In our previous article we looked, in depth, into what a business continuity plan was and how you could go about starting to create one for your business. However, this is only the beginning of the journey of ensuring continuity for your business. The next step is to test your plan to ensure its effectiveness as you don’t want to find out about the flaws in it mid disaster. Like all other safety measures the effectiveness needs be tested. A controlled test provides the chance to learn more about the strategy, spot any gaps, and make any necessary improvements.
In fact, you may think it sounds a little absurd however it is probably the best idea to try and break your plan. Make the tested scenario as severe as possible because you don’t want to end up with a fair weather to light drizzle business continuity plan. You want a hurricane season plan.
The majority of firms do tests three times a year, although the frequency depends on your business and the state of the industry. For instance, it might be advantageous to do them more frequently if your workforce has a high turnover rate or if IT modifications have been made since the last test. Structured walk-throughs of scenarios and “tabletop” activities are two examples of different tests. In a table-top exercise, key team members analyse and deconstruct the plan to ensure that every aspect of the organisation is covered.
Some “tabletop” conversations are a lot more organised. Each team member will go over the pertinent section of the strategy with them in order to point out any previously hidden flaws. Since different disasters will affect different departments in different ways, this is typically done with a specific calamity in mind. Weaknesses will inevitably be discovered; after they have been fixed, the plan should be updated and redistributed as soon as possible to let everyone know what has happened.
To be ready for a crisis, it is also strongly advised to hold an evacuation drill, however this is not always part of the plan. Then, you will be aware of any individuals who require special transportation to safety.
Although it might seem excessive, it is advised that you simulate a disaster once a year, often known as a “full disaster simulation.” Utilize all the tools and personnel that would typically be used to create a disaster-like atmosphere as closely as you can. You’ll be able to tell for sure if you do this if a crisis occurs whether you’ll be able to carry on as usual or not. Making people better is your goal; catching folks off guard is not.
Review and improve your business continuity plan
You have already spent a lot of time and energy developing and testing your business continuity strategy. After doing so, many businesses abandoned the strategy and spent more time on other important duties while waiting for a calamity. Although it makes sense, this is not the greatest course of action because it will allow plans to grow stale and useless when they are needed.
Your staff is changing along with the technology; thus your business continuity strategy needs to be updated as well. Ensure that you are gathering important individuals and that everyone is aware of their responsibilities in the event of a disaster.
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