In a perfect world, your organization would be able to withstand any significant business-impacting event. Threats like a cyber attack or IT outage would be taken in stride, with a well-orchestrated response guided by a carefully executed business continuity plan.
This scenario certainly exists in plenty of organizations around the world. But in the meantime, many other companies are struggling to find the time, resources, and insight they need to get a handle on the types of threats that might hurt the business and to develop an effective plan for ensuring continuity.
Consider your own organization. How prepared is it for a business-impacting event? If a significant incident was to occur tomorrow, would you be able to confidently weather the storm, or would a lack of planning lead to chaos? Take our business continuity quiz to find out:
1. Do you have a business continuity plan in place?
A. Yes. We have a complete plan in place.
B. Somewhat. We have a basic plan, but we haven’t been able to flesh it out or finalize it.
C. No. We don’t have a formal plan.
2. When was your plan last updated?
A. Relatively recently. We update our plan regularly to account for emerging threats, business changes, new regulations, etc.
B. Not for a while. We revisit our plan occasionally, but it probably needs to be updated to account for some recent changes.
C. I don’t know. We have no record of plan updates, so I’m not sure how out of date it might be.
3. Is the plan easily accessible for relevant employees?
A. Yes. Members of our business continuity management (BCM) steering committee, as well as other key employees, can access the plan whenever or wherever they need it using a mobile device.
B. Not quite. Our plan is stored in binders or on our intranet, so employees have to be on site and/or have intranet access to view it.
C. No. Our plan is stored in a single location, such as an office, and employees cannot access it at will.
4. Is the plan actionable?
A. Yes. The plan includes full-fledged playbooks that provide relevant information and guide stakeholders through their individual roles.
B. Somewhat. Stakeholders have access to the information they need, but it’s not in a user-friendly or easily referenced format, which can slow them down.
C. No. Stakeholders cannot readily access the information they need to help keep the business operational.
5. Does the plan segment information by role, situation, location, etc.?
A. Yes. Our plan is segmented by role, situation, and location and clearly defines who is in charge—locally, regionally, and/or nationally—of various key functions.
B. Somewhat. The plan is broken down into segments, but it still requires a lot of searching to find the right information.
C. No. Our documents are long-winded and bulky, and employees often struggle to find the information they need.
6. Does the plan account for all potential threats?
A. Yes. Before writing our plan, we performed a full business impact analysis (BIA) to identify all time-sensitive and business-critical functions and processes, as well as the resources that support them.
B. Somewhat. We had a general idea of the threats facing our company, and we built our plan to account for them. However, there may be additional or new threats that are not currently accounted for.
C. No. We did not perform a BIA, and we are not sure if our plan accounts for all potential threats.
7. Does the plan prioritize critical business functions and processes?
A. Yes, there’s an emphasis on those functions and processes that are mission-critical.
B. Somewhat, but we still have work to do.
C. No. We still need to identify business-critical aspects.
8. Does the plan enable quick, reliable communication among stakeholders?
A. Yes, we use mobile technology to communicate.
B. Somewhat. We use email and some text messaging.
C. No. We use landlines, intranet announcements, and email.
9.How often is your plan reviewed and tested?
A. Regularly.
B. Not as often as it should be.
C. Never.
10. Do you have a training program in place for your business continuity plan?
A. Yes, we have a robust training program.
B. Somewhat. We train key stakeholders, but the program could use some improvement.
C. No, we do not have a training program in place.
Find Your Score
To determine your score, tally your total number of As, Bs, and Cs.
If you answered mostly As:
Congratulations—your organization is well-prepared. You have prioritized your company’s mission-critical resources, and you have an up-to-date plan in place for ensuring resilience. Your plan is easily accessible for all relevant employees, and business continuity leaders can reliably communicate during an incident. Be sure you stay prepared by regularly training your people and updating your plan as needed.
If you answered mostly Bs:
Your organization is somewhat prepared. However, there is room for improvement. It’s important that your planning efforts account for all potential threats to the business and include an actionable, up-to-date plan. If your stakeholders have difficulty accessing and referencing your plan during an incident, consider implementing a mobile business continuity platform that provides role- and situation-based digital playbooks and anytime/anywhere access. Be sure to look for a solution with real-time messaging and push notifications to ensure a fast, confident response.
If you answered mostly Cs:
Unfortunately, your organization is unprepared. You urgently need to work on strengthening your business’s resilience to ensure it can survive a crisis. Consider creating a business continuity plan using a mobile BCM platform, which allows you to create actionable, digital playbooks that are conveniently segmented by role, situation, and location. Employees will have instant access to the information they need to help get the business back to normal, as well as real-time messaging, incident reporting, and push notification features that enable seamless communication among stakeholders. Meanwhile, updates can be made and pushed out instantly, and training is simplified and easier to track.
If your organization isn’t truly ready for its next crisis, now is the time to explore ways to enhance your preparedness. In an ideal world, your organization would be fully ready at any moment, with an operationalized, well-orchestrated plan that is readily accessible to everyone who needs it. By strategically deploying a BCM app, your business will be able to make that goal a reality.
