What’s BCMS and Why Is It Important for Your Company?

business continuity management system

If you are a business owner or are thinking of becoming one, you should be aware of the potential issues that might occur during your entrepreneurial journey.

Besides implementing an innovative idea, offering a suitable product, and having a well-thought business plan, expecting the most unexpected is the key to success, no matter the niche your company specializes in. Coming up with solutions to problems you might be facing can save any entrepreneur lots of time and worry.

Naturally, the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about such issues is the unpredictability of various external factors. Unsatisfied clients or no clients at all, too high costs of production, the lack of qualified workers – all of these undoubtedly are a potential and dangerous threat. Yet, in the solution creating process, there is one highly underestimated aspect of the company – it’s organization.

Most managers and entrepreneurs will overemphasize the value of external elements and underestimate the importance of the company’s processes, which is a big mistake to make.

According to some studies, most of the companies that failed to succeed did so due to the poor organizational structure, the lack of mutual goal, and undefined work culture. On the other hand, a significant part of the businesses that have made a hit, regularly changed what was mal-functioning inside the company, not outside of it.

One of the most popular tools to use nowadays, both in the new start-ups and the well-established corporation that helps maintain business continuity, is a BCMS.

What is a BCMS?

Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) is a management system that aims to implement, operate, monitor, and improve business processes and procedures. It should provide business continuity.

BCMS can be divided into four major parts that create a closed circle on a graph.

Plan

The first part of the circle is called the Plan, and it refers to establishing a clear goal and objectives. Here is where you decide what you want to do and how you want to achieve it. Creating a plan before taking action is crucial, for it helps an organization stay on track in times of difficulties.

Do

Part two is called Do, and it is all about the implementation and operation. Once you have established your action plan, it is high time you started to execute it.

Check

To ensure everything functions correctly and works well, there needs to be a monitoring part of the system. It is called the Check part. Here is where you decide if things go according to the Plan or not, you see what can be changed and what works fine.

The most crucial part of Check is the mutual feedback between the clients, workers, and managers.

Act

The motto of the Act is to maintain and improve. Maintain what is right; what brings you closer to success and works fine. Improve or get rid of the parts that are unnecessary obstacles. That is the time for comping up with any new ideas referring to things that are already well-established in the company’s culture but could use a breath of fresh air.

Acting should be firmly based on the feedback you had received when it was Check time. 

Why Would Your Company Need BCMS?

Business Continuity Management Systems usually are external software your company will need to purchase or create from scratch, according to ISO 2231. Many entrepreneurs are wondering whether it is worth it or not. If you are one of those people, wonder no more because the only correct answer is yes.

When it comes to BCMS, it doesn’t matter what your business‘s size is or the niche you specialize in. A BCMS helps achieve goals going beyond the product, marketing, or selling processes. It lets you create harmony in the organization, build a structure and culture – factors indispensable for any prospering company.

On top of that, a BCMS can help optimize and structurize business procedures and documentation processes. It also creates a lot of space for testing new ideas and evaluating the old ones. 

There are numerous options for BCMS available on the market, and each of them offers slightly different elements, interfaces, and pricing. The decision is up to you, as it is you who knows the brand’s specifics best.

Conclusion

It would be best if your company using the most effective BCMS available. It comes with various benefits and will most likely contribute to the company’s overall growth and profitability.

Using a BCMS will help any business to become more resilient to the disruption caused by internal factors such as the team’s manager work resignation, and external factors such as changes in the market. As its name suggests, the Business Continuity Management System aims to help companies maintain continuity by providing a structure, controlling the progress, and making enough place for constant upgrades.