Using Project Management Applications in DR Planning

Looking back at how many disasters have occurred within the past few years, it can feel like catastrophe is never too far away. Between weather-related incidents such as Hurricanes Sandy and Isaac and terrorist attacks, it seems as though we increasingly have to expect the unexpected.

It is important for any business to be prepared for when a disaster occurs. To handle and recover from a crisis requires an effective disaster recovery (DR) plan. However, not all plans are created equal, and without the right one, a business won’t be completely prepared to bounce back.

Changes in the industry reveal a trend that project management capabilities are becoming a required skill set when it comes to hiring a DR manager. Many companies consider experience in project management to be a prerequisite for those wishing to fill the position. With Fortune 500 enterprises such as banks and defense contractors following this trend, it may become a de facto standard.

Not surprisingly, many DR managers are replacing their existing DR checklists/playlists and migrating toward project management applications to create and manage their disaster recovery plans. A project management methodology has a host of benefits that help effective execution of all stages of a DR plan and provide a realistic completion schedule to anticipate satisfying the recovery time objective.

Project management applications have the ability to easily identify dependencies in the plan steps and reflect the impact of these dependencies on the plan schedule. In the IT sector, it is critical that certain operations complete successfully prior to the start of a dependent task. One simple example is the need for the storage system to be fully operational before a database application is launched for correct functionality. A project management application with integrated messaging platform will delay the beginning of the database application deployment based upon the defined dependency. However, it will also immediately inform the database team when the storage system has been reported to be successfully recovered resulting in correct functionality, improved communication, and fewer delays between tasks.

The progress reports within a project management application can be used to record the start and end time of each specified task within the DR plan. Including this information in the progress report enables the project management application to automatically update the expected completion time of the entire DR effort, providing a real-time status update that company executives can use to inform clients, partners, and employees. Furthermore, the reported start and end times can be used for post-mortem analysis to identify weaknesses in the execution of the plan against the expected duration amounts. Project management applications are making these reports easily available to help satisfy Sarbanes-Oxley compliance.

Similarly to many other business applications, project management software is migrating to the cloud and is readily available as a software-as-a-service product. Many online project management applications provide collaboration capabilities between members of the project team. Collaboration improves communication within the DR team and can be used to provide a holistic view of the DR plan or can be customized to provide an individual team member’s specific tasks within the DR plan.

Large enterprises often include several different teams within their DR plan with specific expertise. However, during a DR event, the availability of team members to implement the DR plan is often uncertain. Advanced project management solutions provide a load balancing feature that will distribute the tasks based upon available team resources and reflect the effect of the change on the schedule. This feature provides a dynamic schedule for the DR team based upon available team members to anticipate recovery time.

When considering the benefits involved with using project management applications, it’s easy to understand why a growing number of businesses are switching to them from traditional DR methodologies. They may make things clearer and more understandable, which leads to less likelihood of a failing plan. Providing valuable information to the DR manager and allowing all team members to view and comprehend their tasks means a solid plan can be created, tested, re-tested, and executed as needed.

If your business is still using traditional planning methods, it may be a good time to look into project management. With the industry trends changing, and not knowing when a disaster could strike, it’s important to have the best plan possible. It’s wise to consider updating, or when it comes to recovery, your business could be left behind.

Fred Gohh is president of GrayBridge Software. GrayBridge Software develops project management software for disaster recovery planning and tracking.

Dana Smith is a marketing intern at GrayBridge Software.