In many organizations, buried somewhere in their Business Impact Analysis (BIA), is a form asking participants to designate what Resources (computers, phones, printers – even desks and chairs) they will require if their normal business operations are disrupted.
That sounds like a reasonable request. For years the concept of Resources-over-Time has slithered its way into the ‘standards’ many organizations (and many BCM software products) follow as part of the BIA process. But without knowing what the disruption will be, when it will happen, how severe it will be or how long it may last, is it possible to predict what Resources will be needed?
Suppose you were going to go on a hike in the wilderness. How much food and water would you bring? You’d need to answer some questions first: How long is the hike? What will the temperature be? Without those facts, you can only guess what you’ll need to pack. You risk either running short – or over-packing and needlessly increasing the weight of your backpack.
The same is true for Business Continuity Resources-over-time. Without foreknowledge of the nature, timing and severity of the disruption, you can only guess. Is there any real value in that guess? If we accumulate all the guesses from all the Business Processes or functions participating in the BIA what do we get? Guesses are not facts. Accumulated guesses are not facts. You may end up with a really nice chart you can display, but when a disruption actually occurs, it is highly unlikely that the chart will be of any use – because it’s not based on facts.
So why do we bother asking BIA respondents to guess about needed Resourcesp-over-Time? Because of the ‘myth’ that charting Resources-over-Time is a critical component of BCM planning. Just because you do something over and over doesn’t make it ‘critical’ (Google Einstein’s definition of Insanity). Just because the software you use enables you to chart Resources-over-Time doesn’t make it necessary.
Accumulating those ‘guesses’ may make it seem like you’ve accomplished something (“Look at this great chart! We know exactly what we’ll need if we have a disaster!”). But in the final accounting, what’s been accomplished wastes time and manpower. So why bother?
BIA’s should be predicated on facts – not guesses or assumptions. The only facts known about required resources are:
- What quantities you have today
- What minimum quantities you can get by on following an unknown disruption
Focus on those facts. Speculation about what you might need on Day 2 or Day 3 – or Week 2 – is a waste of time.
The Resources-over-Time myth just got busted. Check out the upcoming Myth Buster article next Tuesday which will focus on the Myth of Resiliency Planning.
