Pre – Blog
It’s been an exciting foray into the world of blogging so far. It’s early times and the blog is still in its infancy stages. Nonetheless – sharing thoughts, knowledge and new concepts through this platform has enabled me to contribute to clients, the industry, and it’s enthusiasts in my own little way. I believe in the power of conversations as they can often prove to be game-changers. Through this medium of blogging – I am looking to establish a conversation with peers, clients and related industry professionals.
Week 3 – What constitutes a sustainable BCM Program?
We’ve been progressing to the right approach – week after week. To recap the ascending journey – we first established the criticality of a plan and then discussed that unless a plan is “viable” it has limited purpose and even more – limited usefulness. So where do we go from here ½ What about a Business Continuity Management Program? What is its purpose? We have to make sure that every part in the machinery serves its purpose or we may just be spinning our wheels.
In the same manner that Plans need to be ‘viable’, a successful BCM program needs to be ‘Sustainable’.
First, to cover the basics; every program must address the entire BCM lifecycle – risk assessment, BIA, Plan development & maintenance, plan exercise/testing and Incident Management.
So what constitutes a sustainable BCM program?
- For the program to be sustained or continued year after year with minimal structural change.
- Constant improvement in Key performance indicator (KPI’s) year after year.
Simply put – a sustainable program is repeatable, with achievable goals.
Repeatability for the sake of it is often like revving your engine without ever putting it in gear. It’s a deceptive process as the actions often result in no real progress. I once had discussions with a state government entity which had performed an annual BIA for nearly a decade – but had never written a single BC or DR Plan. Their program was certainly ‘repeatable’ – but it didn’t seem to serve any worthwhile purpose and this is definitely not the definition of sustainability I’m trying to establish (unless analysis/paralysis is a worthwhile objective).
So what makes a program truly sustainable?
a. Governance – Consistent implementation of program governance. Determine what the operating rules are and apply them consistently. Don’t compromise or change how the rules apply based on political considerations.
b. Objectives – Support agreed upon organizational objectives. These either come from your Executive Management, or at least receive their blessing. Without them you simply drive around aimlessly.
c. Flexibility – Be flexible enough to meet organizational changes. Don’t paint yourself into a corner – because the shape of the room will change eventually.
d. Responsiveness – Be aware of and responsive to regulatory and compliance changes. While compliance shouldn’t be the ultimate goal of a program, the inflexibility to adapt to change (especially when customer-driven) is an accident waiting to happen.
e. Participation – Search out, secure and maintain organization-wide participation. You may be the world’s greatest planner, but if you’re doing all the work, when you leave the organization the program grinds to a halt. Unless the program incorporates participation of managers and subject-matter experts throughout the organization its future is precarious. The bigger the tent the better it is.
f. Mechanization – Keeping a file of Plans is essential – but it isn’t enough. A software tool will help provide and maintain the governance framework of your program, track conformance with KPI’s, make organizational and regulatory changes easier, and enhance your ability to roll out your program to more participants.
Creating BC/DR plans is extremely important. What’s even more critical is creating viable plans as part of a sustainable business continuity management program which gives you organization the ability and assurance that it’s ready to respond to any disruption. If your plans aren’t viable you’re monkeying around. If your BCM Program isn’t sustainable – you’re really just spinning your wheels.
Stay tuned, as we’re revving our engine in gear and the wheels are spinning with a purpose. Promise to show progress with everyone of our conversations here.
