Business Continuity Plan

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 A business continuity plan is a collection of information and procedures developed and maintained in readiness of
use in the event of a disruption. It aims for the recovery of activities and resources that are critical to the organization’s
ability of delivering products and services.

An effective business continuity plan has the following characteristics:

Distinct scope of activities needed to resume in order to support the organization’s delivery of products or
services

Plan-specific assumptions concerning the availability and prioritization of resources following the occurrence
of a disruption

Defined roles, responsibilities, and contact information of those responsible for executing recovery procedures

Work locations and communication strategy

Consideration of all possible threats associated with the business directly or indirectly

To create a successful business continuity plan, the organization should take the following steps:

1. Set objectives: When creating a business continuity plan, the first step is to define the objectives that the
organization hopes to achieve.
2. Select a team: The second step is selecting teams to work together in a disruptive situation. The team
members understand their roles and responsibilities in order to avoid confusion during business continuity
plan implementation.
3. Conduct a business impact analysis: This step aims to identify and prioritize the organization’s activities and
functions that are critical to the delivery of products or services so that adequate resources can be allocated
in the event of a disruption.
4. Create a plan for business continuity: This step covers the actual strategy to get the organization back on
track when facing a disruption.
5. Plan and conduct testing and training: The business plan should be tested several times in order to detect
the gaps that need to be improved and ensure that employees are well trained to prevent and react to any
disruption.
6. Maintain and update the plan: In order to be continuously effective, the business continuity plan needs to be
updated on a regular basis and every time the organization undergoes internal or external changes.

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 Strategies for preparing, handling, and overcoming any disruption:

Prevention strategy Response strategy Recovery strategy

This strategy involves measures This strategy involves responding This strategy involves steps to
taken before a disruption occurs to a disruption by activating the be taken in order to resume the
in order to prevent any potential business continuity plan and the activities after the occurrence of
damage. teams. a disruptive situation.

If organizations establish a business continuity plan, it will be easier to recover from a disaster or prevent any potential
threat. In case when a disruption occurs, the organization should be able to minimize its impact in the organization’s
functions.

About the author

Teuta Hyseni is a Course Development Manager at PECB. She is in charge of designing and developing training
courses and other supportive materials. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact her at:
teuta.training@pecb.com.

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