Over the next several weeks we will be sharing the Top 100 Tips for BCP Success across your program in 2012. This week we will cover the Top 10 Tips for success in your BCP Office. These steps can heighten the sophistication and maturity of your office:
1. Mirror operations after a consulting firm- Consulting firms can allocate resources as the business needs fluctuate. They combine expert individual resources with the ability to work as a team to achieve an overall goal.
2. Identify BCP/DR services you provide/don’t provide – Knowledge is power. Accurately identifying your services can help gain Management support as well as a beginning step to maturing your capabilities.
3. Outsource BCP/DR services you cannot provide – This is a growing industry trend helping to reduce ineffective use of resources and waste of valuable corporate dollars – for services not provided or lack the expertise to perform.
4. Provide best of class thought leadership services – Seek to provide your stakeholders with thought leadership that will lead to a heightened sophistication and level of maturity in the program.
5. Assess and rank BCP Office staff capabilities – This is another great step to maturing your capabilities. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your staff allows you to place in the best possible roles they can perform.
6. Do not manage a crisis by title alone – In a crisis, a person’s title should not always dictate their role. Assigning tasks to the most capable person can lead to a more organized and successful recovery.
7. Train using internal and external resources- Utilizing internal and external resources can give you a fresh look into your BCP Program.
8. Standardize how to perform BCP/DR services – Standardizing services can improve efficacy by reducing the time spent on figuring out how to do a task as well as providing clarity on the results.
9. Measure performance regularly – Quantifying improvements and opportunities is a key step in gaining and maintaining Management support.
10. Be the Driver not the Doer – Transferring the execution of plan development and other similar related tasks to the business and IT ensures you transfer knowledge as well as transfer responsibility.
Next post… Top 10 Tips for Metrics
Michael Herrera
Michael Herrera is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MHA. In his role, Michael provides global leadership to the entire set of industry practices and horizontal capabilities within MHA. Under his leadership, MHA has become a leading provider of Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery services to organizations on a global level. He is also the founder of BCMMETRICS, a leading cloud based tool designed to assess business continuity compliance and residual risk. Michael is a well-known and sought after speaker on Business Continuity issues at local and national contingency planner chapter meetings and conferences. Prior to founding MHA, he was a Regional VP for Bank of America, where he was responsible for Business Continuity across the southwest region.
