Articles
Preparing for the Unexpected
Is your organization prepared to bounce back from a disaster—either man-made or natural? According to a 2005 study featured in the Harvard Business Review, 43 percent of businesses that suffer a disaster never adequately recover or resume operation following the incident. Of those that are able to resume operation, only 29 percent are open after two years. The best way to weather the devastating effects of a disaster is to have a well-defined business continuity plan (BCP) that all members of the organization are aware of.
According to the "Business Continuity Planning Booklet" published by the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC), business continuity planning establishes a basis for organizations "to recover and resume business processes when operations have been disrupted unexpectedly." A robust BCP should be part of every organization's risk management plan for protection against disasters caused by technology malfunctions, natural disasters, pandemics, or other catastrophic possibilities.
Developing Your Business Continuity Plan
When developing your BCP, organizations should identify risks and develop a plan that addresses these risks and outlines the necessary measures that should be taken to ensure the continued success of the business. Many organizations focus on technology requirements for recovery, ignoring other aspects vital to the enterprise, including proper training of employees on their respective roles in the BCP.
In the article, "Business Continuity and Training for all Levels of an Organization," Candy Wehenkel states that the key to successful implementation of a BCP is awareness. "Everyone needs to know what will happen if disaster strikes." She continues stating that by "providing training for all levels of your organization, you can achieve greater awareness and, as a result, greater protection for your company."
Unfortunately, training programs are often viewed as expensive endeavors. However, Susan Yardis, a senior consultant with Avaluation, acknowledges that organizations can control costs by using the right standard development methodology for their training needs, as well as using the right delivery method.
Yardis suggests using the following development methodology to "keep costs low and business value high":
- Develop standards: This includes outlining key roles, requirement definition activities, and review cycles. Standards should be stable and provide long-range guidance for development of the training process.
- Develop objectives: These are audience specific and address key personnel in a business continuity role, key stakeholders and customers, and the general employee population. Objectives may change periodically to fit the needs of the enterprise.
- Develop the curriculum: This should address the target audience(s) for training, audience-specific learning objectives, the most effective organization of the training content, and the optimal delivery method.
- Development of content: Use program documentation, existing company logos, and document repositories to take advantage of existing and familiar content. When using third-party consultants, organize these documents and provide immediate access to source files.
- Choose implementation method: Perform trial tests on a reliable group of employees before introducing an organization-wide implementation method. Once chosen, persuade employees on the value of learning and provide a realistic time frame for completion.
- Choose content management method: Consider how often material will change to help determine the most efficient method for content management.
Once an effective development process has been identified, organizations should consider which delivery method(s) will be the most cost effective and valuable to their employees. Delivery methods range from hard copy documentation of the BCP to reminder placards to online awareness courses. Yardis points out that organizations should consider formal methods for delivery (i.e., presentations, classes, and hands-on learning), as well as informal methods (i.e., magnets, wallet cards, and instructions on the back of identification cards).
BCP Case Study
Projections Inc., a provider of custom employee communication solutions, worked with Atlanta-based Crisis Management International to develop an award-winning training solution that has helped Sony Corporation familiarize its employees with the organization's BCP. Sony needed a comprehensive and consistent delivery method that presented the material in an easy-to-understand format and allowed human resources to track compliance. After careful analysis of the organization's needs and resources, the Projections team proposed a robust eLearning solution.
Utilizing the Sony brand image for familiarity and credibility, the budget-minded program was divided into four sections: "Definitions," "Disaster Timeline," "Why Is Business Continuity Important," and "Business Continuity Program Overview." Each section included short, understandable segments, comprised of audio and simple graphics addressing the necessity and value of preparedness for a disaster, along with quizzes and section summaries that involve the learner.
The eLearning format also allowed employees to stop, pause, fast forward, and rewind content; and provided tracking capabilities to help managers track employee progress and human resources ensure compliance. This interactive design delivered what is often dense content in a consistent, cost-effective, easy-to-understand format to Sony employees throughout the world.
As the world becomes increasingly more connected, we are exposed to more threats of disaster; however, by planning ahead and developing a BCP, companies can ensure they remain successful if disaster strikes. Educating employees enterprise-wide ensures that a disaster won't destroy your business.
Projections has been helping companies communicate with employees for more than 3 decades. CEO Walter Orechwa believes in working with the Human Resources and Labor Realtions experts that help those companies maintain positive employee relations. For more information on the video, web, and eLearning resources Projections offers, please visit their website at www.ProjectionsInc.com
BACK TO ARTICLES ARCHIVE
