Does your business continuity plan need a makeover?

The first sign that your business continuity plan might need a makeover is that you don’t have one to make over. Business continuity is not an area that gets a lot of love in many organizations. It’s not pleasant to think about the things you hope will never happen to your business, and thinking about things you don’t expect to happen might feel like a waste of time. If this sounds familiar, your business continuity plan is probably in need of a makeover.

Why you need business continuity planning

If business continuity planning has taken a back seat in your business and you need some motivation for digging out, dusting off and updating your plan, let’s not forget that it comes with a number of advantages:

1. Cost savings: Business continuity planning can save organizations money; having a plan in place can significantly reduce response time in the event of an emergency and reduce the cost of recovery.
2. Survival: Hundreds of things could disrupt your business; it doesn’t take a catastrophe to slow you down, but business continuity planning will help you survive.
3. Revealing weakness: Planning for business continuity can help you identify weak points to focus on and make the organization stronger overall.
4. Competitive advantage: When trying to win business over your competition, having a business continuity plan could make you the more stable and safe choice.
5. Piece of mind: Having a solid business continuity plan in place means you’re taking control and have fewer things to worry about.

It’s time for a business continuity plan makeover

If you haven’t thought about or updated your business continuity plan in the last six months, it’s time. Here’s how you’ll know it needs to be updated:

• It’s outdated: If it’s been a while since you’ve reviewed your business continuity plan (even if you do have one) it’s outdated.
• It lacks priorities: Your business continuity plan should include a variety of risks, but some are more likely than others. Your list needs to set clear priorities for risks and response.
• No one knows about it: Your business continuity plan will only work if everyone knows about it. If you haven’t distributed your plan to key players on the team, it’s time to do that.
• You haven’t tested it: Don’t wait for crisis to see if your plan works, test it yearly or after any major changes to the plan.

Business as usual won’t get you thinking about business continuity planning. But, if you’re not planning and an emergency arises, there will be no business as usual, and maybe no business at all. Planning is key for quick recovery, and even if disaster doesn’t strike, business continuity planning can help to improve your business and save money over all. With all the benefits, it is time to check in to see if your business continuity plan needs a makeover.