What happens when your business gets hit by a disaster? We rarely have notices for disastrous events such as cyberattacks, fires, floods, or illnesses. Having a business continuity plan allows your organization to survive an incident and resume business operations.
What Is a Business Continuity Plan?
Being unprepared could mean two things for your business- a lengthy recovery period or inevitable demise. It is, therefore, in your best interest to have a document that outlines all current and tested methods for running a business during periods of uncertainty.
A business continuity plan (BCP) is a document that outlines all the steps that various stakeholders and employees in an organization should follow in the event of a disaster such as a cyberattack, fire, or floods. It describes how a business will continue to operate after an unplanned disruption of regular services.
It is common to mistake a business continuity plan for a disaster recovery plan. The former stipulates recovery measures after a disaster and only forms one part of the continuity process. The later includes all contingency measures for business processes, human resources, IT, manufacturing, support, and business partners.
BCPs are essential because they help your business increase its customer base after disasters if applied well. Being able to handle emergencies efficiently can have a positive impact on your reputation, value, and can also cement your customer base.
The Structure of a Business Continuity Plan
If your business does not have a BCP, the checklist below can help you create a plan for your organization.
Create a Team
It would help if you established a team of dedicated and able company members that will see the business continuity planning through. The team should be cross-functional, with members from different ranks and departments. However, the core members can be as follows:
- A BCP senior manager to head the task force and also act as the liaison between the BCP committee and the top management.
- An information officer who will ensure that information flows seamlessly between all members and ensure quick retrieval of relevant data for the BCP committee.
- A program coordinator to handle and implement the BCP budget, coordinate activities of the team, include quality assurance, and also take care of staffing and training of the BCP team.
- Staff representatives from different business units to offer input and also analyze data utilized by the BCP team.
Conduct a Business Impact Analysis
A business impact analysis (BIA) identifies the effects of the unprecedented disaster on business functions. It is also used to create recovery methods and determine priorities. To capture relevant data, have the managers in business functions, and processes fill worksheets.
The managers should have an understanding of the company and outline the procedures and tasks that need restoration. The information in the worksheets is relevant in determining which functions take the first place. The reports will also help the BCP members:
- Predict the consequences of the disaster.
- Identify the point in time when the lost business functions will cause the identified effects.
After studying the reports, your team should prioritize the functions and processes with the highest financial impact. Any gaps in the documents should be filled before final decisions are made.
Strategizing and Planning
Members of the BCP committee will use the results from the BIA to create recovery strategies. In this stage, the team should present a comprehensive plan for recovering lost functions, the financial implication, and plans to mitigate further losses.
Once the plans are laid out, the resources to put the ideas in action should also be identified. The resources may include:
- Employees
- Office Spaces
- Technology (computers, phones, routers, and software)
- Records
- Production facilities and equipment
- Utilities (electricity, water, gas, internet, sewers)
- Third-party services
Recovery may vary for different companies. For example, if the production lines have been destroyed, or the technology is down, the business operations of the company will fail. The recovery strategies should bring business production to a minimum acceptable level. If only one of your machines is destroyed, but the rest are functioning, then you can continue production quickly. However, if all the devices at the production facility are damaged, then production should shift to a different facility either owned by the company or hired.
Your strategy may also include entering into partnerships with third-party contractors to continue your production. If this is your option, then several things should be in place. First, the facility has to withstand the disaster. This type of strategy also assumes that all machines in the recovery facility are fully operational. Also, if the resources are inadequate at the new site, you have to organize transfers. It is always best to consult your BCP committee for the most effective solutions and select the strategy that matches the size of your organization.
In instances where your customer support lines are disrupted, telecommuting is an excellent option to ensure that business continues as usual. In this strategy, workers can work from home as long as they have access to a secure computer, data, peripherals, and a fast internet connection. Cafes, conference rooms, and basements can also serve as offices when disaster strikes. Of course, this would require quick installations of desks, phones, the internet, and power as needed by the staff.
Third-party suppliers can do more than continue production. You can outsource your customer service, office spaces, and live data centers to keep your business afloat.
Back-Up Data
Data that is critical to your business should always be backed up in a separate secure location. When disaster strikes, there should be procedures to ensure the safe recovery of the data. All login credentials, emergency contacts, financial records, should exist in both hard copies and soft copies.
Write the Business Continuity Plan
Once all vital questions have been asked, and all data backed up, the BCP team should write the first draft of the document. Go through the text and suggest changes before moving to the next step of business continuity planning.
Implement, Train and Test
In this stage, you will release the document to everyone in the organization and encourage them to read the BCP and ask relevant questions. You will then organize training for the staff and communicate their roles in case the disaster happens. The external stakeholders should also read the document and approve or suggest changes.
You will also organize testing drills to prepare your employees for emergencies. Testing is the best way to cement procedures in your employees’ minds. It will also help you observe the viability of your plans. If the strategies chosen cause further confusion, ensure you make corrections or look for an alternative approach. Since your policy will undergo several changes, you will take your staff through several exercises, according to the changes made.
Make Improvements
You will continue to make adjustments as you test your BCP. If the strategies were ineffective, if some roles need clarification or if there are changes in your business over the years, adjust the BCP accordingly. Any new employees or business branches should also read the BCP and go through rigorous training.
Conclusion
Having a business continuity plan guides your business when disaster strikes. The policy ensures that your business continues services up to a minimum level until all functions are completely restored. With the right team in place, adequate research, and rigorous training, you can ensure effective business continuity planning in your organization.
