How can you maintain continuous operations during a disruption?

Assessing risks enables businesses to foresee potential disruptions and prepare mitigation strategies. Picture a manufacturing company, after evaluating its supply chain vulnerabilities, diversified suppliers, mitigating the risk of material shortages during unforeseen events. Similarly, an IT firm, recognizing cybersecurity threats, regularly audits systems and employs robust backup protocols to ensure continuity in case of a breach. These risk assessments, coupled with proactive measures, form the backbone of a business continuity plan, ensuring operations sustain and adapt during challenging times, safeguarding against potential disruptions.

Partiendo de la base que los DRP y BCP tienen que estar en continua revisión y hacer simulacros con una periodicidad adecuada, tendremos menos margen de error y la respuesta al reanudar actividades será mucho más eficiente.

Test Your Process How can you know for sure that you’ll be ready when disaster strikes? Test your process. Once you have Business Continuity in place and an Emergency Preparedness Team assembled, schedule a run through to make sure everything is working. The last thing you need in the middle of a business risk is to learn that something is broken.

I would like to start saying: gather all data you can, and analyze It. Once you have done with It make an strategy ( start a plan) with the plan development and design It. Then implement it, test it ( focus in discordant things to keep it up to date calibrating the implementation), test it again til' it's all okei and then just maintenance it and keep it up to date ( new suppliers, new manufacturing system if it's the case, new software ( digital kanban), think about AI tools, etc...). ??

Generelle scheint mir wichtig zu unterscheiden, ob es sich - um einen produzierenden Betrieb/Bereich .- oder einen Dienstleistungsbetrieb handelt (wie Anw?lte, Marktforscher, Werber etc.) oder den Verwaltungsbereich eines produzierenden Betriebes auf separatem Gel?nde. Produzierende Betriebe brauchen ausgeklügelte Sicherheits- und Notfallstrategien, um bei Unf?llen (z.B. Chemie etc.) Menschenleben zu retten. Für Betriebe, die vor allem von Brain und Kreativit?t leben, ist fast jeder Krankheitsfall eine kleine St?rung. Pandemien und lange Krankheitsausf?lle stellen in der heutigen Zeit für die allermeisten kleinen Betriebe (wie auch Restaurants; Hotels) die h?ufigste und vor allem aufreibende St?rung dar. - be

Have a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) A Business Continuity Plan outlines how a business will remain operational in the event of a major disaster or event as a pandemic. A Business Continuity Plan is a contingency plan that details the steps taken before, during, and after a critical event that are required to maintain business function from an operational and financial standpoint. If you were caught unprepared for the pandemic COVID-19 outbreak, now is the best time to make sure you’re never caught unprepared again. Get a team together and prepare a Business Continuity Plan in place.

Well it's all said in the up intro'. So I would just say, make a Value Stream Map. You'll get the info needed to start the necessary corrections if that's the case. ??

Additionally, fostering a culture of readiness within the organization is crucial. Regular training and drills ensure that team members are familiar with their roles and the BCP, enhancing their ability to execute effectively under pressure. It's not just about having a plan on paper; it's about cultivating a prepared and responsive mindset throughout the entire business ecosystem. This proactive approach not only reduces uncertainty during disruptions but also instills confidence in stakeholders that the organization is well-equipped to navigate challenges seamlessly.

Where I see a lot of companies fall down, is not testing their DR/BCP plan. You need to create test scripts and scenarios to run table top testing of the BCP plan and also annually test the actual DR. Running the annual test ensures that hardware, software, connectivity, data and all other aspects have been accounted for and tested.

2. Elect an emergency preparedness team During any type of business disruption, e. g. due to this current pandemic, organisations need to have a steering committee that is at the helm of the decision-making process and sets up a contingency plan. With Business Continuity Planning as a contingency plan in place, your team will have a great starting point, but every risk to your business is unique. Your Emergency Team, or even pandemic preparedness team, should keep an eye on official recommendations from government and health officials. They can use those recommendations and this planning to identify how your business will be affected and decide on any additional measures required to keep your staff safe and productive while pandemic.

Monitoring the business environment is pivotal. For example, retail companies keenly track consumer trends to anticipate market shifts. During the COVID-19 outbreak, many restaurants adapted by monitoring changing regulations and customer preferences, transitioning to takeout and delivery services. Likewise, tech firms continuously monitor technological advancements to upgrade software or hardware proactively. Regular monitoring aids in staying responsive to evolving conditions, allowing swift adjustments and informed decision-making to maintain operational stability during disruptions.

Das Ideal: Nach einer Krise oder einem St?rfall ist es vor allem wichtig, den Gesamtablauf und die Details zu bewerten. Was hat geklappt, was hat die Krise deeskaliert, was hat noch mehr Stress verursacht. Die Abl?ufe gilt es unbedingt zu optimieren, um sich noch besser vor zu bereiten. Der Normalfall: Viele Unternehmen leben in einer Art Dauerkrisenmodus (z.B. Pflege) - und hier sieht man wie wenig Unternehmen/Politiker aber auch Entscheider bereit sind, aus den Erfahrungen/Fehlern zu lernen. Das gilt auch für weniger kritische Bereiche. Nach Augen zu und durch wird zumeist weiter gemacht wie am zuvor.

Adapting during disruptions necessitates a learning-oriented approach. After facing an unexpected operational halt due to a system failure, a company implemented a robust contingency plan. They conducted a comprehensive post-event analysis to pinpoint vulnerabilities and refine the continuity strategy. By evaluating the impact, identifying weaknesses, and implementing corrective measures, the company bolstered its resilience. This real-time learning enhanced their readiness to mitigate future disruptions effectively, emphasizing continual improvement amid challenges. Such experiences underscore the significance of learning from adversity to fortify operational continuity in the face of disruptions.

Learning from our own experiences is vital.in business. But, learning from other people's experiences is also a great strategy to succeed.

Like I said, gather all the info available from the whole process ( VSM + suppliers+ stokeholders+etc). Once you have It analyze It and find better solutions, optimizations and costs from each part of the process. Update It, keep an eye on It ( doing daily/weekly/monthly check backs f.e). If you have accomplish the success of the process and it's optimization just present the results and it's benefits.

In my opinion, I would linked this to ACCOUNTABILITY, seeking helps from a professional is vital. However, it is more results driver finding an accountability partner, this way you don't just learn from an advisor but you have a partner who you 'd be accountable to and here is where you'd star seing results.

Es necesario desarrollar un plan detallado de Continuidad del Negocio que identifique los riesgos potenciales y establezca procedimientos claros para enfrentar interrupciones. Asegurarse de que todos los colaboradores conozcan el plan y sepan qué hacer en caso de una interrupción. Adicionalmente se debe implementar sistemas de monitoreo continuo para detectar cualquier problema potencial antes de que se convierta en una interrupción significativa.

“Work is not where you are. Work is what you get done.” The ability to?work remotely?has become essential for all businesses. More and more organisations are adopting a work from home policy to?foster better work-life balance and increased productivity. Enabling your employees to work from home (WFH) becomes even more valuable in the face of Business Continuity Planning, pandemic and public health. Many large organisations, like Twitter for example, have announced that they will be working remotely in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Being ready with a WFH policy can keep your?organisation?and Business Continuity up and running even in the face of a nation-wide lockdown, like some countries around the world are currently.

Think about who should be on your crisis management team. And who should be the primary voice for communications. Sometimes the CEO can be the right choice, but if do, who's now running BAU? Crisis management can be a hugely draining undertaking. Think about how you can support that group while they need to maintain presence 24x7. There are lots of things to do all at once. You've got great people. Help them to stand up and show their capabilities.

Disruption produces uncertainty and confusion which shall be avoided as it can have serious consequences for your productivity, profitability, customer satisfaction and your reputation. Usually contingency planes for different scenioros are there in every organization but you shall be ready for the unexpected one as we are living in a time of unprecedented disruption in our every day life. Dealing with disruption you must regularly review your BCP. You must continue to innovate, take feedback, adopt quickly and improve the process of solutions.