Pages

Wednesday 26 September 2012

How to Create a Business Continuity Plan

By Allan Hatchell


Having a business continuity plan is a must have for anyone planning to start or have his dealing continue running even long after he is gone. It is a document that stipulates the ideas that can be implemented to keep the industry running even if it is hit by worst of the catastrophes. The whole idea of designing such an arrangement is to ensure that an organization can keep going even after it has had unpleasant circumstances.

Look out for things that have affected companies within your geographical location and list them down. This list could also have a section outlining the list of key personnel in the company. Have these key personnel as the people to run or head the operations of a company if you as the owner decide to go ahead and implement this strategy.

Have a second list of the employees that comprises their contact and names. Determine which areas in the business chain would be affected the most by whichever crisis that hits the production. Compile a list that shows key contacts and their contact information that would be most affected if a catastrophe befell the company. This art should comprise the second part of your document.

Decide on when to let the stakeholders and departments you identified above in case a disaster strikes. Choose representatives to talk directly with the major suppliers and customers letting them know of the catastrophe that has befell the company and the plan of action. Additionally, you should let the media and the other key staff members know about your bounce back idea. If the firm has been distorted completely, then you can rent a house for some staff to work from there and have some people work from home as the situation is being worked on.

The permanence idea should have listed the major processes that keep the company as profitable as it is. Create clearly worked strategies to establish these arrangements or support them if they are already in the chain. Again, backing up data is clearly a wise decision. Have a copy of the latest inventory always. The backup can be onsite or offsite but the latter is more advised.

Legal documents are a solid part of an organization. Ensure that your legal documents are safely stored under a custodian such as a lawyer or a safe in the bank. Have one or two of your trusted pals know where the sensitive documents are stored.

Compile all the points noted above in a notebook. Next, put a hard copy of this book within reach of every employee. Ensure that you call for a meeting to review these procedures with the staff annually. To ensure the relevance of your business continuity plan, revise it after every five years to update on any changes in the structure, employees numbers and recruitment.




About the Author:



0 comments:

Post a Comment