Auditing Business Continuity Management

BCM Questionnaires 10: Crisis Management

Written by Moh Heng Goh | Jul 7, 2021 8:56:30 AM

Crisis Management

Crisis Management or CM is the overall coordination of an organization's response to a crisis in an effective, timely manner, with the goal of avoiding or minimizing damage to the organization's profitability, reputation, or ability to operate.

This section is an extension of the Plan Development phase which focuses on the CM planning process.

High-Level Review

  • Have the members of the CM Team (CMT) been determined?
  • Are all members of the CMT aware of their roles?
  • Are they familiar with their roles and the relationship between the CM plan and the BC plan in the event of a disruption of business?
  • Are the Heads of the important (but not critical in crisis) support functions e.g. Audit, HR, Legal, Compliance, etc., aware of their high-level roles?
  • Has the CMT given discretionary authority to the BCM to enable him/her to promptly carry out his tasks with a minimum referral?
  • Are any of the duties for key personnel in the CMT in conflict with their duties in the Incident Management Team[1] (IMT) should a disruptive incident take place?
  • Have the key roles and responsibilities been evenly spread, with no one CMT or IMT member overburdened, or a key role, central to the success of the BC plan created?
  • Have alternates been appointed for each team member?

Crisis Management Plan

  • Have CMT members, who will also be IMT members, been clearly identified to reflect their dual roles?
  • Are all members of the CMT fully familiar with their duties in a crisis?
  • Are CMT members aware that once they have made the strategic decisions they will not (unless they are a part of the IMT) be directly involved in the implementation of the BC Plan?
  • Have the duties of the CMT members been evenly spread (with no one overburdened with some tasks) so that there will be no delay in the invocation of the plan?
  • Have alternates been nominated for each CMT member?
  • Are all CMT members familiar with how and when the CMT dovetails with the BC plan?
  • Have the CMT’s primary and secondary Command Centres been clearly stated?
  • Does either of the locations of the Command Centres conflict with the Incident Management Team’s Command Centres?
  • Are all members of the CMT familiar with the location of the CMT Command Centre?
  • Do all CMT members carry with them a copy of the summary of steps to be taken when exercising the CM Plan?
  • Does each CMT member have a separate action plan covering all his/her areas of responsibility?
  • Do the tasks in the CM plan follow a logical sequence?
  • Is the CM plan subject to at least six monthly tests and updates?

Crisis Communication Infrastructure

  • Are public service announcements feasible as a means of communication?
  • Is the reliance on radio broadcasts dependent on the existence of radio towers?
  • Is there a planned structure for communications, pre-approved messages, and dated voice mail?
  • Is the reliance on landlines over cellular phones because of stability and availability?

 

 

Resource

Goh, M. H. (2016). A Manager's Guide to Auditing and Reviewing Your Business Continuity Management Program. Business Continuity Management Series (2nd ed.). Singapore: GMH Pte Ltd.

Extracted from "BCM Questionnaires 10: Crisis Management"

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