There are many websites out there that offer packages of templates that can be used to generate a business continuity plan. But are they worth it: even if they are free?
In my opinion, templates are only useful if they are used solely to hold the results that come from proper execution of the planning process. Unfortunately, too often they are used as a short circuit. The mantra seems to be “They will give us something to start off with”, and I believe this leads to a false sense of security. I’ve known of companies who, faced with a request to produce their business continuity plan by some external body: download some templates, fill them in over the weekend and then believe they have “done” business continuity planning. Believe me, they haven’t.
In the business continuity planning process, the plan is just the end product. Unless the process has been followed, it is unlikely that the plan is actually fit for purpose.
There’s nothing magical about the plan: it just contains the information and procedures that are needed when a specified impact occurs due to some incident. In many (most?) cases, the impact will not be exactly as specified in the plan (that’s life for you I’m afraid) and a certain amount of improvising will be needed; but at least the plan contains a basis from which to work.
Too many of the templates I have seen just consist of lists of useful information and very little in the way of procedeures; whereas it is the procedures that are important: i.e. what you actually do on the day.
Don’t let this put you off from using a template to provide a framework for your plan. All I’m saying is that the resulting plan will be of little use unless a proper process of business continuity planning has produced the content.
Have you used templates to produce your business continuity plan?
If so, I’d love to know how you used them and how successful they turned out to be when the plan had to be invoked.
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RT @GarethHowell2010New at Business Continuity UK: Are Business Continuity Plan templates worth it? http://is.gd/e4ngt
Great article, Gareth – very clearly explaining the issues involved.
I know of a couple of businesses who’ve fallen foul of this short-term thinking: the first undertook their own planning using a template, and didn’t fully understand how to identify the issues – and more importantly, didn’t get the cultural and business acceptance right. It needed (and still needs) a good deal of work to make it viable.
The second is worse. They employed a business consultant they’d used for other work with them, who himself used a template. Without understanding it. The end result was them trying to use the end result – a boilerplate plan without any real depth – to satisfy a major potential client. They wren’t impressed, and this business lost the deal. They had to pay twice to get the work done. Expensive lesson.
Ironically, in both cases, the driver was cost-saving. Both now appreciate that ‘cost-saving’ can also mean ‘reduced value’.
Great posts – keep them coming.
John
Thanks John
It has been my experience that companies that go for templates, often do so because they haven’t really grasped the nettle. Business continuity is a management system just like any other and needs to be approached thoroughly. I think it’s a maturity thing.
I saw a similar developmental process when quality management systems started to enter the UK back in the early 80′s. Many companies, including the one I worked for at the time, viewed quality management as a documentation exercise. Only later did they realise it required a change in the corporate culture.