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Planning Business Continuity: Avoid Mistakes & Build Resilience
Planning business continuity is essential for keeping your business running during unexpected events. Whether it’s a cyberattack, natural disaster, or supply chain issue, having a plan in place helps you respond quickly and minimise downtime. In this blog, you’ll learn what goes into a strong business continuity plan (BCP), how to identify critical business functions, and the best practices for testing and maintaining your plan. We’ll also cover how to align your continuity planning with your business needs and stakeholder expectations.
What planning business continuity really means
Planning business continuity means preparing your organisation to keep operating during and after a disruption. It’s not just about reacting to emergencies—it’s about being ready before they happen. This includes identifying potential risks, understanding how they could impact your business, and setting up strategies to reduce their effects.
A strong BCP outlines how your business will continue essential services, protect data, and recover quickly. It covers everything from IT systems to people, suppliers, and physical locations. You’ll need to conduct a business impact analysis (BIA) to identify critical functions and understand how long your business can operate without them. This helps you prioritise recovery strategies and allocate resources effectively.
Key steps to build a business continuity plan that actually works
Creating a reliable BCP involves more than just filling out a template. Here are the essential steps to make sure your plan is practical and effective.
Step 1: Identify critical business functions
Start by listing the business activities that are essential to daily operations. These could include customer service, order processing, or IT support. Knowing what’s critical helps you focus your planning efforts.
Step 2: Conduct a business impact analysis (BIA)
A BIA helps you understand the impact of disruptions on your business. It looks at how long you can afford to be without certain functions and what the financial or operational consequences would be.
Step 3: Assess potential risks and threats
Think about what could go wrong—cyberattacks, natural disasters, supplier failures, or power outages. This risk management step helps you prepare for the most likely and damaging scenarios.
Step 4: Define roles and responsibilities
Everyone in your organisation should know what to do during a crisis. Assign clear roles and responsibilities so there’s no confusion when it matters most.
Step 5: Develop recovery strategies
Plan how you’ll restore critical functions. This might include using backup systems, relocating staff, or working with alternative suppliers.
Step 6: Document your plan
Write down your continuity planning strategies in a clear, easy-to-follow format. Use a template if needed, but customise it to fit your business.
Step 7: Test and update regularly
Use tabletop exercises and business continuity tests to check if your plan works. Update it as your business grows or changes.
Essential features of a strong continuity plan
A good BCP should include the following:
- Clear identification of critical business functions and processes
- A detailed business impact analysis with recovery time objectives
- Risk assessments covering cyber, physical, and operational threats
- Defined roles and responsibilities for all stakeholders
- Communication plans for staff, suppliers, and emergency services
- Regular testing and updates to keep the plan current
Why cyber threats must be part of your continuity planning
Cybersecurity is a major concern for businesses of all sizes. A single cyberattack can shut down systems, expose data, and damage your reputation. That’s why your BCP must include plans for cyber incidents.
Include steps for incident response, such as isolating affected systems and notifying stakeholders. Make sure your IT team knows how to restore backups and secure your network. Also, train staff to recognise phishing and other cyber threats. This helps build a more resilient organisation.
Common mistakes to avoid when planning business continuity
Even with the best intentions, many businesses make avoidable errors. Here’s what to watch out for.
Mistake 1: Ignoring supply chain dependencies
If your suppliers can’t deliver, your operations may stop. Include contingency plans for key suppliers and consider alternative options.
Mistake 2: Failing to involve key stakeholders
Your plan won’t work if the right people aren’t involved. Include department heads, IT, HR, and external partners in your planning process.
Mistake 3: Overlooking non-IT functions
Business continuity isn’t just about IT. Think about customer service, logistics, and other critical functions that keep your business running.
Mistake 4: Not testing the plan
A plan that’s never tested may fail when it’s needed most. Use tabletop exercises and real-world simulations to check its effectiveness.
Mistake 5: Using a one-size-fits-all template
Every business is different. Customise your plan to match your specific business needs and risks.
Mistake 6: Forgetting about communication
During a crisis, clear communication is vital. Include contact lists and predefined messages in your plan.
Best practices for maintaining your business continuity plan
To keep your BCP effective, follow these best practices:
- Review and update the plan at least once a year
- Involve all departments in updates and testing
- Document lessons learned from each test or real incident
- Train new employees on their roles in the plan
- Align the plan with your overall risk management strategy
- Keep copies of the plan in multiple secure locations
How soma technology group can help with planning business continuity
Are you a business with 20 to 1000 employees looking to improve your business continuity planning? If you're growing fast, managing more data, or relying on more systems, it’s time to make sure your continuity plan can keep up.
At soma technology group, we help businesses build and maintain practical, effective continuity plans. Our team works with you to identify critical functions, assess risks, and create a tailored plan that fits your operations.
Frequently asked questions
What is a business continuity plan and why do I need one?
A business continuity plan outlines how your business will continue operating during and after a disruption. It helps you protect critical business functions and minimise downtime. Without one, even a short disruption can have a major business impact.
It also supports disaster recovery by guiding your response to incidents like cyberattacks or natural disasters. A good plan includes recovery strategies, communication steps, and roles and responsibilities.
How does continuity planning differ from disaster recovery?
Continuity planning focuses on keeping your business running during a disruption. It includes all business activities, not just IT. Disaster recovery is a part of this—it’s specifically about restoring IT systems and data.
Together, they help your organisation stay resilient. Continuity planning also includes business impact analysis, risk management, and contingency plans for suppliers and operations.
How often should we run a business continuity test?
You should test your plan at least once a year. More frequent tests may be needed if your business changes rapidly or faces high risks. Testing helps you find gaps and improve your plan.
Use tabletop exercises to simulate real scenarios. Involve key stakeholders and document lessons learned. This keeps your plan aligned with your business needs.
What are the key components of a strong BCP?
A strong BCP includes a business impact analysis, risk assessment, recovery strategies, and communication plans. It should also define roles and responsibilities clearly.
Don’t forget to include your supply chain and emergency services contacts. Your plan should be easy to follow and updated regularly to reflect changes in your business operations.
How do I build a business continuity plan from scratch?
Start by identifying critical functions and conducting a business impact analysis. Then assess risks and define recovery strategies. Assign roles and document everything clearly.
Use a template if needed, but customise it for your organisation. Include contingency plans for suppliers and test your plan regularly to ensure it works.
What role does incident response play in business continuity?
Incident response is the immediate action taken when a disruption occurs. It’s a key part of your BCP and helps reduce the impact of incidents.
It includes steps like isolating affected systems, notifying stakeholders, and starting recovery processes. A strong incident response plan supports your overall resilience and helps you recover faster.
