Business Continuity Planning: What Can We Learn From the COVID-19 Pandemic?

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Co-authored by Ilona Davis

(What can we do now, to better position our business later?)

For most, these days have been full of transitions and unchartered territories, as we position ourselves in different working environments and become accustomed to doing business differently.

Perhaps your organization has the most bullet-proof Business Continuity Plan (BCP) that immediately kicked into high gear; or perhaps like the majority of us, you discovered there are definitely pieces missing as part of this real world test in which we are all taking part.

In the midst of all of this transition, what can you do NOW to ease the shock, as well as benefit from the lessons learned and preparedness of your organization later? Our Business and Technology Advisory professionals have some quick hit recommended steps to follow as you help pull your organization through:

  1. Immediately designate a champion in your organization to spearhead and manage the collection of all pain points associated with the new working environments.
  2. Allow your champion to meet with management from each corner of your organization to collect the needed feedback on pain points and challenges seen in the transition to the new working environments. Don’t forget to team up with your intake personnel, if you have a HelpDesk function!
  3. Collect and log all pain points and challenges communicated into a working matrix.
  4. Begin to categorize and shuffle data collected by areas of the business, in an effort to formulate remediation plans for the future.
    1. Categorization examples can include following business areas: Information Technology, Human Resources, Facilities, Operations, Finance, Governance, etc.
    2. Pain points may be felt by more than one business area; therefore, document as such.
  5. Keep working and adding to the matrix; this should be a living document.

When the dust settles, use this pertinent information to close the gaps associated with those missing pieces of your BCP plan or leverage it to begin a formal BCP plan.

The Business and Technology Advisory practice at BNN is here to assist you and your team with your immediate BCP planning and execution needs.

For more information, please contact your BNN service provider at 800.244.7444.

Disclaimer of Liability: This publication is intended to provide general information to our clients and friends. It does not constitute accounting, tax, investment, or legal advice; nor is it intended to convey a thorough treatment of the subject matter.