[OR] eBook Chapter 7: The Sustain Phase of OR Planning Methodology

Building Resilience Over Time: The Sustain Phase of Operational Resilience

The Plan and Implement phases establish the foundation of your Operational Resilience (OR) program.  However, true resilience requires ongoing commitment and continuous improvement.  

The Sustain Phase focuses on embedding OR into the fabric of your organization, ensuring it remains dynamic and effective over time.  This phase consists of five key stages that guide you in sustaining a culture of resilience within your organization.

Stage 1: Foster a Culture of Change

Building a resilient organisation requires a cultural shift. This stage involves integrating OR principles into your change management processes and procedures.

Here, you focus on changing behaviours and mindsets to create an environment where everyone embraces and champions operational resilience.  This can involve:

• Promoting OR awareness: Educate your workforce about the importance of OR and how it contributes to the organisation's success.
• Embedding OR in decision-making: Integrate OR considerations into all business decisions, from strategic planning to daily operations.
• Incentivising resilience practices: Recognise and reward employees who contribute to building and maintaining a resilient organization.

By fostering a cultural shift towards resilience, you create a workforce actively protecting your CBS from disruptions.

Stage 2: Develop a Clear Communication Strategy

Effective communication is vital during disruptions. This stage involves creating a comprehensive communication strategy that outlines how information will be disseminated internally and externally during disruptions.  The strategy should be clearly defined:

• Roles and responsibilities: Who communicates with different stakeholders during disruptions?
• Communication channels: What channels will be used to communicate with employees, customers, partners, and regulators?
• Messaging: What key messages must be communicated to maintain transparency and trust during disruptions?

A clear communication strategy ensures everyone is informed and understands their role in navigating disruptions effectively.

Stage 3: Invest in Training and Awareness

A well-trained and informed workforce is crucial for maintaining operational resilience. This stage focuses on implementing training and awareness programs to equip your teams with the knowledge and skills to manage disruptions effectively.  

Here is the key difference between training and awareness:

• Training: Provides specific skills needed to perform an OR function, such as incident response procedures or recovery plan execution.
• Awareness: Focuses on raising awareness of OR issues and how individual actions can contribute to a culture of resilience.

By combining targeted training with broader awareness initiatives, you ensure your workforce is prepared to respond effectively to disruptions at all levels of the organization.

Stage 4: Document Your OR Journey

Documenting your OR journey is essential for demonstrating compliance with regulations and tracking your progress.

This stage involves creating comprehensive documentation that details how your organization has approached operational resilience. This documentation should include:

• OR strategy and roadmap
• Risk assessments and mitigation plans
• Incident response plans and recovery procedures
• Communication plans and training materials

Maintaining clear documentation allows you to demonstrate progress to regulators and stakeholders and is a valuable resource for continuous improvement.

Stage 5: Continuous Monitoring and Improvement

The final stage of the Sustain Phase emphasizes the cyclical nature of OR. This stage involves conducting independent quality reviews of your OR program.

These reviews provide an objective assessment of your program's effectiveness and identify areas for improvement.

Following the review, initiate a continuous improvement process to address identified weaknesses and adapt your OR program to evolving threats and regulations.  This ensures your program remains dynamic and effective in an ever-changing business landscape.

Summing Up ...

By following these five stages in the Sustain Phase, you transform OR from a project into an ongoing practice. This ensures your organization remains resilient in the face of disruptions, adapts to changing threats, and thrives in the long run.

More Information About Operational Resilience Course OR-5000 [OR-5] or OR-300 [OR-3]

To learn more about the course and schedule, click the buttons below for the OR-300 Operational Resilience Implementer [OR-3] course and the  OR-5000 Operational Resilience Expert Implementer [OR-5] course.