Keeping a business operating without major interruptions is essential. However most businesses are vulnerable to abnormal events that can severely restrict normal operations. The ability to develop action plans that can be quickly and effectively implemented can significantly reduce the effects of abnormal events.
Few managers will disagree that well thought out and implemented business continuity plans significantly reduce the initial and flow-on effects of abnormal adverse events. While developing plans is usually a challenge, effectively implementing these plans in crisis can be extremely difficult.
One of the greatest challenges is ensuring that all relevant people can clearly identify what they need to do, when, and with whom. During implementation, adjustments need to be made progressively to meet the needs of the prevailing situation.
Based on experience from developing and implementing business continuity plans across a large national organization, TASKey has developed a business continuity planning and implementing capability that:
· Makes it easy for managers to develop plans that incorporate the inputs from many people
· Instantly informs all contributors that the plan has been initiated and confirms what they are expected to do.
· Makes it easy for each contributor to report that they have completed their actions
· Informs all relevant stakeholders of progress and changes that affect them
· Keeps a record of key actions and changes, so plan implementation can be reviewed and improved.
The capability can employ web and/or mobile phone communications to maintain real-time connectivity with stakeholders. So in the event that a business continuity plan needs to be initiated within an organization, it is very likely that continuity plan contributors can be communicated to from outside the organization’s IT infrastructure (if needed).
Most importantly the relevant parts of a business continuity plan need to be presented clearly from the perspective of each contributor. Where more than one business continuity plan is implemented concurrently, an aggregated list of actions is required.
Based on this aggregated list, each contributor can quickly assess their ability to complete their contribution. Most importantly a contributor can quickly identify situations where they are over tasked. This gives their managers time to make other arrangements.
With an effective business continuity planning and implementing capability, businesses are less vulnerable to abnormal events that can severely restrict normal operations.
More information can be found at www.me2team.com and www.taskey.com.