13+ Business Continuity Plan Templates and Samples – PDF
Nothing really runs as smoothly as possible. Chances are things will often go wrong whenever there is a possibility to do so. Such is Murphy’s law. These disruptions can be big or small. Yet, no matter the size of these disruptions, it is our nature as humans to adapt to such changes. No words encapsulate this spirit more than a piece of British World War II propaganda: “Keep Calm and Carry On”. You may also see Plan Templates.
This same human spirit of perseverance and ingenuity should be found in organizations should they wish to survive. As they are run by people and composed of people, an organization will also be subject to unforeseen struggles. In the best case, these incidents will be just minor inconveniences that will have no effect on the organization’s daily business.
However, there is also a worst case scenario and such a scenario would entail a stoppage of the organization’s affairs for an extended period of time. Such stoppage could mean a loss for the business that it could very well not recover from. You may also see Contingency Plan Templates.
Construction Business Continuity Plan Bundle
Business Continuity Plan Template
These are the times that a plan would be very helpful. Business plan, operational plan, strategic plan, operations plan – these are some plans that can help run a business. However, although these plans might contain contingency steps on how to deal with problems concerning the stoppage of business, they will not be too specific to it. A plan that usually works is the business continuity plans.
Business Continuity Plan Template
Business Continuity Plan Booklet Sample
fdic.govBusiness Continuity Plan Example
saqa.org.zaBusiness Continuity Plan Guideline and Sample
cambridge.gov.ukBusiness Continuity Planning
Business continuity planning or business continuity and resiliency planning is the process of creating systems of prevention and recovery to deal with potential threats of a company. Threats, in this case, can range from natural disasters (earthquakes, storms, floods, etc.) to human-caused catastrophe (war, terrorism, sabotage, etc.). Any event that could negatively impact the usual operations of the company such as, supply chain interruption, loss of or damage to critical infrastructure, should be included in the plan. You may also see Farm Business Plan Templates
This makes business continuity planning a subset of risk management. The main purpose of a business continuity plan is to outline a range of disaster scenarios and the steps in the response that the business will take in such scenarios. These plans are written ahead of time and can also include precautions to be put in place. All in all, a business continuity plan is a set of contingencies to minimize potential harm to an organization during adverse scenarios. You may also see HR Consulting Business Plan Templates
FEMA Business Continuity Plan Template
fema.govEmergency Preparedness and Business Continuity Plan
uschamber.comDisaster Management & Business Continuity Plan
tatapower.com
tatapower.comSample Business Continuity Plan
bc.eduWhat makes up a Business Continuity Plan
A business plan is the overall plan of your business. It includes all the plans that your business needs to accomplish the goals it needs to accomplish. Obviously, the business continuity plan will be part of the business plan. The size and complexity of this business continuity plan will depend on the size and complexity of your business. However, to make a business continuity plan or BCP, it will need to have the following elements: You may also see Advertising Business Plan Templates.
1. Introduction – This section includes information on the distribution of your plan, its objective and a summary of the common terms that are used in the plan. The introduction will also contain these aspects.
- Distribution List – This section will include where the copies of the plan are stored in case of the destruction of the original. The persons needing a copy of the plan and other associated documents and checklists for specific incidents. You may also see Personal Business Plan Templates.
- Executive Summary – Just like in the other kinds of plans, the executive summary is usually written last. The executive summary provides the overall picture of your business continuity plan. It details which information you consider as your priorities. It will also include an overview of what will be needed to do to continue in case of your business is affected by an incident. You may also see Free Business Plan Templates.
- Objectives – This section outlines what you hope to accomplish with your business continuity plan. This usually guides your staff in understanding what is expected of them in the event of such an incident.
- Glossary – This section usually explains the terms, definitions, and acronyms that litter the ages of the plan.
2. Risk Management Plan – The risk management plan identifies the critical business activities of your organization. It will evaluate these risks and strategize to minimize the impacts of these risks. As such, the risk management plan will list the potential risks for your business, analyze the likelihood of each risk happening, evaluate the consequences of the risk should it happen, make a priority of which risk to deal with first and manage these said risks.
- Business Impact Analysis – The business impact analysis is a section of the risk management plan that identifies which activities in your business are key to its survival. As such, it can help identify the resources needed to support each activity, the impact on your business in the result of the stoppage of such activities, and an estimate of the business’ survival in the stoppage of these activities. You may also see IT Business Plan Templates
3. Incident Response Plan – This section contains all the information you will need to respond immediately before and after an incident or crisis. The section may also contain any documents and plans attached to it such as an evacuation plan. Your incident response plan may include the sections below depending on the size of your business.
- Plan Activation – The introductory part of your incident response plan should include a clear statement on the conditions when the plan will be activated. It should also include details of which staff are responsible to activate the plan. You may also see Sample Business Plan Templates in Word.
- Incident Response Team – The number of staff you have will be the basis of how you will put together your incident response team. Having a bigger staff could be advantageous as you will be able assign different people for different duties and suitable backups. Smaller business meanwhile, may find that all their staff will be needed if an incident occurs.
- Communications and Contact List – Both these sections are concerned with communication part of the incident response plan. The details included in this section are the methods of communication and timings needed to keep everyone safe and restart your business in the event of an incident. It should also detail the contact list of key people that are needed as well as their emergency contacts.
4. Recovery Plan – A business continuity plan is a plan that is used to guide the company on the way to recover and continue their business in case of any untoward incidents, As such, it should have a plan on how to resume business. That is just what a recovery plan is. The recovery plan outlines the steps you will need to take to get your business running again. Ideally, it should include a realistic time frame in which the business can run its operations back on track to minimize financial losses. You may also see Business Operation Plan Templates.
5. Plan Testing and Monitoring – Like all the other kinds of plans, a business continuity plan needs to be evaluated in order to observe its effectiveness. Such testing is even more important for the BCP as it can be the main factor if the business has any chance of resuming after a catastrophic incident. The testing and maintenance section should include the details about how you will test the reliability of your BCP and keep it up to date. This section should include strategies and schedules for testing the plan, review and update timetables and deadlines, and a detailed revision history or changelog. You may also see Small Business Planner Templates
Sample Continuity Plan
sid.cam.ac.ukBusiness Continuity Management Plan
assets.kpmg.comSimple Business Continuity Plan Template
rimpa.com.auVoluntary Organisation Business Continuity Plan Template
durham.gov.ukBusiness Continuity Plan for Members
eatonfamilycu.comStandard Business Continuity Plan
robe.sa.gov.auConclusion
Disaster can strike at any time and anywhere. These incidents are what you can consider to include in the threats section of your SWOT analysis. These so-called incidents can range from the naturally occurring like earthquakes, storms, and volcanic eruptions to human-caused incidents like piracy, sabotage, war, and terrorism. Plans should be put in place to mitigate the potential loss that a business may incur during these catastrophes. You may also see Advertising and Marketing Business Plan Templates.
A Business Continuity Plan is one such plan for that purpose. Such a plan is included in the overall business plan of the company. Its main use is to guide the employees of a business in times of emergency. Through a BCP, you can assign some employees as your emergency response team while serving as their guide during disaster recovery. A BCP also has used before the incident. It can serve as a way to identify the potential disasters, assess their impact and prioritize which ones to handle first. Lastly, it can contain emergency contact numbers that are essential for a fast response time. Without a BCP put into place, the business might have a hard time to recover after catastrophic incidents. You may also see Microsoft Business Plan Templates.
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