Business Continuity Plan Sample
Offers Proven Planning Framework

Before getting into a business continuity plan sample and the how-to of it all, let's first review some important statements and statistics.

Yes! Let's work with the facts and not some unreliable old assumptions!

• Only 42% of companies that had experienced a crisis and also had a business continuity plan were successful in restoring their business.
• Many companies that focus on their business risks don't approach the potential risks in business continuity planning with the same focus and intensity.
• The two main reasons business continuity plans fail are:
  • The plan was based on incorrect assumptions rather than facts.
  • There was ineffective testing of the plan.
• Only 30% of companies actually test their plans because they fear it is too costly and difficult to conduct the tests.
• There is a big difference between goals, intentions and actions. All companies feel that having a business continuity plan is important. Most businesses intend to build such a plan, but few actually address the issue properly.
• If staff are picking up the plan for the first time when the building is on fire, then it's already too late.

If you're new to building these plans, or do not have the resources internally, then outsource this work to a consultant who:

• Has this expertise and knowledge,
• Is specific to your industry,
• Has the tools to build a business continuity plan sample rather than reinvent the wheel as there are many good tools out there.
• Can help you expose the gaps in your plan.

The role of the outsourcer should be one of a facilitator because it's important that the plan's content originate with and be owned by the people who will be using the plans.

Basic Principles

The business continuity management plan must be developed based on what drives the business. It must take into consideration the impact if the business cannot deliver its goods and services. The company must clearly understand what will happen if this does not exist.

• Keep it simple and don't try to build the "perfect" business continuity plan immediately. This is something that is built over time.
• Don't try to build a 100-page document that's too complicated for any members of your staff to use.
• Use terminology that is part of your everyday business activities, think bullet points, tables and flowcharts.
• It's impractical to build a plan that contains every conceivable scenario. Focus on those that are most likely to potentially happen.
• Look to the Internet as there are many tools out there to help you with this process.
• If you've been tasked with building this plan, make sure you don't become the sole owner. It should be owned by the many different contributors who helped build it.
• Don't store the plan in one central place. It should be stored off site and copies should be given to each of those people who are responsible for specific areas and tasks to execute the plan.
• To get the most out of business continuity, it must be meaningful to the staff and be approached with common sense. This also means that top management MUST be involved in every step. It's important you have their participation.
• Once you have built the plan, it must be tested and then retested annually. Make sure your test scenarios are meaningful to your employees.
• Make sure you allocate time to review and update the plan annually and in some cases, more frequently than that. The people who contributed to the building of the plan should be the ones who notify you that it needs to be updated.

Business Continuity Plan Sample

Okay, if you've read this far, then you must be interested in learning more. Want to see what goes into making a plan, its categories, possible content and some procedures? For a different take on the business continuity plan sample, please visit our "Business Continuity Plan Template" page.

Want to visit some of the industry's best resources for business continuity planning and disaster recovery? Organizations such as the following offer services that include training and certification:

• Business Continuity Institute
• Business Continuity Planners Association
• Disaster Recovery World
• Institute for Business Continuity Training

For further information on the business continuity plan sample, please visit our "Business Continuity Planning Training" page.

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