Components of a Business Continuity Plan

The following are guidelines to the layout and content of a Business Continuity Plan:

Section 1: Plan Overview

• Introduction
• Aim of the plan
• Scope
• Objectives
• Assumptions
• Plan ownership

Section 2: Accountability, Roles, Responsibilities and Authority

• Business Continuity Manager
• BC Coordinator
• BCM Team

Section 3: Notification, invocation and escalation

• Notification process
• Invocation process
• Escalation Process
• Call-out cascade

Section 4: BCM Team

• BCM Team membership
• Location and contact details
• Map of BCM command centre location
• Command/ Control centre resource profile
• Battlebox

Section 5: Contacts

• External
• Internal
• Subject experts

Section 6: Task cchecklist(s) and aide memoires

• Mandatory tasks
• Discretionary tasks
• Task completion tracking process

Section 7: Supporting information

• Personnel
• Media and public relations
• Health and Safety
• Emergency service liaison
• Finance
• Suppliers
• Insurance
• Communications / help-lines

Section 8: Critical business activities – Recovery plan

• Schedule of critical activities
• Critical business activities recovery action plan
• BCM resource recovery profile

Section 9: Recovery site location

• Invocation process
• Recovery site location and layout
• Map of recovery site location
• Relocation of staff
• Security

Section 10: Recovery resource profile

• Standard work station
• IT and Communication links
• Vital / critical documents / records
• Office / specialist equipment
• Backed-up data
• Form templates

Appendices

• Contracts and service level agreements
• Contingency plans - Fire, Flood, Bomb, etc