The business continuity plan (BCP) should present all the steps that staff are expected to follow in the aftermath of an incident, in order to maintain essential operations and return to ‘business as usual’ as soon as possible.
The structure and detail of the BCP will vary from business to business and from location to location, but in general should include:
The initial response:
- Clear roles and delegates responsibilities for those who will take charge of coordinating the initial response and from where in each location
- Those working with emergency services have access to any prepared response packs
- Factors determining part of full evacuation of premises
- Arranging internal and external communications
Longer-term planning:
- When and how alternative accommodation and facilities will be utilised
- Arrangements to maintaining access to key records and IT systems
- Contingency arrangement for critical operations ie financial transactions, client orders
- How the appropriate staff will be able to access any contingency sites
- Agreed procedures for re-commencing routine operations
- How staff can be kept informed of important information