Detailed action plans, like a well-written recipe, provide clear instructions for navigating the recovery process. A business continuity plan should outline the procedures an organization must follow during a disruptive event. Leveraging a platform like ClearPoint Strategy allows you to document, track, and manage these procedures effectively. A business continuity plan (BCP), often created using a template, documents the procedures your organization needs to follow during crises that disrupt operations.

• Business continuity policy templates can save you time when writing a policy.
• An effective business continuity plan helps a company continue its overall operations after a catastrophe, while a disaster recovery plan focuses on reviving a business’s IT-related functions.
• Smartsheet’s accessibility makes it a practical choice for businesses looking for a user-friendly and adaptable solution.
• Below are some resources that can be useful when creating a business continuity plan checklist.

Using this template, you can plan out the critical elements needed to continue business as usual, including recovery priorities, backup and restoration plans, and alternate site locations. This template is available for download in both Microsoft Word and PDF formats. The policy specifies key personnel who will administer the plan and outlines the role of staff in the continuity business continuity plan template smartsheet system. A business continuity policy also notes any legal, regulatory, or contractual obligations, as well as exclusions, such as service level agreements, that a company must maintain in all circumstances. Learn more about business continuity management from our article on business continuity planning. Use your risk assessment and critical function analysis to brainstorm how your team should react to a business disruption.

Manage Your Business Continuity Policy Statement and Collect Relevant Documents with Smartsheet

The statement sets out the scope of efforts and outlines staff roles and duties for carrying out the continuity plan. When drafting a business continuity plan, a company must write a business continuity policy document. The policy document outlines requirements for developing the business continuity plan. This generic school business continuity plan template is especially useful for academic organizations. Outlines all the relevant procedures to restore business operations after an incident or crisis. A good recovery strategy includes a realistic recovery timeline and essential emergency resources.

Legal and compliance issues are essential when developing a business continuity plan. The plan should ensure the business complies with all relevant laws and regulations. Preparing for pandemics is one of the most critical aspects of a business continuity plan. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated how an outbreak can significantly impact businesses.

Reach out to understand more about Enterprise Risk Management, Project Management and Business Continuity.

This cross-functional team can identify potential vulnerabilities specific to each area and contribute specialized knowledge to develop effective mitigation strategies. As TechTarget highlights, gathering information from diverse sources is the first step in creating a solid business continuity plan. This collaborative process fosters a sense of shared ownership and accountability, crucial for successful plan execution.

Additionally, software platforms like ClearPoint Strategy offer tools to centralize your plan, track progress, and facilitate collaboration. Consulting services can also provide expert guidance tailored to your organization’s specific needs. BCPs should be tailored to your organization’s unique risks and operational context.

• Smartsheet has contributed to the success of implementing our crisis management best practices and has shown its capabilities and power to sustain an industry during the crisis.
• Their template focuses on automating the business continuity planning process, ensuring that organizations can quickly respond to disruptions while maintaining essential functions.
• By incorporating these resources, you can build a more resilient organization, prepared to weather any storm.
• All information, software and services provided on the site are for informational purposes and self-help only and are not intended to be a substitute for a lawyer or professional legal advice.
• Whether you choose to use a template, software solution, or a combination of both, ensure you have covered all the necessary components and that your plan is comprehensive and effective.

Top Business Continuity Strategy Templates

ClearPoint Strategy offers a comprehensive business continuity plan template that helps organizations outline their strategies for maintaining operations during disruptions. The template emphasizes the importance of risk assessment and business impact analysis, ensuring that all critical areas are addressed. This focus allows organizations to prioritize their recovery efforts and allocate resources effectively. ClearPoint’s approach helps ensure your plan is not just a static document, but a dynamic tool that adapts to your organization’s evolving needs.

Feeling bogged down by repetitive processes and redundant work?

At ClearPoint Strategy, we understand the critical importance of business continuity. Our platform offers robust tools to help you build, implement, and manage your strategy effectively. For a deeper dive into building a resilient organization, explore ClearPoint’s resources on strategy execution. In a dynamic business environment, maintaining plan relevance is an ongoing challenge. Regularly review and update your risk assessment to identify emerging threats and vulnerabilities. This will ensure your BCP remains aligned with the current risk landscape and effectively addresses the most pressing challenges.

Determine whether the plan applies to specific departments, one location, or your entire company. Figure out what resources and critical functions you must maintain to successfully implement the plan. Specific threats might be more imminent than others, so you can create visual representations, such as risk maps, to show the relationship between the impact and likelihood of your proposed risks.

Step 1 – Write Your Company’s Information

Sometimes, bringing in external expertise is the most efficient way to develop a comprehensive BCP. They can also provide training and support to ensure your team is prepared to execute the plan when a disruption occurs. This is particularly helpful for organizations lacking internal resources or expertise in business continuity planning. Working with a consultant is like having an experienced guide navigating you through the complexities of BCP development, ensuring you don’t overlook critical elements. Once you clearly understand your needs, start evaluating different business continuity strategy templates.

Below are some resources that can be useful when creating a business continuity plan checklist. A business continuity plan checklist template should include a section on external partnerships. This section should focus on how a company can work with suppliers, vendors, business partners, and customers to ensure the business can continue operating during a crisis. A business continuity plan checklist template should include a section on collaborating with suppliers and vendors during a crisis. This section focuses on how a company can work with suppliers, vendors, business partners, and customers to ensure the business can continue operating during a crisis. Overall, the successful implementation of a business continuity plan requires a well-coordinated effort from the entire team.

This structured approach allows you to quickly adapt and respond to evolving situations, minimizing the impact on your operations. To survive on a globalized market, especially in difficult periods of VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity), organizations of all sizes must learn to adapt rapidly. We all know that keeping the business running in times of change and stress has never been more important. This free template outlines the major components of business continuity management so you can get started quickly and save valuable time. Whether you’re working in Operations, Marketing, or Pharma, you can use this template to map out how you respond to change. Every organization faces a unique set of risks, from natural disasters to cyberattacks.

Events like floods and fires can interrupt your business practices, so it’s essential to have a plan in place to handle these situations and effectively get back to work. Many options are available online, ranging from simple checklists to more detailed templates that include sections for risk assessment, recovery strategies, and communication plans. Testing and exercising a BCP is critical to ensure the plan’s effectiveness and identify improvement areas. Testing helps organizations identify gaps in their recovery strategies and ensure that all critical functions are covered. Having clear emergency response and business recovery procedures is essential for minimizing disruptions and ensuring the continuity of business operations in the event of a crisis.

For Service Organization Control (SOC) 2 compliance, which governs how service providers manage data to ensure privacy, you need documented business continuity and disaster recovery plans. A business continuity policy provides high-level guidelines a company uses to ensure it can run in a crisis and keep addressing new risks. A business continuity plan outlines the instructions and procedures a business should follow after a natural disaster or disruptive event so it can resume its operations.

For example, resources like the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) offer valuable tools and guidance for organizations of all sizes. By incorporating these resources, you can build a more resilient organization, prepared to weather any storm. Selecting the right business continuity strategy template is crucial for effectively navigating unexpected disruptions. It’s like choosing the right map for a road trip—you need one tailored to your specific destination and accounts for potential detours. A well-crafted business continuity plan (BCP) template acts as your organization’s roadmap, guiding you through recovery and minimizing downtime.

Business continuity planning involves identifying potential risks, assessing the impact of those risks on the organization, and developing plans to minimize the impact of those risks. Ensure that you are able to maintain critical processes and minimize downtime so your business can keep moving forward. For other most useful free, downloadable business continuity plan (BCP) templates please read our “Free Business Continuity Plan Templates” article. Use our free downloadable business continuity policy template available in Microsoft Word and Google Docs formats. The document contains all the sections you might need for a policy document, along with a customizable header block and confidentiality label.