[OR] [PBCOM] [E3] [C1] Starting Your OR Implementation

Chapter 1

Starting Your OR Implementation for the  Philippine Bank of Communications 

This eBook, “Starting Your OR Implementation,” represents the third and final instalment in the series “Strengthening Operational Resilience in The Philippine Bank of Communications.”

It is designed to transition The Philippine Bank of Communications (PBCOM) from planning and design into execution, focusing on the practical implementation of operational resilience (OR) across its critical business services.

While the earlier eBooks—“Understanding Your Organisation” and “Implementing OR Planning Methodology”—provide the conceptual foundation and structured methodology, this eBook serves as the execution blueprint.

It compiles and consolidates actual submissions from business units, translating theory into actionable outputs that align with regulatory expectations, such as BSP Circular No. 1203, and industry best practices.

This eBook is structured to reflect how operational resilience is implemented in practice: through detailed process-level analysis of critical business services, supported by dependency mapping, impact tolerance setting, and scenario-based testing.

It is therefore both a working document and an implementation guide, forming the basis for PBCOM’s operational resilience artefacts and regulatory readiness.

Purpose of This eBook

The purpose of this chapter is to provide a clear introduction to the implementation-focused eBook, outlining how operational resilience is operationalised within PBCOM through structured submissions from business units.

Specifically, this chapter aims to:

• Explain how this eBook builds upon the first two eBooks and transitions into implementation
• Clarify the scope and structure of the submissions, particularly at the detailed process (sub-CBS) level
• Provide readers with an understanding of the five key implementation stages that underpin operational resilience execution
• Prepare OR practitioners and stakeholders to contribute, review, and validate the implementation outputs

By the end of this chapter, readers will understand how this eBook functions as a practical guide and repository of implementation deliverables, enabling PBCOM to operationalise resilience in a structured and measurable manner.

This eBook is the culmination of a three-part operational resilience journey:

• eBook 1: Understanding Your Organisation
  Establishes the organisational context, operating environment, and key characteristics that influence resilience.

• eBook 2: Implementing OR Planning Methodology
  Defines the structured approach across the Plan, Implement, and Sustain phases.

• eBook 3: Starting Your OR Implementation (this eBook)
  Focuses on execution, translating methodology into business unit-level deliverables and operational outputs.

Together, these eBooks provide a comprehensive, end-to-end framework—from understanding and planning to implementation and continuous improvement.

Focus on Phase 2 [P2]: Operational Resilience in Action

Phase 2 of the Operational Resilience Planning Methodology is the point at which resilience concepts are embedded in day-to-day operations.

This eBook addresses the six key requirements of Phase 2 as requested by regulators globally,  namely:

1. Outline Detailed Processes (Phase 2 – Stage 1) [DP]
   Translating high-level business services into detailed, end-to-end operational processes that enable service delivery.
2. Map Dependency (Phase 2 – Stage 2) [MD]
   Identifying internal and external dependencies, including people, technology, data, facilities, third parties, and suppliers.
3. Map Processes and Resources (Phase 2 – Stage 2) [MPR]
   Establishing clear linkages between processes and the resources required to support them under normal and disrupted conditions.
4. Establish Impact Tolerances (Phase 2 – Stage 2) [iTo]
   Defining the maximum tolerable level of disruption for each critical business service, aligned with client harm, market integrity, financial stability, and regulatory expectations.
5. Identify Severe but Plausible Scenarios (Phase 2 – Stage 4) [SuPS]
   Developing stress scenarios that meaningfully challenge the organisation’s ability to remain within its defined impact tolerances.
6. Perform Scenario Testing (Phase 2 – Stage 4) [ST]
   Testing the organisation’s capability to withstand disruption and identifying vulnerabilities, control gaps, and areas for resilience enhancement.

Each of these requirements is explored in the context of the organisation’s operating model and service landscape.

This eBook focuses on the detailed operationalisation of resilience across eight Critical Business Services (CBS) within the Philippine Bank of Communications:

• CBS-1 Deposit and Account Services

• CBS-2 Payments and Funds Transfer Services

• CBS-3 Digital, ATM, and Branch-Based Customer Access

• CBS-4 Lending and Credit Facilities

• CBS-5 Cash Management and Corporate Transaction Banking Services

• CBS-6 Treasury, Foreign Exchange, and Liquidity-Related Services

• CBS-7 Trust, Investment Management, and Wealth Services

• CBS-8 Trade-Related Banking Services

Each CBS is analysed through the lens of process mapping, dependency identification, and scenario testing, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of vulnerabilities and resilience capabilities.

Each CBS is examined through the lens of process resilience, resource dependencies, tolerance thresholds, and scenario-driven vulnerabilities, enabling readers to understand not only what needs to be done, but how to do it in a structured, regulator-ready manner.

This eBook is designed for practitioners—risk managers, BCM professionals, operations leaders, compliance teams, and senior management—who are responsible for building, enhancing, or validating operational resilience capabilities.

It serves as both a hands-on implementation guide and a reference artefact, supporting consistency, traceability, and continuous improvement across the OR lifecycle.

This is a complimentary service offered by BCM Institute to organisations intending to implement an Operational Resilience project or enhance an existing Operational Resilience programme.

It is specifically designed to support organisations adopting the BCM Institute’s training-led implementation approach, where learning is directly integrated with real organisational deliverables.

For participants attending BCM Institute’s certification or competency-based training courses, this eBook serves as:

• A practical reference for applying training concepts to live organisational exercises,
• A structured guide for developing implementation artefacts, and
• A bridge between professional development and real-world resilience outcomes.

“Starting Your OR Implementation” serves as the bridge between strategy and execution for The Philippine Bank of Communications.

By compiling structured submissions across critical business services and aligning them with key implementation stages, this eBook transforms operational resilience from a conceptual framework into a practical, measurable, and testable capability.

As the final instalment in the series, it not only completes the operational resilience journey but also establishes a living framework that PBCOM can continuously refine, strengthen, and sustain in response to evolving risks and regulatory expectations.

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