Business Continuity - Planning for the Unexpected

Planning for the unforeseen is a crucial part of ensuring a business’ longevity and that expected events do not unduly hinder its ability to conduct its affairs.

Unfortunately many businesses, particularly those which are small place little, if any emphasis on business continuity. Instead they might chose to invest their resources in areas where other more immediate and pressing issues exist.

Whilst this practice may be reasonable given the demands typically placed on small businesses, the omission of a feasible continuity plan can threaten the very fabric of what is being built up.

Why have a Business Continuity Plan?

The reasons for having a business continuity plan are primarily to enable the organisation to adapt its operations in the event of an emergency.

Whilst it is not possible to predict every convincible emergency scenario and what would be the appropriate course of action in each, it is possible to consider some common events such as fire and flood and make some preparation for them.

The preservation of human life and protection of important business assets can serve as a starting point for contingency planning.

Developing an Emergency Plan

The development of an emergency plan might centre on “what if” statements. “What if there was a fire on the third floor towards the back of the office?”

If the answer paints a grim picture then important and urgent action is required in order to improve the situation.

“What is the building was destroyed over the weekend?” might propel a business in to considering alternative premises which staff could use and where backup copies of important data are currently being stored.

Truth about Business Contingency

Despite the apparent reluctance for small businesses to engage in any form of contingency planning because they do not have adequate resources for tackling a seemingly large administrative task, most of the steps needed are in fact quite simple.

The complexity and length of any business contingency plan can vary substantially from a physical document some several hundred pages in length to a few simple ideas shared verbally between co workers.

The essence is both that something is better than nothing and any plan need only fit the business is seeks to serve.