Tips for building Business Resilience

Getting started on Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery, and Emergency Response Planning

Almost every business in the US and across the globe has undergone a major disruption or setback recently. Protecting the safety and lives of individuals is a top priority during a disaster/emergency. At a simple level, emergency evacuation planning helps reduce confusion, minimize injuries, and ultimately save lives. However, evacuation planning varies in scope, depending on the facility and the type of emergency. A more comprehensive plan will account for situations that require immediate evacuation, such as a fire, or an evacuation process that happens over several days or weeks, such as a hurricane, tornado, or earthquake.   

Here are a few guidelines to create an effective evacuation plan (just a subset of business resilience (BCMS – Business Continuity Management System). In the government arena, the evacuation plan (known as the Occupant Emergency Plan (OEP)) is designed to guide facility/building occupants through various incidents. In all cases, it is necessary to have a response plan that can be quickly adapted as events unfold. The overall response needs to be quick, professional, supportive, and meet the changing demands of the situation.

Good Preparation Saves Lives, Aids Recovery, & Speeds Resumption

For businesses, emergency preparedness planning can make the difference between staying in business and losing everything. Having a Business Continuity Management System in place aids business resiliency. Crafting an evacuation plan is one of the easiest ways to get traction in moving from basic to advanced preparedness planning.

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now." ~Chinese Proverb

Getting started

As organizations move toward the resumption of operations, one of the initial strategic planning tasks should be to update (or put-together) a business recovery and continuity plan that incorporates lessons-learned and forces the leadership and operations teams to push past immediate and short-term thinking and look into planning for multiple scenarios.

If you’re able to take a checkpoint during the current crisis - instead of waiting until it is over, the organization can begin creating an actionable medium-term plan for how the company should adapt its operations, and then be better prepared to outperform the competition (that chooses to wait to make adjustments.)

Get started on your plan update now! DGCpartners can help you get started, close any gaps in the current plan, and craft a roadmap for sustainable maintenance, training & testing, and peace of mind.

ABOUT

DGCpartners has deep experience in Resilience programs and applies expertise in support of customers having missions requiring robust continuity capability. Also, the process provides a comprehensive suite of evaluation, optimization, testing, and exercise services focused on enhancing program effectiveness. Our evaluation and analysis tools measure continuity program elements, e.g., strategies, plans, procedures, resources, risk management, alternate facilities, mutual agreements, and delegations of authority). DGCpartners also designs and delivers flexible, scaled Continuity exercise support needed by customers to meet their specific requirements. 

Don Gleason has over 20 years of quality, program management, and performance excellence experience, including many years as a CIO. Don has managed multiple large high-value initiatives (government and commercial), programs and projects, and teams simultaneously, while continuously fostering creativity and innovation (across various industries.) - with a strong history and proven track record of turning around sub-optimal situations and equipping organizations with a competitive advantage through business process and technology innovation.

If you need help determining where to start, we will help you triage your situation, and together we can craft a management plan and make things happen. 

Give us a call today: 207.200.7650 so we can start the journey to sustaining successes.

To get you started on the right path that uses your team to assure a sustainable transformation & change management - Reach out to me here on LinkedIn, Twitter, or through DGCpartners or Readiness Associates.

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