Business Continuity
Management
If the worst happened, and
delivery of critical services is interrupted, 3 questions...
1. What would be the impacts
on you and your stakeholders?
2. How will those impacts
change over time?
3. What risk-reduction
and recovery measures could you adopt to avoid future
disruption?
The BCM life cycle
Business Continuity Management
(BCM) is a planned process aimed at managing the many
and varied operational risks inherent in the day-to-day
activities involved in delivering services
The main purpose of the process
is to ensure continuity of service delivery following
an unexpected disruption to normal working.
The stages of the life
cycle explained:-
Stage
1 - Initiation
Responsibility:
Elected Members and Chief Officers
Requires that both Elected
Members and Chief Officers accept and support the principle
of BCM. The processs nees continuing support from the
strategic management level to ensure that BCM is integrated
with other policies
Stage
2 - Requirements and Strategy
Responsibility:
Service Managers
Determine an appropriate continuity
strategy to define how the continuity of service delivery
is to be maintained in the event of serious interruption
or disruption.
One element of the strategy
will be aimed at positively reducing disruptive risks
to service delivery, whilst the second will facilitate
an effective recover should an unplanned disruption
occur.
This strategy is achieved through
the completion of three related tasks:-
Task One is called
the 'Business Impact Analysis' and is designed to:-
- Examine the process
involed in the delivery of a service and identify
the range of different impacts (on all stakeholders)
of not providing that service
- Determine the extent,
or severity of each impact
- Understand how these
impacts change as the length of disruption increases
- Determine how quickly
the service needs to be reinstated, and quantify the
resources that will be required to enable the service
to be reinstated within the timescales specified
Task Two is the
'Risk Assessment', which seeks to identify and quantify
the level of risk facing the delivery of a given service.
The outcome of the Risk Assessment
will determine whether the organisation should:
- Accept the specific
risk, and 'live with it'
- Accept the specific risk,
but 'manage' it
- Accept the risk, but
develop plans to deal with it if it occurs, or
- Take proactive measures
to reduce the risk
Task Three is
the identification and evaluation of risk reduction
and recovery options. This is informed by work already
done in the Business Impact Analysis and the Risk Assessment.
A set of options will now emerge,
which form the basis of continuity arrangements for
the specific service. The three tasks need to be documented
to capture the outcomes from these processes and also
to provide a sound basis for future audit.
Stage 3 - Implementation
Responsibility: Service
Managers & BCM Co-ordinator
This stage will establish a work
programme by which business continuity will be achieved;
the theory turned into practice. This will include the
implementation of risk reduction measures and the development
and testing of recorvery plans and procedures.
Stage 4- Operational
management
Responsibility: All staff
The final stage of the life cycle
ensures that the arrangements continue to be tested,
reviewed and maintained on an ongoing basis. Training,
education and awareness programmes are an integral part
of this stage.
For more information regarding
Gloucestershire County Council's approach to Business
Continuity Management please contact:-
Eddie Coventry
Emergency Management Service
Community Services Directorate
Gloucestershire County Council
Quayside House
Shire Hall
Gloucester
GL1 2TG
Tel: 01452 425014
Fax: 01452 425012
or email:
Eddie Coventry for the Business Continuity
Management leaflet and cd pack (pictured left).
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