Business continuity planning is an important consideration for organisations, what ever their size or type. Organisations that have thought about disruptions before the occur recover quicker.
A process that can seem complex at first sight can be broken into 5 basic steps.
1. Identify Likely Business Disruptions
Perform a risk assessment to identify possible disruptions and consider options for mitigating those risks. Controls can be put in place to reduce the impact or likelihood of the risk but also consider whether it is a risk you need to take at all.
2. Assess Business Impact
List out and then prioritise your business functions based on the impact any disruption to that process would have.
Increase the organisation’s resilience using a Business Impact Analysis tool.
3. Create a Plan
Collate everything you need to minimise risk and impact on the business into a plan.
Think about the steps you would take if each process was disrupted. Include any mitigating controls or work-arounds you have identified and document the contact details of any relevant parties so they are easy to find.
4. Train Staff
Raise awareness and train staff in the business continuity processes that impact them. If they have responsibilities before, during or after a disruption, make sure they are competent to perform their role. Make sure everyone in the organisation is aware of the business continuity plan and who they should report to in the event of a business continuity plan activation!
5. Test the Business Continuity Plan
Regularly test the plan for effectiveness and make changes as necessary.
Take the Next Step: ISO 22301 Certification!
Our ISO 22301 Consultants can help you implement a full business continuity management system (BCMS) to make your business more resilient and support tender submissions or customer questionnaires.
ISO 22301 certification demonstrates to your customers and stakeholders that you have a framework in place and it has been impartially audited.
