[OR] [BOK] [3] [P1] [S3] Develop Strategy and Roadmap

The purpose of this blog is to help organisations understand how to develop an operational resilience strategy and roadmap that transforms assessment findings into a structured implementation programme aligned with business objectives and regulatory expectations.

It explains how a well-defined strategy establishes the organisation's operational resilience vision, prioritises improvement initiatives based on identified capability gaps, and provides a phased roadmap with clear milestones, responsibilities, and governance to achieve the desired resilience outcomes.

The blog also emphasises the importance of integrating the operational resilience strategy with enterprise planning, governance, risk management, business continuity, crisis management, and technology initiatives to ensure organisation-wide alignment.

For participants in the Operational Resilience Expert Implementer programme, the blog provides the knowledge needed to develop a practical, achievable strategy roadmap that guides the implementation of operational resilience capabilities and supports professional certification activities.

Element	Description
Purpose	To define the organisation’s operational resilience (OR) strategy and establish a practical roadmap that aligns resilience objectives with business priorities, risk appetite, regulatory requirements, and stakeholder expectations. This stage ensures a structured pathway for building OR capability beyond compliance and towards long-term sustainability.
Objectives	Formulate an operational resilience strategy that reflects organisational mission, critical business services, and identified vulnerabilities. Align OR strategy with enterprise risk management (ERM), business continuity management (BCM), crisis management, IT disaster recovery, and other resilience frameworks. Translate strategic intent into a phased roadmap with clear milestones, responsibilities, and timelines. Balance resilience investments against business value, risk exposure, and regulatory obligations. Gain senior management approval and commitment for strategy execution.
Inputs	Outcomes from Stage 2: Identify Critical Business Services (prioritised services, dependencies, impact tolerances). Risk analysis and vulnerabilities were identified during initial assessments. Regulatory and supervisory expectations (e.g., financial regulators, sector-specific authorities). Industry benchmarks, best practices, and lessons learned from disruptions. Stakeholder needs, including customers, partners, and shareholders.
Activities	Review prioritised business services, impact tolerances, and dependencies to frame strategy options. Identify resilience goals (e.g., service continuity, rapid recovery, adaptability, compliance). Evaluate strategic approaches (e.g., diversification of suppliers, technology resilience, workforce flexibility, crisis communication readiness). Develop a phased roadmap that defines short-, medium-, and long-term actions. Assign ownership and accountability for roadmap initiatives. Validate strategy alignment with executive leadership and board oversight. Document the roadmap for communication across the organisation.
Outputs	Approved Operational Resilience Strategy. Documented Operational Resilience Roadmap, including timelines, milestones, and responsibilities. Executive endorsement and stakeholder communication plan. Integration of OR strategy into enterprise planning and governance frameworks.
Linkages	Previous Stage (P1-S2: Identify Critical Business Services): Provides prioritised services and impact tolerances that shape strategic focus. Next Stage (P1-S4: Define Governance and Operating Model): Strategy and roadmap inform governance structures and operating model design. ERM, BCM, IT DR, and Crisis Management: Strategy must align with and integrate into existing resilience and risk programs. Regulators and Industry Standards (e.g., ISO 22316, ISO 22301): Ensure compliance and alignment with resilience expectations.

"Plan" Phase of the OR Planning Methodology

Assess Capability and Maturity	Analyse Gap	Develop Strategy and Roadmap	Confirm Risk Appetite	Develop and Embed Governance

Operational Resilience Body of Knowledge - Plan
BoK 1 S1	BoK 2 S2	BoK 3 S3	BoK 4 S4	BoK 5 S5

More Information About Blended Learning OR-5000 [BL-OR-5] or OR-300 [BL-OR-3]

Contact our course consultant colleagues to learn more about our blended learning program and the next course schedule. They are the BL-OR-3 Blended Learning OR-300 Operational Resilience Implementer and the BL-OR-5 Blended Learning OR-5000 Operational Resilience Expert Implementer.