Develop the Plan [2b]: Implementation Plans

In the earlier business continuity strategy or crisis strategy phase (See blog on BC strategy and Crisis Strategy for CM & CC), we developed 3 sets of strategies

Business Continuity Management

1. Mitigation strategies that focus on reducing the risk of catastrophic events or crisis scenario to the organization,
2. Response strategies that focus on how the organization as a whole would respond to a disruptive incident or crisis scenario, and finally,

3. Recovery strategies that focus on getting critical business functions operational again after a disruption.

Crisis Management (CM) and Crisis Communication (CC)

While in the crisis strategy for crisis management (CM) and crisis communication (CC), there are the strategies:

1. Crisis Prevention
2. Crisis Response

Implement Business Continuity Strategy

These strategies may need to be consolidated for better management and coordination. For example, during an BC activation, several business units may require alternate site seats for business recovery; instead of allowing individual business units to search out their  own alternate sites, the Organization BCM Coordinator may need to consolidate the total number of alternate site seats required by various business units and set up one site to house all recovery teams. 

Upon approval by management, the BCM team would then have to turn these approved strategies into reality. This is when Implementation plans are drawn up to do this. 

Examples of implementation plans and documentation include terms of reference for BC, CC and CM  teams and nomination of team members, coordinating and arranging for plan writing workshops, consolidating requirements for alternate sites and evaluation criteria, and plans for implementing an automated staff notification and accounting system.

Depending on the size and complexity of the organization, each of these may constitute a project in themselves.

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