What is BCP? A Quick (But Complete) Guide to Understanding a Business Continuity Plan

Without a proper plan, an unforeseen disaster can set even the biggest businesses into a spiral. This can cost millions in lost productivity and damage.

With a Business Continuity Plan, or BCP, a company can protect itself from the worst.

What is BCP? What does it contain? How does it help?

We will go over the simple steps of what it means to prepare yourself.

What is BCP

A BCP is a plan that organizes the immediate actions of business after a major disaster.

These disasters could be physical, such as a natural disaster destroying a production plant. They can also be economic, such as a major shift in the marketplace.

Their work is important in two ways. One, it allows the company to protect itself in these troubling times. Two, they also get to analyze how well the company is running in a general sense.

Creating a Business Continuity Plan

Creating a BCP is not a difficult ordeal, but it does take a wide look at the company as a whole. Make sure you include each part of the company. Every part of the company needs to work well with the whole.

1. Analysis

The first step is to go through and analyze the entirety of the company. This will be the largest step as you will have a lot of data to go through.

There are a lot of variables that will help here. Consider the number of employees in each department, their usual workload and how efficient they are.

Look at the minimum and maximum levels of productivity. That will determine where to shift your workforce when things go wrong.

2. Keeping Work Flowing

In a disaster situation, you need to ensure that nothing vital stops working. If an area is not vital, move its workforce to places that are to keep things flowing.

3. Management Contact

The moment that disaster strikes, every person in a management position needs to be aware of the situation and what their job is in making it right.

Keep all the contact information of all managers public and broadcasted often.

With effective leadership, you can snap back in a fast and easy manner.

4. Personnel Evacuation

This pertains on a more physical disaster.

Every facility should have well-marked exits. All of your employees should have no hesitation about what they should do during a major crisis. This is also where your leadership will come in to shine.

5. Data Backups

There should never be a single copy of a vital file. In this digital age, backing up data is easy. Losing all of your hard work to a fire or other natural disaster is inexcusable.

Cloud services can work, as well as having multiple servers and storage machines. Never rely on one system for backups.

6. Collaboration

The final piece of the BCP puzzle is to organize how the company works together in said crises.

What departments work together in a direct manner? Who manages each department? Are all those managers communicating as often as possible? How many workers are capable of covering multiple jobs?

All of these questions should be easy answers with the proper BCP.

Planning for the Future

So what is BCP? When you follow the above steps and make a thorough, thought out plan, a BCP is the key that can save your company when the worst happens.

For after disasters, Unlimited Restorations, Inc. is ready to help you recover. When you are ready to move forward, contact us.

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