In the dynamic and unpredictable world of business, a robust and well-executed business continuity plan (BCP) is crucial for organizational resilience and survival. A BCP outlines the strategies and procedures to keep essential operations running or minimize disruptions during unexpected events. Such events like natural disasters, cyber-attacks, or pandemics can have a catastrophic on a business. It extends beyond the realm of information technology (IT), encompassing critical functions across all departments.
To ensure its effectiveness, a business continuity plan requires serious consideration and active involvement from the business continuity team and staff. Their expertise, commitment, and proactive efforts are essential for identifying risks and developing mitigation strategies.
In the following blog, we will outline the seven key steps to create a BCP for your business, covering everything from identifying objectives and goals to training staff and testing the plan’s effectiveness.
Step 1: Identify the objectives and goals of the plan
In developing a business continuity plan, it is crucial to first identify the objectives and goals that the plan aims to achieve. This step ensures a clear direction for the planning process and helps align the plan with the company’s overall strategy.
One important objective is to ensure that the project goes beyond the scope of just IT. While IT systems and infrastructure are essential, the plan should encompass all critical business processes, including operations, supply chain management, customer service, and communication.
The primary objective of a BCP is to keep essential business operations running smoothly and minimize disruptions in the event of a crisis or disaster. This objective ensures that the organization can continue to serve its customers, meet its obligations, and maintain its reputation.
Every organization is unique, with its own specific needs, resources, and risks. Therefore, it is essential to customize the goals and objectives of the business continuity plan based on these factors.
Step 2: Establish an emergency preparedness team
Once the objectives and goals have been identified, the next step is to establish an emergency preparedness team. These team members will be responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining the business continuity plan.
The team should include managers or leaders from various departments across the organization. This cross-functional approach ensures that different perspectives and expertise are represented, enabling a comprehensive and well-rounded plan.
It is crucial to designate a team leader who will oversee the planning process, facilitate decision-making, and ensure progress. This team leader should have strong leadership skills, organizational knowledge, and the ability to coordinate efforts effectively.
Step 3: Perform a risk assessment and business impact analysis (BIA)
To develop an effective business continuity plan, it is essential to perform a risk assessment and business impact analysis (BIA). This step involves identifying and analyzing potential threats that could disrupt or severely impact the company’s operations. These threats can include natural disasters, cyber-attacks, pandemics, power outages, or other emergencies. By understanding the risks, the organization can take proactive measures to mitigate them.
Once the threats are identified, it is important to conduct thorough research and document the issues. You must also lay out their potential impact on the company. This involves evaluating the weaknesses, dependencies, and importance of different business processes, systems, and resources. The analysis will provide a foundation for developing appropriate strategies and recovery plans.
Step 4: Identify essential business functions
In this step, it is crucial to identify the essential business functions that must be maintained during emergencies. The focus here is on identifying the critical services or functions that need to be sustained during emergencies. This ensures that the organization can continue to provide vital services and meet customer expectations even in challenging situations.
Step 5: Prepare a plan for each essential function/service
Individual plans are developed for each critical business function or service identified in Step 4. These plans outline specific strategies and actions to be taken to ensure the continuity of each function/service. Each essential function/service, such as order fulfillment, platform functionality, and customer service, should have a dedicated plan. These plans provide detailed guidelines on how to sustain these functions during emergencies.
Step 6: Review and address all other business functions
This step emphasizes the importance of including every business function in the business continuity plan. It is important to prioritize them based on their level of disruption and importance. It is essential to consider and address all business functions, beyond just the essential ones, in the plan. This ensures comprehensive coverage and minimizes potential gaps in the company’s ability to respond to emergencies.
While every function is important, prioritization helps allocate resources effectively during emergencies. Functions that have a higher potential for disruption or impact on critical operations should be given higher priority in the plan.
Each business function should be thoroughly documented in the plan, including the associated risks, impact on employees and customers, emergency policies, financial resources required, and any external partnerships that may be involved. This documentation provides a clear understanding of each function’s criticality and helps in making informed decisions during emergencies.
Step 7: Train staff, test, revise, and update the plan
The final step focuses on training staff, testing the plan, and regularly revising and updating it to ensure its effectiveness.
The business continuity plan should be presented to all relevant stakeholders within the organization. This includes management, employees, and other key individuals involved in the plan’s implementation. Clear communication and training sessions should be conducted to ensure everyone understands their roles and responsibilities.
At EVERNET Consulting, we are dedicated to helping organizations with their operational needs. We work diligently to find the solutions that best fit the needs of your business. Whether you’re looking for IT support, software recommendations, or guidance on how to get the most out of your business continuity plan, we are here to help. Schedule a discovery call to learn how we can help you work smarter, not harder.
Eric is a Business IT cybersecurity advisor, consultant, manager, integrator, and protector who founded EVERNET in 2007. Eric co-hosts a podcast called “Finance and Technology Insights by Brian & Eric” on YouTube. Eric is a regular contributor to the EVERNET blog, writing about the latest technology news and providing his expertise in cyber security prevention and management. Meet with our CEO and say goodbye to one-size-fits-all IT support and cybersecurity.
