How to Create a Business Continuity Plan Specific to a Company

In the event of a natural disaster, serious injury or death to one or more senior members, or another catastrophe, it’s necessary for all corporations to create a business continuity plan that details what should happen and who should be in charge. This helps protect employees, customers, and profits, as well as reassuring investors and stockholders that the situation is under control.

However, it should be specific to the structure and needs of the specific company. There is no “one-size-fits-all” plan when it comes to continuity. Let’s take a look at how to create a plan tailored to your business if disaster should strike.

Analyze Current Structure

First and most obviously, the plan should detail who is in charge or how to determine who should be in charge. If the company has a board of directors, a process for choosing one or more replacement members should be at the top of the list.

If a CEO or individual with a similar title is in control, the name or title of their replacement should be listed. For example, if CEO John Doe ends up in a coma, the company can’t function (or, at least, not as well) if an immediate line of succession isn’t chosen. The company could elect to appoint his wife as the interim CEO or give the job to the Senior Vice President with the most tenure, depending on what’s appropriate.

Create a Continuity Team

A continuity team is designed to ensure that business operations continue as smoothly as possible when a disaster strikes. Similar to the leadership question above, the team can consist of specific individuals or titles. Larger companies should have at least one person to represent each division (sales, logistics, leadership, etc).

If the leadership question above can’t be answered for various reasons (all board members incapacitated, no vice-president exists, etc), the continuity team can step up until a leader is chosen. A team leader can be chosen, or all issues can be resolved by a vote won by a simple majority, depending on what works best for you. They should undergo extensive training before a situation arises to make sure everyone’s properly prepared.

Develop Extensive Plans for Every Scenario

There are other instances to be considered as well. Imagine a company in Portland, Oregon, experiences a massive earthquake, and the executive team is away at a conference in Rome, where they can’t be immediately contacted. The continuity plan should also cover safe evacuation routes, remote work setups, risk assessments, and other strategies if leadership is unavailable in a crisis.

Although no one wants to think about what would happen if a natural disaster or company management death should occur, it’s important to have a strong business continuity plan in place that’s tailored to your business and ensures that all operations can continue as smoothly as possible if the worst should happen. Employees, investors, stockholders, and management will appreciate knowing everything is under control. Having a business continuity plan that is specifically designed for your company will go a long way in helping your business survive and continue to thrive when the inevitable occurs.