The disruptive events that unfolded in South Africa since the beginning of 2019, ranging from the pandemic to the recent widespread riots and looting, have highlighted once again that organisations can never be too prepared. The importance of business continuity planning and organisational resilience have been elevated and feature on most operational, management and risk agendas.

For those with business continuity programmes it is undoubtedly now the time to review these programmes. For those that are tasked with the review two questions come up:

WHAT should be the focus of this review effort? And WHY?

Five (5) key areas have been identified, that should be the focus of the review. This is supported by the reason why it is important.

1. Are business continuity roles and responsibilities clearly defined and documented in the policy and plans? This is necessary to drive prompt and appropriate action by the response teams and leaders.
2. Are the crisis communication procedures and protocols for notification and escalation in place? This is to key to protect the brand and reputation and support internal communication during the disruption.
3. Do you know in what location and format the response plans and documents are kept, stored or saved? To achieve recovery time objectives, it is key to have quick access to the plans and documents during the initial stage of the disruption.
4. Is there a clear understanding of the business continuity requirements and the associated risk? This insight is key to prioritise recovery efforts and minimise the impact of the disruption.
5. Do you know whether the response plans are up-to-date, and have they been exercised in the past year? Annual review and exercising of plans are necessary to ensure they are fit for purpose and able to support recovery and restoration efforts.

Don’t be caught off guard: review your business continuity programme NOW.