As we know these are unprecedented times. We are having to deal with the Coronavirus virus COVID-19, and the impact on businesses.

With any emergency disaster it is unusual that advance warning is given. Many organisations are unprepared by not having a plan in place, which works in practice.

By not implementing a plan, organisations will take longer to recover. Delays will put businesses under pressure, leading to financial difficulties and the ability to continue trading.

Being prepared to be able to deal with any incident effectively will have a positive effect on the organisation’s viability, reputation and will maintain its value and customer confidence.

The following steps should be taken in the development stages of the plan:

  • Identifying the scope of the plan.
  • Defining the business areas of concern.
  • Establishing what are the critical functions.
  • Identify the various business areas and functions.
  • Evaluate acceptable downtime for each critical function.
  • Create a simple plan to maintain operational activities.

Testing the plan will make sure that it will work effectively and will identify any gaps that may exist.

Any plan will need to be tested regularly dependant on the complexity, size of organisation and operational risk. Always test the plan with the worst scenario, make it realistic but challenging.

Common ways of testing the plan could be:

Table-top exercise:

Set up in a conference room. The management team can look for gaps making sure that every department is represented.

Structured walk through:

Each of the management team logically evaluates the components of the plan. The team can set up a specific disaster to see how the plan works. Some organisations incorporate drills and role playing.

Disaster simulation testing:

This can be involved and should be performed on an annual basis. This can be done by staging an environment to simulate an actual disaster with all the equipment, supplies and personnel and includes business partners including the supply chain. The purpose of this is to see if critical operations can be performed during this event.

One way to make sure the plan works is for everyone to be committed, know their role and are supported by the owners and Directors of the organisation. This responsibility cannot be delegated to subordinates for implementation.

The plan must be reviewed regularly to remain accurate, based on changing operational risks. Training must be provided to all staff, so that they are competent to complete their individual responsibilities.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us on 0800 690 6293 or just complete our contact form. We will be pleased to assist you further.