My Organization’s Business Continuity Program is Built… Now What?

Written by: Daniel J. Poucher

Co-Author: Aidan Hallerman

Ensuring your organization possesses a proper, well-rounded Business Continuity Plan (BCP) is a great first step to ensuring structural and operational resilience in the face of varied threats – but what happens after the program is built? Establishing and maintaining a BCP is not enough to ensure stability during unforeseen disruptions; the real test lies in the continuous improvement of the plan and its subcomponents. Once a program is assembled, there are multiple channels of internal quarterly and role-based training, testing, as well as annual maintenance that can strengthen the contents of an organization’s BCP. These additional processes assist in increasing the efficacy of the plan overall, year over year.

Crisis Management Structure & Internal Plan Communication

A core tenet within a BCP should be response information to individual events or information that will collaborate to cover the full severity of a multi-stage incident. The development of Individualized Response Plans (IRPs) and Emergency Operation Plans (EOPs) are two such examples; separate documents that have their separate merits but can be combined to combat complex threats.

Organizations should create a formalized crisis management structure between multiple plans as a means of content communication. A separate plan or policy is not required, but it is important that different plans speak to one another at appropriate times of response, recovery, and restoration. Areas in need of enhancement can be found in examining not only the quality of a given plan – whether it is thorough enough to cover the topic it has been created for – but also whether it corresponds well with the other components of the overall BCP.

Develop an Incident Management Structure

Defining a structured Incident Management (IM) process should ensure what has been documented by the BCP for recovery pathways is implemented when facing true incidents. IM ensures that current documentation remains reflective and actionable for how and when a response will occur, as well as ensuring there is proper tracking of items, personnel responsibilities, communications, impacts, and executive level decisions.

Organizations should focus not only the content of a given BCP, but the chain of command that is listed within the plan’s established team’s responsibilities and roles. Designating clear and appropriate roles for organization’s employees will only assist in the effectiveness and speed of a plan’s recovery efforts. Even with the best on-paper response in place, a BCP is only as efficient as those in charge of following its contents.

Establishing set communication channels, creating collaboration opportunities by means of cross-training, and ensuring individuals are conscious of their responsibilities each assist in the formation of a more agile and responsible incident management team.

The total body of a given organization will benefit from exercising the formal IM process, via tabletop and disaster recovery testing, to be best equipped for fast paced decision-making during periods of crisis.

Incident Management

When an incident implicates the possible activation of the BCP and its teams, referencing defined escalation thresholds will be key. Escalation thresholds to any disaster will determine and ensure proper resources are deployed during a disaster; they should be based on objective criteria, such as the scope of impact, resource availability, and overall situational context.

A trigger point could be a sustained disruption that exceeds a predetermined duration, or a sudden increase in the number of stakeholders as an event moves forward in length of duration. Conversely, this ongoing adjustment process can be applied to the end of an incident; trigger points for de-escalation might include successful containment of an incident, or a significant reduction of its impact on the organization.

Overall, organizations would be most prudent in making sure any BCP escalation chain takes a tiered approach. A layered structure that takes personnel in a measured manner from routine operations to crisis management enables the organization to respond in a fashion that matches the information at the time of the incident, and provides an available set of ‘next steps’ with parameters and quantifiable means of alarm.

Regularly adjusting escalation thresholds based on lessons learned from previous incidents is also a crucial indicator of where edits can be made to the BCP. Incorporating feedback from post-incident evaluations and documentation will enhance the organization’s recovery timeline. Questions during an incident of when to report and when to incorporate outside assistance are eased by set demarcations of procedural, streamlined processes. A dynamic approach to escalation thresholds – one that accounts for the need to continuously tinker for proper calibration – ensures the organization remains agile and prepared.

Adjustments Based on Risk Assessment Results

As part of ongoing resilience efforts, organizations must conduct regular risk assessments to identify potential threats and vulnerabilities. These assessments provide valuable insights into emerging risks and help prioritize mitigation efforts. Upon analyzing risk assessment results, organizations should adjust their BCP to reflect changes. This may involve reallocating resources to address high-risk areas, updating response procedures to mitigate specific threats, or enhancing control environments to reduce the likelihood of disruptions. By strengthening control environments and implementing proactive measures, organizations can effectively move high or moderate-risk threats to lower levels, thereby minimizing their impact on business operations. Adjustments based on results ensure that the BCP remains aligned with current risk profiles and enables the organization to adapt to evolving threats with the most advantageous form of resilience.

Continued Training & Awareness

Continued training and awareness initiatives, such as role-based tabletop exercises, are essential for fostering employee preparedness and understanding within the Business Continuity Plan (BCP). Through these exercises, employees gain practical experience and insight into their specific roles and responsibilities during disruptions, allowing them to grasp their “individual piece of the puzzle” within the broader organizational response. This targeted training approach not only enhances individual readiness, but also promotes a cohesive and coordinated response across all levels of the organization.

Conclusion

By refining individualized plans, streamlining incident management structures, establishing clear escalation thresholds, documenting information comprehensively, adjusting content based on risk assessment results, and fostering continued training, organizations can make themselves as ready as possible for a business disruption. Through these combined, continually maintained efforts, organizations can empower their teams to understand their roles, adapt to threats, and contribute to a multi-layered response.

If your organization needs assistance with plan creation, testing, tabletop exercises, or any other part of the BCP process, reach out to our experts at Wolf today.