Creating a communication plan ensures that the incident response team knows exactly who to contact, how to contact them, and what information to share in the event of a security incident. Clear communication is vital for a quick and effective response. Conducting background checks, while important for overall security, does not directly prepare the team for incident response. A business impact analysis is more focused on identifying critical business functions and does not necessarily prepare the team for handling incidents. While maintaining updated documentation is important, it is a continuous process and not specific to preparing the team for an incident response.