Business Continuity Vs Crisis Management Vs Pandemic Preparedness

Business Continuity, Crisis Management, and Pandemic Preparedness - To a layperson, all these terms are interchangeable; they are all believed to mean the exact same thing to vary in their different scopes. Yet, the reality is that while all involve a response to a crisis, they mean very different things, and it is vitally important that Management understands the differences in how each individual discipline functions

Let us touch on the differences between Business Continuity (BC), Crisis Management (CM), and Pandemic Preparedness (PP). While both BC, CM, and PP overlap in many ways, their core purpose is different from each other.

Pandemic Preparedness' first and foremost directive is solely on preventing the transmission of infectious disease towards both staff and customers, as well as to detect for existing symptoms.  It is aligned to the country pandemic preparedness phases and also to the WHO phases when it reaches the global pandemic level.   Unfortunately, we get to experience COVID-19 as a real case during our lifetime.

Business Continuity, on the other hand, is focused on the continuation of key Business Functions in the event of a disruption. It ensures that even if the organization's main work site is inaccessible, staff will still be able to continue business operations at an alternate recovery site.  The keyword to note is that a business continuity plan tackles disaster.

Crisis Management is focused on how the Crisis Management Team manages the existing crisis on a senior management level.  In this case, the crisis management plan handles the crisis.

Read more about "What is Crisis Management Vs Business Continuity Management? Often Confused."

The diagram below shows the relationship between the three concepts.

The diagram below provides a better view of the World Health Organisation (WHO) pandemic timeline versus preparedness business continuity planning.

In summary, the three concepts are interrelated and often confused during implementation but they have their specific requirement.

The content is an extract of the Meet-the-Expert webinar "Business Continuity Versus Pandemic Preparedness"  presented on 9 April 2020 by Dr Goh Moh Heng

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	Reference Guide Goh, M. H. (2016). A Manager’s Guide to Implement Your Infectious Disease Business Continuity Plan, 2nd Edition. GMH Pte Ltd.