Writing up a solid business continuity plan is key to running an effective modern company. There are plenty of people out there, however, who run businesses and do not know how to write one up or utilise one properly. This short article aims to fix that by pinpointing the main areas you need to cover on a good BCP.
For those wondering what, exactly, a BCP does then let's start with an explanation. A BCP covers all the things that your organisation needs to do to get motoring despite events outside of your control shutting down normal operations. Think of all the possible problems - from natural events likes storms or hurricanes to man-made roadblocks like a strike in your supplier's warehouse - that can stop you working. This is what the BCP safeguards you against.
The first step in this process is to write up a long list of the key people in your company. Go through it and decide which ones are most important. In other words: who are the men and women essential to your operation and whose absence would cause a huge dip in productivity.
Consider the way these people affect your business and the jobs they do from day to day. You want as many of these people in a position where they can potentially telecommute as possible. In a large scale event which stops you from operating, it is going to be hugely helpful if these employees are still able to put in a day of work. If there is no way of them performing their role by telecommuting then work out how you will react to their absence in an emergency.
Think too about external influencers and the people from other companies who allow yours to run soundly. You can't sort out what these external forces do during a disaster or emergency but you can plan how you react to their possible absence or inaccessibility. This is as important as making sure your own personnel can work close to normal.
Next you need to give some thought to the equipment you use and how it will be affected in an emergency. If you cannot access your computers and printers it might mean your productivity drops to zero. In this case you need a contingency to stop you from losing profit.
When you have this information you need to translate it into a business continuity plan. Here you decide what to do in the event of an emergency. Make sure you do not end up losing out because of large events beyond your control. Write up a strong BCP today.
For those wondering what, exactly, a BCP does then let's start with an explanation. A BCP covers all the things that your organisation needs to do to get motoring despite events outside of your control shutting down normal operations. Think of all the possible problems - from natural events likes storms or hurricanes to man-made roadblocks like a strike in your supplier's warehouse - that can stop you working. This is what the BCP safeguards you against.
The first step in this process is to write up a long list of the key people in your company. Go through it and decide which ones are most important. In other words: who are the men and women essential to your operation and whose absence would cause a huge dip in productivity.
Consider the way these people affect your business and the jobs they do from day to day. You want as many of these people in a position where they can potentially telecommute as possible. In a large scale event which stops you from operating, it is going to be hugely helpful if these employees are still able to put in a day of work. If there is no way of them performing their role by telecommuting then work out how you will react to their absence in an emergency.
Think too about external influencers and the people from other companies who allow yours to run soundly. You can't sort out what these external forces do during a disaster or emergency but you can plan how you react to their possible absence or inaccessibility. This is as important as making sure your own personnel can work close to normal.
Next you need to give some thought to the equipment you use and how it will be affected in an emergency. If you cannot access your computers and printers it might mean your productivity drops to zero. In this case you need a contingency to stop you from losing profit.
When you have this information you need to translate it into a business continuity plan. Here you decide what to do in the event of an emergency. Make sure you do not end up losing out because of large events beyond your control. Write up a strong BCP today.
About the Author:
If you are in need of a good business continuity plan take a look at Evergreen Data Continuity. We offer business continuity software for many purposes and more info is at the home page.
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