Some things are difficult to predict. And some others are unlikely. This concerns both our daily lives and the operation of businesses or organizations. The effects can be devastating, as is the case with Covid-19 today.
Clearly, the important thing at this stage is to minimize the number of victims. But in the next phase begins the implementation of plans for the recovery of the economy, which is being destroyed worldwide.
The economy relies on companies that after the huge Covid-19 crisis will have to stand on their own two feet, find their footing, and start producing again. Unfortunately, all research shows that after a major disaster, only 40% of businesses can re-establish themselves. This is because business continuity unfortunately does not concern the majority of companies.
If we exclude dystopian external factors, there would be many companies that could survive by improving the rate by 40%. It is enough for companies to adopt the culture of designing a detailed business continuity system ISO 22301: 2015.
after a major disaster, only 40% of businesses manage to re-establish themselves.
Of course here the question arises: if the company has designed a risk management analysis (Risk Analysis) why a business continuity plan is necessary.
The answer is that risk management tends to address specific threats and opportunities, while business continuity provides a recovery plan that can be used under any circumstances when things go wrong and the business is down.
But they also have something in common. The analysis and design of both aim to protect the company.
The essence of business continuity management is to build a recovery plan to recover from disasters when they occur. When combined with risk management, companies have an integrated system for identifying potential risks to prevent disasters before they occur.
business continuity provides a recovery plan that can be used under any circumstances
The most important thing is to avoid difficult incidents and above all to ensure that people and the environment are safe.
It is also something that starts and determines the strategy of the business. This is because, in the long run, a company that has truly understood the process of identifying threats to its survival will also apply to the products or services it offers. In other words, resilience is more than just enduring pandemics, natural or man-made (economic) disasters. A business also can look at the business environment and investigate whether it is shaped for the future.
Similarly, understanding the basic concepts of continuing business management helps to broaden its application.
At this point, we must point out a misunderstanding. Small and medium-sized enterprises feel that ISO standards are designed for multinational or large companies. This is not the case because, in essence, all ISO standards standardize procedures and behaviors to become mere good practices.
So the key in ISO 22301: 2015 is to define the interaction of these practices and how the shutdown for some reason in some part of the business will affect the entire operation. Then with patience and calm everything can be dealt with.
