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INTRODUCTION
The Water Research Foundation (Foundation) is a non-profit organization dedicated to
developing and implementing scientifically sound research to assist drinking water
utilities in meeting regulatory requirements and addressing high-priority challenges.
The objective of a BCP should be clearly stated in its introduction, as well as an
explanation of the plan's scope, legal background, usage, assumptions, and
integration with other plans.Business continuity planning must be ingrained in a
utility's culture and, as a result, be compatible with the utility's objective. Providing a
consistent supply of high-quality water is frequently part of the utility's mission. As a
result, the goal of the business continuity planning process should be specified
accordingly.
STATISTICAL INFORMATION
This component of the BCP outlines succession plans, which may be required in the event
that the BCP is activated. It's crucial to understand that succession planning's goal in
the context of a BCP is to document back-up employees for persons who perform
time-essential tasks or make time-critical judgments. This isn't meant to be a
replacement for formal long-term management succession planning. Specific
positions with essential legal or operational functions or authorities that are crucial to
the water system's mission require succession planning. Succession planning is the
process of determining who will take over an incumbent's position if they are absent
or incompetent for an extended period of time. The lines of succession differ from the
delegation of power outlined in Section 7.0 in that the person filling the vacant post
assumes full responsibility for the vacant position, rather than merely the capacity
and authorization to perform one or more specific duties.
There may not be a need for a line of succession for all positions, though it may be more than just
managerial responsibilities that need to be assessed. Some positions that may require a succession plan
include:
• Utility Director
• Public Information Officer / Public Relations Specialist
• IT Manager
• Safety Manager
• Plant Superintendents
• Plant Operators
• Inspectors
• SCADA Technician
• Utility Crew Leaders
• Maintenance Technicians
During succession planning, the following guidelines should be kept in mind:
• Follow NIMS and ICS guidelines.
• Use titles rather than actual names, such as the Director position defaulting to the
Assistant Director, and then the lead engineer, etc. All titles should cross-reference to
current names in a contact list in the appendix of the BCP.
• Identify the duration of time that an incumbent is unavailable or incapacitated that may
trigger the succession process.
• Be sure not to have all positions defaulting to the same person. For instance, if the
Director and Assistant Director are unavailable, the lead engineer may not be able to
fill both duties.
• Keep employees informed if they are expected to fill a role, and train them on how to
perform that role.
• Make sure that all lines of succession are at least three personnel deep.
• Ensure that succession plans are known in advance by employees to prevent surprises in
the event of BCP activation.
• Consider using positions at more than one location to increase the resiliency of a
succession plan.