Interruptions to mission-critical business functions can result from a variety of sources; equipment failures, natural disasters such as earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, and fires, or man-made disasters such as theft, workplace violence, sabotage, terrorist attacks.
Business Continuity Planning is a major component of Risk Management. It provides for a rapid and smooth restoration of normal operations after disruptive events.
An effective Business Continuity Plan addresses actions to be taken before, during, and after the disruption of critical business functions. It identifies in detail what actions are to be taken by whom and how and when they are to be performed.
Business Continuity Planning Elements:
- Impact Analysis
- Recovery Responsibilities
- Strategy Selection
- Recovery Plans
- Business Recovery Checklist
- Continuity Testing
- Awareness/Training
- Maintenance
A well constructed Business Continuity Plan (BCP) will significantly reduce liability, disruption to normal operations, and financial loss. It documents the procedures, responsibilities, and critical information needed to return to normal operations. It is your roadmap to recovery from the loss of facilities, information resources, and/or skilled key personnel.
An effective Business Continuity Plan
- Identifies and ranks subsets of critical and essential business function activities and processes based on how long the organization can survive without each one;
- Reduces confusion during chaotic periods by documenting an orderly recovery process;
- Identifies minimum recovery resources and establishes sources for each;
- Develops or uses available cost effective recovery strategies;
- Contains step-by-step procedures and documentation addressing all elements of the plan;
- Provides a periodic testing and maintenance process to ensure accuracy and currency of the plan.
A Business Continuity Plan which is not maintained can be worse than no plan at all. When is the last time your Business Continuity Plan was reviewed?
For more information on how TMAP can help ensure your future success, please call us toll free in the U.S. at 1 (800) 926-8110, outside the U.S. at +1 714-352-7193 or send us a message by clicking here.