Often organisations embark on the journey to establish a Business Continuity Management (BCM) program (in-house or through appointing a professional service provider), without understanding what fundamentals need to be in place as a minimum.

Before establishing your BCM program consider the following questions and simply answer Yes or No:

1. Is there ‘buy in’ from top management?
2. Is the BCM program aligned to the organisational structure and objectives?
3. Is the scope of the BCM program defined and documented?
4. Is the BCM program aligned to the Risk Management Framework of the organisation?
5. Are dedicated human resources identified to drive the implementation of the BCM program?
6. Are there clearly defined and formalised BCM roles and responsibilities?
7. Are there performance indicators in place that can measure the effectiveness on the BCM program over time?
8. Are the key suppliers onboard in terms of their commitment to support the business in event of a disruption?
9. Is there a dedicated BCM budget?
10. Is there a BCM review and maintenance schedule?

There is no conclusive research of evidence to support what constitute a good score out of ten (10).  However, from experience, the following can be stated: If you answered “No” to three (3) or more of these questions, you will experience significant challenges in establishing your BCM program.