What is in your plan? Who developed your plan? How did you exercise your plan? Have you updated your plan? Why do you even have a plan? Have you ever used your plan? Does your plan work?
These are just a few questions you and your colleagues should be asking one another when thinking about the viability of your business. Too many businesses have a half-hearted plan that in all honesty, they really hope to never ever have to use. This is not business continuity. In fact, it’s the opposite of business continuity.
So what about your plan. Have you tested it? After you tested it, did you update it and then test it again? Yes, your plan is a living plan. It needs to shift, be flexible, and always be up-to-date. It needs to be exercised. As you’ll read in “Conducting Realistic Exercises – Test the Plan versus Plan the Test,” the way you test your plan has huge implications. I won’t give away the entire article, but I do want to emphasize that testing the plan is very different from planning the test.
Maybe you’re thinking about your plan and the last time you tested it. How did this test occur? How did you even know what to do? Did you bring in an expert on business continuity testing to conduct your company-wide exercise? Or maybe you attended a series of webinars about how to effectively conduct a well-tested plan? Who did you learn from?
You are an expert in running your business and ensuring the service/product you develop and provide is of the best quality possible. You’re likely not also an expert in conducting tests for business continuity plans. This means you need help. Lucky for you there is a vast network of resilience management and business continuity experts ready and willing to help.
Whether it is bringing in an expert for a few days of on-site education for your entire company, sending a few key employees to a conference, or attending a series of webinars, there are many available options. Not to be too harsh but in 2016 there is no excuse for not knowing how to effectively test your plan. Skill development is a constant for each of us (myself included) and this means we need to stay active and invested however we can.
Take this magazine as a prime example of how you can do this. A quick browse of the table of contents reveals a long list of subject matter experts and informative articles that can help you push your skill set boundaries. At the end of each article, most of our authors provide their contact information. Reach out, ask questions, and don’t be shy! We are all in this together.
This is something we saw first-hand at DRJ Fall World 2016 in Phoenix – people helping one another. From the networking meals, hospitality events, the buzz in the exhibit hall, and the enthusiasm in our breakout tracks and workshops, you were talking, challenging, learning, and getting the advice you need. This is exactly why we started organizing DRJ conferences, to ensure that business continuity knowledge is readily available for anyone who wants and needs it.
So, about your plan, what do you need to do now? Take the time to browse drj.com and take advantage of the webinars and resources we have available to you. Think ahead to March 2017 and register for DRJ Spring World 2017. Together we are shaping the future of business continuity. Now is the time to take action and get the skills, knowledge, and advice you need. You never know when you’ll need to rely on your plan. Don’t just hope it’s ready. Know it’s ready.
