A Reminder...Documenting Your COVID-19 Response

While we are in the throes of addressing the continually changing multitude of issues directly and indirectly connected with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it is not likely that anyone will welcome a suggestion to add another ongoing task to a list that may well already seem unending.  For those who began this process at activation, good job. 

For those who have not yet done so, it is not too late to implement a process to capture and document your response. Include what happened, decisions made, actions taken and the results of those actions – what worked, what didn’t work - people and resources needed and not available, and deficiencies in strategies and plan documents. This record will provide a valuable current perspective that can be used now for action planning, as well as a resource for future improvements that lead to a more resilient organization.

All too often in the past, the primary goal when faced by a disaster has been just to ‘get through it’ with little or no thought of how today’s disaster relates to the future. This happened as far back as 1999-2000 when the efforts to prepare for Y2K were not utilized to continue and expand the development of comprehensive business continuity programs. Rather, Y2K plans and procedures became ancient history, just one more forgotten binder gathering dust on a shelf. The same was still too often true following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. On a smaller scale, when an organization has a near miss or minor event, it is typically dealt with then forgotten. Lessons learned are often not captured or forgotten once we return to our new normal.

Sidebar: An accepted definition of “lesson”: An experience, example, or observation that imparts beneficial new knowledge or wisdom; the knowledge or wisdom so acquired. Ergo, a lesson is knowledge or understanding gained by experience, whether that is a negative experience or a positive experience; our own experience or the experience of another. 

As with most life experiences, the difficulties and challenges we face now can become valuable learning for the future. If you have not already done so, begin now to log and track what has been done to date and all actions taken moving forward.  Help ensure that the time, effort, energy invested in managing this horrific disaster can also be used to meet the challenges of future events, those currently known and those yet to rear their ugly heads, when – not if – they happen.