Writing BCP’s
Key Steps in Writing Functional Business Continuity Plans
- Establish Clear Roles and Responsibilities
Plan Owners: Assign plan owners who will oversee the BCP’s development and ensure its completion.
Plan Developers: Designate individuals responsible for the tactical aspects of the BCP, including detailed plan creation.
- Comprehensive Training
Before diving into plan development, conduct training sessions for all plan owners and developers. These sessions should cover the fundamentals of BCP, emphasizing the importance of understanding the process thoroughly.
- Implement a Phased Development Approach
At MHA, a leading consultancy in business continuity planning, Gloria Sargent, our BCP practice leader, has crafted a successful four-phase approach to developing BCPs:
Phase I: Focus on information gathering and verifying specific needs such as technology requirements, staffing, essential contact information, and timelines.
Phase II: Develop strategies for recovery, prioritize business functions, and continue the validation checks.
Phase III: Conduct a final review and perform desktop exercises to test all plan components under simulated conditions.
Phase IV: Obtain final approval and sign-off from senior leadership.
This structured approach has been effectively used to formulate hundreds of BCPs across organizations of various sizes.
- Monitoring and Reporting Progress
Regularly report the development status of the BCP to management using a traffic light reporting system (green, yellow, red), which helps in identifying areas that need attention.
- Certification of Key Personnel
Ensure that plan owners, developers, and recovery team members are certified by requiring them to pass tests that affirm their understanding of the BCP process and their specific recovery plans.
By following these detailed steps, you can ensure that your organization is prepared with a BCP that not only exists on paper but is capable of guiding you effectively through actual recovery operations. Remember, a well-crafted BCP is instrumental in navigating the challenges during critical times, safeguarding your operations, and ensuring organizational resilience.
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.
