Without a Business Continuity Plan Are Businesses really prepared?

We often think that the big boys have all of the answers because they have a lot of money and full time employees devoted to getting a business continuity plan prepared. Although some of that is true, there is a difference in just putting things on paper to satisfy auditors and management and actually thinking critically about it. Developing a strategy with key tatical procedures that actually work is more important than all of the ink money can buy.

I just talked with a couple of large consulting companies wanting me to use them to put together a BCP (business continuity plan) for my company. The first one put on a SME (subject matter expert) who took the next 45 minutes to explain how they help companies build a proper business continuity plan. It was boring to say the least. It was filled with all of the basic elements of BCP, i.e., conduct a BIA, build strategies, do a risk assessment, get management on board, and get everyone everywhere to buy into your plan. I was summarily disappointed in the fact that not once did he try to find out what I had already accomplished as a BCP Planner. Does he really think we sit on our hands and hope for someone to come along and tell us what to do?

Are large businesses that far behind that they have to be told what a BCP program is? Unfortunately the answer is yes for about 50% of them. These guys make a living off of talking about the basics and then getting companines to do the basics – for a sizeable fee! Unfortunately, not all planning is the same even at large companies. I have seen the plans of others and they are text book in nature – if they didn’t pay for them, then they took a template off of the internet and filled it out. THIS WILL NOT DO!

We can’t be that dumb – to think that one type of shoe fits all and will work for all is crazy. Try jogging in you best formal shoes! They are a shoe and you can run in them but not very far. The same is true for a company business continuity plan. If it doesn’t fit, you will fail somewhere when you really can’t afford to. So the moral to the story is that a planner must first learn to think properly in order to plan properly. If you think like a normal person does, you will write a plan that has only one solution to every scenario. When that solution doesn’t work – you fail. The World Trade Tower failure points out that no one planned properly because they didn’t think properly. They stopped at the point where they said to themselves, “this scenario could never happen, we would stop them at the airport.” Yup, that worked really well.

Small Businesses

I have worked with thousands of small businesses accross the U.S. and its possession and I can tell you in all honestly that only about 20% of them had any kind of BCP or interruption plan. It didn’t matter too much that they were in a major disaster zone. It didn’t matter that they only had one source for their product. They are like the people that they are at home. The grocery store will always be there for me to buy food at. The gas station will always have gas for me when I need it. My house will always protect me. Hmm, such one dimentional thinking! But we are that way by nature. It takes someone willing to think beyond their immediate needs to their long term needs. Businesses that look down the road, who see all of the risks of doing business are the ones that have a shot at realizing that they need a plan. Even a basic 4 or 5 page plan is better than nothing by far. At least it will outline some key things: who is in charge if the boss isn’t there? How do we contact our employees even if phones are down (including their contact information)? Who can we contact to solve facility problems, equipment problems and technology problems? A smart business wil have listed many backups. Vendors, key documents and other essentials can be quickly listed for a small business.

The problem is not us, we see the need to be prepared. The problem is that few others see it properly and if they do, they don’ know how to go about it or how to start. A small business owner may tell the secretary to put something together or someone else who knows nothing about it. If they are smart they will go to www.ready.gov or some other site and at least get a template. I know it isn’t the best but it is better than nothing.

The world of business is not getting easier. The world of government is. I worked for the Federal Government for a lot of years and the amount of paper pushing and beaurocracy red tape is more than you have been told about. There are many who do not have to do much during the day to earn their pay. But, they do have a lot of bodies and they could be talked into doing more during a crisis. But, no business should be relying on the government to be there for them. Statistically it is truly not smart. In some disasters 75% of small businesses are gone by the two year mark after the disaster. In some places it is only 40-50% that are gone. They can’t weather it and can’t carry the reconstruction costs and their business. Often they lose customers because they didn’t get open soon enough and they can’t get them back. Most businesses run very close to the red. Few save for the rainy day.

So the moral to this story is, we need to help where we can, to spread the word of being prepared of thinking properly about the subject as most throw the thought of a disaster out of their minds before it can lodge there.

Be the best you can at the job you have been hired to do – then do more. You get more out of people by using patience and solid words than you do with harshness and scare tactics. We in this field have no ability to put vinegar anywhere. However, we don’t sugar coat things either. It is a fine line. Too much sugar, you get no ones attention. Too much Chicken Little and you are a lunatic to be discounted.

Good luck with your business continuity plan – the world is depending on you!