*Updated* Your Step-by-step Start to BCM audits.

Business Continuity Management or BCM is “a holistic management process that identifies potential threats to an organization and the impacts to business operations those threats, if realized, might cause, and which provides a framework for building organizational resilience with the capability for an effective response that safeguards the interests of its key stakeholders, reputation, brand and value-creating activities.”

Consequence of Poorly Managed Incident

Businesses are subject to disruptions of varying severity. An incident, emergency or event, if not managed properly, can escalate to become a disaster or crisis. Besides creating an unplanned disruption that can tarnish an organization's image, in the extreme case, this incident if not properly managed can result in significant physical or environmental damage.  It may cause significant injuries to employees or even death. For example, a fire outbreak if not brought under control quickly can result in grave consequences. Organizations should, therefore, be prepared for an incident before it occurs to minimize its impact should it happen.

An ISO22301 Standard BCM Planning Approach

As defined in BCMPedia, the BCM planning methodology is the planning process for the implementation of any BC plan. The seven-phase approach are as follows:

• Project Management.
• Risk Analysis and Review.
• Business Impact Analysis.
• Business Continuity Strategy.
• Plan Development.
• Testing and Exercising.
• Program Management.

The BCM planning methodology, like any other planning process, provides a framework for requirements, effort, and deliverables, each phase leading into the next in an endlessly repeating cycle.