Business Continuity Planning (BCP) is a way to keep the business running during and after disruptions. It’s about identifying risks, developing recovery plans, and testing procedures to keep the business going in crisis. BCP is all about organizational resilience in the face of disruption.
Having a good BCP is key to overcoming the challenges. If you want to learn more about BCP you can look into Business Impact Analysis, making comprehensive continuity plans, and industry standards for preparedness to get more info.
Summary
- BCP means Business Continuity Planning.
- BCP for disasters.
- Risk assessment, recovery plans, and testing.
- BCP for disruption.
- Crucial for organizational resilience and continuity.
Business Continuity Planning Introduction
Business Continuity Planning (BCP) is a way to keep the business running during and after a disaster.
It involves identifying risks, developing recovery plans and testing to reduce disruption.
Keeping the business running during and after a disaster or disruption is the key focus of Business Continuity Planning (BCP).
BCP is about creating controls and recovery plans to address potential threats that can hit the company or business. A good business continuity plan is critical for organisational resilience as it reduces the impact of disruption that can affect operations.
In today’s business world where 96% of organisations have had a disruption in the last 2 years, having a BCP is a must.
Business Impact Analysis (BIA)
Business Impact Analysis (BIA) is a key part of Business Continuity Planning (BCP) that involves identifying business functions and risks.
By looking at the impact of disruption on the business, BIA helps to prioritise recovery and resource allocation using a disaster recovery plan.
It’s a structured way of understanding the consequences of business interruption so organisations and businesses can prepare and mitigate unexpected events.
Critical Business Functions and Risks
How do you determine what are critical and non-critical organisation functions and activities in a business impact analysis (BIA)?
In a business impact analysis, critical business functions are those that if disrupted would have a major impact on the organisation’s ability to operate. These are usually time critical and need to be addressed immediately to ensure continuity.
Non-critical functions are non-urgent and can withstand disruption for a period of time without impacting the organisation.
Making a Business Continuity Plan
When making a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) you need to consider all these.
These:
- Critical business functions
- Recovery plans
- Communication protocols
Business Continuity Plan Elements
To make a business continuity plan start by outlining procedures and instructions that will guide your organisation during disruption or disaster. Your plan should include key details such as emergency contact numbers, critical functions and resources for continuity planning.
Identify business processes that are required to keep the business running during crisis. Make sure your plan covers risk management for different scenarios including natural disasters.
Include recovery plans for different parts of your business operations. Consider the role of human resources in the continuity planning process to maintain workforce capabilities.
How to Make a Business Continuity Plan
Making a good business continuity plan involves identifying risks and developing strategies to mitigate them. Make sure your business continuity plan outlines and has top-down approach with management support. You need to recover critical business functions quickly in case of a disaster.
Test your business continuity plan regularly to find gaps and refine your strategies. A good, solid business continuity plan can mean the difference between quick recovery and long downtime.
Implementing and Testing a Business Continuity Plan
When implementing and testing your Business Continuity Plan start by executing the strategies in the plan to keep the business running during disruption.
Test thoroughly to find weaknesses and areas to improve the plan.
Through tabletop exercises and simulations test your BCP to ensure it can handle potential threats cyber attacks and challenges.
BCP Implementation and Steps
During the implementation phase of a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) the key steps are policy changes, material acquisition, staff adjustments and testing. Make sure the plan is reviewed and updated regularly to keep it relevant and effective.
Testing is a key part of BCP implementation and should include tabletop exercises, walk-throughs, practice crisis management communications and emergency simulations. By testing you can find gaps, refine response procedures and improve overall readiness for disruption event.
Business Continuity Planning and Disaster Recovery
Business Continuity Plans (BCP) and Disaster Recovery (DR) are related but different concepts in business resilience. BCP is about keeping business functions running during disruption while DR is about restoring IT systems after disaster.
Knowing the difference between BCP and DRP is key to organizations to protect operations and data from unexpected events.
What is the difference between BCP and DRP
Understanding the difference between Business Continuity Planning (BCP) and Disaster Recovery Plans (DRP is important for organisational readiness and resilience.
Here are three key differences between BCP and DRP:
- Scope:
A BCP outlines how an organisation will keep its business functions running during disruption, covering various critical areas like communication and supply chain.
A DRP is about restoring IT infrastructure and operations. - Focus:
A BCP is about ensuring business functions are running, a DRP is about recovering IT systems and data. - Objectives:
The objective of a BCP is to keep critical business functions running, a DRP is to minimise downtime by getting IT services back to predefined levels.
Industry Standards and Regulations for Business Continuity Planning
Now let’s look at the industry standards and regulations for Business Continuity Planning (BCP). ISO 22301, BS 25999-1 and BS 25999-2 are the key standards that organisations and companies must follow when developing their continuity plans.
Knowing these standards is important to ensure your business continuity team is ready to handle disruption.
ISO and British Standards for Business Continuity Management
Understanding the ISO and British Standards for Business Continuity Management is important to make a good business continuity plan. Knowing these standards will ensure your organisation is ready for any business disruption.
- ISO Standards: The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has a range of standards for Business Continuity Management Systems to help organisations with disaster recovery and operational continuity.
- BSI Group: The British Standards Institution (BSI Group) used to have its own standards for business continuity which have now been superseded by the ISO standards.
- Industry Regulations: Following industry standards and regulations is important to protect your business during unexpected events, e.g. having a recovery time objective in line with best practice.
Emergency Management and Crisis Response
When it comes to Emergency Management and Crisis Response one key aspect is coordinating with Emergency Response Teams. This coordination ensures swift and effective action is taken to address and mitigate the impact of unexpected events.
Coordinating with Emergency Response Teams
Coordinating with emergency response and risk management teams is key to managing business disruption and continuity during crisis.
When working with these teams remember to:
- Establish Clear Communication Channels: Confirm communication lines are open and working well to coordinate.
- Collaborate on Damage Mitigation Strategies: Work together to develop plans to reduce the impact of the hazard.
- Practice Regular Drills and Training: Run drills and training to improve emergency preparedness and response.
Business Continuity Planning for Long term Success
Business continuity planning is a foundation for a company’s operations’ long term success and sustainability in the face of disruption and crisis.
When considering a business continuity strategy and planning for long term success you should consider:
- Risk Mitigation: By identifying scenarios and doing a business impact analysis (BIA) you can pre-empt vulnerabilities and reduce the impact of crisis.
- Crisis Management: Business continuity planning gives you emergency management strategies and tools to manage disruption and keep critical business functions running.
- Compliance: Following the guidance on the use of standards like the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) means your organisation will have a business continuity management framework for long term success.
FAQs
What is BCP in Healthcare?
In healthcare BCP means Business Continuity Planning. It ensures critical operations can continue operating during an emergency by developing plans to maintain patient care and operational functions. BCP covers disasters and cyber threats.
What is BCP in Work?
In work BCP or Business Continuity Plan means operations continue after disaster. It includes plans to prevent and recover from threats. Define risks, implement controls, test procedures to protect people, assets and get back up and running quickly.
What does BCP Test Stand For?
To be ready and effective BCP tests stand for Business Continuity Plan tests. By simulating disasters and testing responses you’ll find weaknesses and improve your plan. Regular testing keeps your plan current and robust.
What’s in a BCP Plan?
In a BCP plan you’ll find plans for maintaining critical functions during disruption, key personnel roles, communication procedures and recovery steps for data loss. Risk assessments, business impact analysis, recovery strategies, data backup and testing are key components.
Summary
Business Continuity Planning (BCP) is key to your organisation’s ability to withstand unexpected disruption. By doing a Business Impact Analysis (BIA), developing a plan and testing it you can protect your business and reduce damage.
Remember BCP isn’t a one off exercise but an ongoing process to protect your long term business. Be prepared, be proactive and be ahead of the game with a BCP in place.
Chris Ekai is a Risk Management expert with over 10 years of experience in the field. He has a Master’s(MSc) degree in Risk Management from University of Portsmouth and is a CPA and Finance professional. He currently works as a Content Manager at Risk Publishing, writing about Enterprise Risk Management, Business Continuity Management and Project Management.