What would happen to your business in the event of a disaster such as a hurricane, a flood or a prolonged power failure? A well-crafted business-continuity plan can help you withstand a potentially damaging event with relatively little disruption.
Business-continuity or disaster-recovery planning is an assessment of your business for possible threats or scenarios that could disrupt normal operations, says Irene More, a business-continuity management expert in Montreal. Its goal is to shorten those interruptions.
Follow these tips to create a business-continuity plan so your practice is ready for the worst:
> Back up your files
One of the easiest — and most important — steps in preparing your business is to make copies of your client files and other important documents.
Keep a digital back-up of files on a portable hard drive, More says. That way, if you can’t get to the office for any reason, you can still open your files from your home computer. As well, if you have paper documents, keep hard copies of those in a safe place outside the office.
> Look for threats
Assess the possible events that could interrupt your business, More says, and prioritize those threats.
For example, a hurricane could have a devastating impact on your business — with physical damage to your office, for example, as well as potential loss of files and damage to equipment. But the likelihood of a hurricane may be very low because of your location. On the other hand, a prolonged power outage would have a lower impact but might be far more likely to occur.
Work on the most probable outcomes first, More says.
> Create guidelines
Once you know the most likely disaster scenarios, think about how you could handle those situations.
For each scenario, More says, create checklists of tasks for you and your team members. These lists don’t have to be exhaustive. Their purpose is to aid in decision-making in a time of crisis, so you can focus on urgent matters.
“It’s not a cookbook that you’re writing,” More says. “It’s really guidelines.”
> Get the team involved
Go through the plan with team members to help determine whether it would work in a disaster.
This part of the process is called “exercising your plan,” More says. Team members can tell you if they think the plan would help or if you have overlooked an important aspect of the business.
> Revisit the plan
Like a financial plan, a business-continuity plan must be reviewed periodically to keep it up to date and to accommodate any changes in your business.
Review your business-continuity plan at least once a year, More says, or any time there are changes in your business. Growth in your business, for example, could make your plan obsolete.