Agile Business Continuity

Sometimes when speaking to business continuity practitioners you can be forgiven for thinking that the whole process is an exercise is ticking boxes and generating documents. Unfortunately, confusing the process and its products with the end goal will inevitably fail to deliver the expected result. The expected result and therefore the goal is of course a more resilient organisation. Practitioners who cannot see the distinction are in danger of missing a significant opportunity.

One day all your diligent work will be put to the test. One day the organisation will call upon the investment it has made. One day your work will be measured and it may be found wanting. It will not be because you haven’t ticked all the boxes or generated enough documents to wipeout a small rainforest. No, it will because you didn’t focus your organisation’s attention on the goal. 

Goals are an important part of motivating and driving change within an organisation. The reason that organisations invest time and money into business continuity is to create a more resilient business. Part of any practitioner’s role is to champion this cause within the organisation. The wonderful thing about resilience is that it is an aspiration that  everyone can sign up to. Resilience cannot only be the goal, it can be a call to action.

So next time someone asks you what you do, don’t talk about planning or standards but talk about what you really do. You are responsible for making sure that your organisation can deal with unseen events. You are responsible for protecting all of the company’s stakeholders. You are the person that the organisation can depend on when the proverbial hits the fan.