define the relationship of a particular proposed Primary Mission Essential Function to National Essential Functions. Throughout this complicated process, points of failure and possible alternatives or work-arounds are evaluated to determine the overall feasibility of the functions.
NATIONAL CONTINUITY IMPLEMENTATION POLICY
Anna Swenson:
Processes for MEF and PMEF Identification
Identifying the Mission Essential Functions (MEF) for a department or agency is one of the most important functions for establishing continuity. These functions set up the base of preparedness and planning that the department will continue to grow upon.
To identify what the MEFs should be, a department will take a deeper look into their functions, overall establishment, operations, and their customers needs (if applicable). They will consider who the function falls under (ie: the president, law, executive order), and determine if the function MUST be performed if a catastrophic event were to occur. After their own functions are understood, the department will conduct a Business Process Analysis (BPA) to be able to identify and map workflows, activities, personnel expertise, systems, data, and facilities that are all relevant or needed within the functions. After this is complete, the information will be reviewed by the Continuity Coordinator who will work with the department head to validate and approve the function. 
Closely related to MEFs are the Primary Mission Essential Functions (PMEFs). After the MEF is approved (from above steps), the NCC and Continuity Coordinator will identify the PMEFs that have the capability to support the NEFs. The interagency board (IAB) looks to review PMEFs that can support and/or are relevant to the NEFs, using the BPA or Business Impact Analysis (BIA). The IAB will look to identify a multitude of factors similar to what is being observed when identifying MEFs - workflows, activities, expertise, systems, data, and facilities of the agency in regards to the NEFs. After completing both the BPA and BIA's, the NCC will review the findings to either deny or approve the PMEF.