Agile Business Continuity

Alex Fullick is the founder of Business Continuity Consultancy firm Stone Road Inc working out of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The Stoneroad’s blog has been around since February 2009 and Alex is a regular poster with much to say about the practice of delivering business continuity. For more information about Alex and his company you may want to visit his comprehensive linkedin profile.

Here is my interview with Alex.

How did you get started in the industry?

I feel into it by accident to tell the truth. I was leaving one industry and seeking new opportunities when a good friend asked me if I’d be interested in taking a 2 month contract to build call trees for a large mortgage company. I accepted. It turned out the position was ‘called’ Business Recovery Planner’ and when I started, everything BCM/DR/BCP/BRP related ended up on my desk. I had no idea what it was but took to it like a duck to water. That 2 month contract was almost 5 years long and I haven’t looked back since.

What is your most important aspect of the work you do?

Without a doubt, teaching. We can have all kinds of plans and binders – full of colourful charts, processes and procedures – but if no one knows how to use all the components together when responding to crises or disasters, then what good will they be. Nothing feels better than when you see the light come on in people’s minds and when they suddenly ‘get it’ – they understand how all the pieces of the puzzle are put together and why the program exists.

How do you think Business Continuity will develop over the next 5 years?

I’m hoping for two things: 1 that software doesn’t become the sole focus or reason for developing a BCM program and 2, that corporations realize having a BCM program in place is a social responsibility; that it’s about people – NOT the bottom line. I’ve been in too many situation where applications are used to build plans and then find that management put all their faith into what the software ‘spits’ out as a plan, while never including or involving people in the process. As with the social responsibility aspect – if you don’t have people involved with building your plan or realize that what you’re doing is protecting people (vendors, clients, customers, employees, partners, the public) you’re way off base in understanding why you need a BCM program in the first place.

What was the biggest lesson you’ve learned during your years in the industry?

When I started all those years ago, I was taught that the biggest and most important component was Technology. I’ve found that though it may be an important part it’s not the only part of a BCM program. Learning all the other aspects of BCM was enlightening and tough to understand at first. I struggled with understanding how all the pieces fit together but once I did, I know want others to understand so that a program can be comprehensive and useful. What’s the point of having a great Technology Recovery Plan (TRP) if you have no idea how to evacuate the burning building or communicate or care of the injured? It was the biggest lesson to learn and I’ve become better at what I do as a result of it.

There is one other thing: people. After working with so many diverse and knowledgeable people over the years, I’ve learned that the secret to any good BCM program is people. It’s people that provide the skills and knowledge to populate BIAs, or develop BCPs and contingency strategies; help build the technology components to allow ‘fail-over’ capabilities; its people that review and build the plans and its people that the plans are built for. Without people, you don’t really have a good BCM Program – you have binders of text.

What do you consider your greatest contribution to the Business Continuity field? (Question put by Jan Husdal)

This isn’t the easiest question to answer. However, if I was to say something it would be that my biggest contribution is utilizing my experience – both good and the bad experiences. I would rather see people build upon my successes and learn from my failures than have to travel down some of the same dark roads that I did, tripping and falling along the way. Contributing to others’ success would be my greatest contribution.

I would like to thank Alex for taking the time to be interviewed and hope that you take the time to visit Stoneroad’s Blog. If you think your own blog should be profiled here, then please feel free to email me at paul@agilecontinuity.org