[BCM] [ALPS] [E1] [C6] Composing BCM Team

Composing BCM Team

 

Introduction

A Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) is only as effective as the people responsible for implementing, maintaining, and continually improving it.

While ISO 22301 provides the framework for establishing a BCMS, its successful implementation depends upon clearly defined governance, executive leadership, and competent personnel with assigned responsibilities.

Business continuity is therefore not solely the responsibility of a BCM Manager or a dedicated BCM department; it is an organisation-wide responsibility requiring active participation from senior management, business units, support functions, and operational teams.

For ALPS Healthcare (ALPS), composing the right BCM team is particularly important because the organisation supports Singapore's public healthcare system through strategic procurement, warehousing, logistics, supplier management, and healthcare supply chain operations.

A disruption affecting any of these functions can impact multiple public healthcare institutions simultaneously.

Consequently, the BCM team must represent all critical operational and support functions to ensure that continuity planning reflects the organisation's end-to-end operating model.

This chapter proposes an enterprise BCM governance structure for ALPS Healthcare that aligns with ISO 22301 requirements and reflects Singapore's healthcare operating environment.

It describes the recommended governance bodies, key roles and responsibilities, reporting relationships, and business unit participation required to establish an effective Business Continuity Management programme. 

 

Chapter Objectives

This chapter aims to:

• Explain the importance of an enterprise BCM governance structure.
• Align BCM team composition with ISO 22301 requirements.
• Recommend an organisation-wide BCM governance model for ALPS Healthcare.
• Define the roles and responsibilities of key BCM participants.
• Propose a Business Unit BCM Coordinator structure.
• Describe how the BCM team supports continual improvement of the Business Continuity Management System.

 

Purpose of the BCM Team

The Business Continuity Management Team is responsible for establishing, implementing, maintaining, monitoring, reviewing, and continually improving the Business Continuity Management System (BCMS).

 

Its primary responsibilities include:

• Establishing BCM governance.
• Coordinating BCM implementation.
• Conducting Business Impact Analyses.
• Performing Risk Analysis and Reviews.
• Developing Business Continuity Strategies.
• Preparing Business Continuity Plans.
• Organising training and awareness.
• Conducting testing and exercising.
• Monitoring programme performance.
• Reporting to senior management.

Rather than responding only during emergencies, the BCM team provides continuous governance throughout the BCMS lifecycle.

 

ISO 22301 Requirements for Organisational Roles

ISO 22301 requires top management to:

• Demonstrate leadership and commitment.
• Assign responsibilities and authorities.
• Ensure adequate resources are available.
• Support continual improvement.
• Promote organisational resilience.

Accordingly, ALPS Healthcare should establish a governance structure that clearly assigns BCM responsibilities at the strategic, tactical, and operational levels.

 

Proposed BCM Governance Structure for ALPS Healthcare

The following governance model is recommended for ALPS Healthcare.

 

Board of Directors
│
│
President / Chief Executive Officer
│
│
──────────────────────────────────────
BCM Steering Committee
──────────────────────────────────────
│
│
Enterprise BCM Manager
│
──────────────────────────────────────────────
│ │ │ │ │
Risk IT Supply Chain HR Corporate Services
Mgmt Recovery
│
──────────────────────────────────────────────
Business Unit BCM Coordinators
│
──────────────────────────────────────────────
Department BCM Representatives

This structure provides executive sponsorship while ensuring that BCM activities are coordinated across all business units.

 

Recommended BCM Organisation Structure

 

Board of Directors

The Board provides strategic oversight of organisational resilience.

Primary responsibilities include:

• Approving BCM policy.
• Reviewing organisational resilience.
• Supporting BCM investments.
• Receiving BCMS performance reports.
• Monitoring strategic risks.

Although day-to-day implementation is delegated, the Board remains accountable for organisational resilience governance.

 

President / Chief Executive Officer

The President or CEO acts as the Executive Sponsor of the BCMS.

Responsibilities include:

• Championing BCM.
• Providing executive leadership.
• Allocating resources.
• Approving major BCM initiatives.
• Supporting organisational resilience.
• Promoting BCM culture.

Executive commitment is critical to successful implementation.

 

BCM Steering Committee

The BCM Steering Committee provides enterprise governance.

Recommended membership includes:

• Chief Executive Officer (Chair or Sponsor)
• Chief Operating Officer
• Chief Financial Officer
• Chief Information Officer
• Head of Procurement
• Head of Supply Chain
• Head of Warehouse Operations
• Head of Human Resources
• Head of Risk Management
• Head of Corporate Communications
• BCM Manager

 

Primary responsibilities:

• Approve BCM strategy.
• Review implementation progress.
• Resolve cross-functional issues.
• Monitor organisational resilience.
• Approve BCM priorities.
• Review exercise outcomes.
• Monitor continual improvement.

The committee should meet quarterly, with additional meetings convened following major incidents or significant organisational changes.

 

Enterprise BCM Manager

The BCM Manager leads implementation of the BCMS.

Responsibilities include:

• Developing BCM methodology.
• Managing implementation projects.
• Coordinating Business Impact Analyses.
• Facilitating Risk Analysis and Review.
• Developing continuity strategies.
• Coordinating Business Continuity Plans.
• Managing training programmes.
• Conducting exercises.
• Reporting programme performance.
• Supporting audits.

The BCM Manager serves as the central coordinator of the BCMS.

 

Business Unit BCM Coordinators

Every major business unit should nominate a BCM Coordinator.

Recommended Business Unit Coordinators include:

 

Business Unit	BCM Coordinator
Strategic Procurement and Sourcing	Procurement BCM Coordinator
Pharmaceutical Procurement and Supply Management	Pharmaceutical Supply BCM Coordinator
Medical Supplies and Equipment Procurement	Medical Supply BCM Coordinator
Supplier and Vendor Management	Supplier Management BCM Coordinator
Contract and Purchase Order Management	Procurement Operations BCM Coordinator
Demand Planning and Supply Planning	Supply Planning BCM Coordinator
Inventory Management and Replenishment	Inventory BCM Coordinator
Warehouse and Storage Operations	Warehouse BCM Coordinator
Cold-Chain and Controlled Environment Logistics	Cold-Chain BCM Coordinator
Healthcare Distribution and Delivery Operations	Logistics BCM Coordinator
Supply Shortage and Supply Disruption Management	Supply Resilience BCM Coordinator
Procurement and Supply Chain Information Systems	IT BCM Coordinator
Supply Chain Data, Analytics and Reporting	Data Management BCM Coordinator
Quality Assurance and Product Traceability	Quality BCM Coordinator
Financial Operations and Supply Chain Administration	Finance BCM Coordinator
Human Resources	HR BCM Coordinator
Corporate Communications	Communications BCM Coordinator
Corporate Services	Corporate Services BCM Coordinator

These coordinators act as the primary BCM representatives for their respective business units.

 

Department BCM Representatives

Each department should appoint one or more BCM Representatives.

Responsibilities include:

• Maintaining departmental continuity plans.
• Supporting Business Impact Analyses.
• Participating in risk assessments.
• Coordinating plan reviews.
• Supporting exercises.
• Maintaining contact lists.
• Reporting organisational changes.
• Promoting BCM awareness.

These representatives ensure BCM activities are embedded within daily operations.

 

Specialist Support Teams

Several specialist functions should provide enterprise support to the BCMS.

 

Specialist Function	Primary BCM Responsibilities
Risk Management	Enterprise risk integration
Information Technology	ICT continuity and disaster recovery
Information Security	Cyber resilience
Human Resources	Workforce continuity
Facilities Management	Building recovery
Legal	Regulatory and contractual support
Finance	Emergency expenditure management
Procurement	Emergency sourcing
Corporate Communications	Internal and external communications
Internal Audit	Independent BCMS assurance

These teams provide specialist expertise during both planning and incident response.

 

Competencies Required

BCM team members should possess competencies appropriate to their roles.

These include:

• Understanding of ISO 22301.
• Knowledge of healthcare supply chains.
• Risk assessment skills.
• Business Impact Analysis facilitation.
• Incident management.
• Crisis communications.
• Leadership.
• Project management.
• Problem-solving.
• Analytical thinking.

Regular education, training, and exercises should be conducted to maintain competence.

 

Reporting Relationships

The recommended reporting structure is illustrated below.

Board of Directors
│
President / CEO
│
BCM Steering Committee
│
Enterprise BCM Manager
│
Business Unit BCM Coordinators
│
Department BCM Representatives

This governance structure ensures accountability while enabling efficient communication throughout the organisation.

 

Responsibilities Throughout the BCM Lifecycle

 

The BCM Team participates throughout the ISO 22301 implementation lifecycle.

 

BCM Activity	Primary Responsibility
Project Initiation	BCM Manager
Risk Analysis and Review	BCM Manager and Business Units
Business Impact Analysis	Business Unit Coordinators
Strategy Development	BCM Steering Committee
Plan Development	Business Unit Coordinators
Testing and Exercising	BCM Manager
Training and Awareness	BCM Manager and HR
Management Review	BCM Steering Committee
Internal Audit Support	BCM Manager
Continual Improvement	Entire BCM Team

 

This ensures consistent governance from programme initiation through continual improvement.

 

Success Factors for the BCM Team

An effective BCM team is characterised by:

• Strong executive sponsorship.
• Clear governance.
• Defined responsibilities.
• Cross-functional representation.
• Adequate resources.
• Regular communication.
• Ongoing training.
• Periodic exercises.
• Performance monitoring.
• Continual improvement.

 

These success factors help create a sustainable BCMS rather than a one-time compliance exercise.

 

Proposed BCM Organisation Structure for ALPS Healthcare

The following structure is recommended for implementing an enterprise-wide BCMS at ALPS Healthcare.

 

Board of Directors
│
President / Chief Executive Officer
│
────────────────────────────────────────
Business Continuity Steering Committee
────────────────────────────────────────
│
Enterprise BCM Manager
│
────────────────────────────────────────
 Procurement
Supply Chain
Warehousing
Logistics
│ Quality Assurance
│ Information Technology
│ Information Security
│ Finance
│ Human Resources
│ Corporate Communications
│ Corporate Services
│ Risk Management
────────────────────────────────────────
Business Unit BCM Coordinators
│
Department BCM Representatives

This structure provides enterprise governance while ensuring that every critical business function participates in maintaining organisational resilience.

 

Key Takeaways

• ISO 22301 requires clearly defined roles, responsibilities, and authorities for the Business Continuity Management System.
• Business continuity is an enterprise-wide responsibility requiring active participation from executive management, business units, and support functions.
• ALPS Healthcare should establish a multi-tier BCM governance structure comprising the Board, Executive Sponsor, BCM Steering Committee, Enterprise BCM Manager, Business Unit BCM Coordinators, and Department BCM Representatives.
• Cross-functional representation ensures that continuity planning addresses procurement, supply chain, warehousing, logistics, technology, quality assurance, finance, human resources, and corporate support functions.
• Competent personnel, supported by regular training, exercises, and management oversight, are essential to sustaining an effective and continually improving BCMS.

 

An effective Business Continuity Management System depends on a well-defined governance structure supported by competent personnel at every level of the organisation.

For ALPS Healthcare, where operational resilience directly supports Singapore's public healthcare supply chain, the BCM team must represent all critical operational and corporate functions to ensure that continuity planning reflects the organisation's end-to-end responsibilities.

Executive leadership, clear accountability, and cross-functional collaboration are essential to embedding business continuity into day-to-day operations rather than treating it as a standalone compliance activity.

The proposed governance structure presented in this chapter provides ALPS Healthcare with a practical framework for implementing ISO 22301.

By establishing a Board-level oversight function, an Executive Sponsor, a BCM Steering Committee, an Enterprise BCM Manager, Business Unit BCM Coordinators, and Department BCM Representatives, the organisation can ensure that continuity responsibilities are clearly assigned and effectively coordinated across the enterprise.

As the implementation programme progresses, this governance structure will enable ALPS Healthcare to conduct Business Impact Analyses, perform Risk Analysis and Reviews, develop continuity strategies, prepare Business Continuity Plans, conduct exercises, and drive continual improvement.

A capable and well-organised BCM team therefore becomes the cornerstone of a resilient organisation that is prepared to sustain critical healthcare supply chain operations during disruptions while continuing to support Singapore's public healthcare system in accordance with the principles and requirements of ISO 22301.