How do you prioritize critical functions for business continuity?

This process should utilize a multidisciplinary approach so that relevant perspectives from within the organization are brought to the table. Whenever possible, you should use real and localized risk related data to support your evaluation.

The hazards to your organization should be a major driver here. There isnt a single best method to prioritize your business processes, but there are essential elements of information that can feed this prioritization: The hazards, your critical processes (the ones closest to the center of your operation), and your vulnerabilities.

To effectively prioritize critical functions in business continuity planning, start by conducting a thorough risk assessment. Identify all business functions, then evaluate their criticality to operations. Assess risks based on likelihood and impact, considering factors like natural disasters, cyber-attacks, and supply chain disruptions. Use a scoring system to quantify risks, allowing for objective comparison. Prioritize functions that are essential to survival and recovery, ensuring they are resilient to the highest threats. Regularly review and update your assessment to adapt to changing conditions. This strategic approach ensures maintaining business continuity in the face of unforeseen challenges.

In BCP planning defining clear objectives is crucial for prioritizing critical functions. Start by identifying what is vital for your business’s survival—operations, services, or products that must continue without interruption. Objectives should align with your organization's strategic goals and resilience requirements. Consider factors like impact on revenue, legal obligations, and reputation. Use a risk-based approach to assess threats and vulnerabilities. Prioritize functions based on their criticality to your operations, recovery time objectives, and their importance to stakeholders. This strategic prioritization ensures resources are allocated effectively, enhancing your organization's resilience and preparedness for disruptions.

It's important that this BCP doesn't just get left on a shelf to collect dust. It needs to be reviewed and revised regularly to address new and emerging risks. This is especially true if your organization is exploring or engaging in new lines of business, expanding nationally or internationally, or undergoing other changes.

When you create this plan, it will identify many new questions and facets of your business you have not anticipated. That is the point. Do not get wrapped up in the "plan" for the sake of the plan. The process of planning is the most important aspect of this exercise. It is an enormous failure to have the person implementing the plan forget that a plan is outdated the moment you finish it. The plan should act as a guideline and all parties should understand it can be deviated from when justified. Planning is more important than any finished product, no matter how much work or effort went into it.

The concept of training your team should not be taken lightly. Every person should be trained in "their job" and then exposed to the training and familiarized with the positions above them and beside them. We always have someone in training for a management position. We can call them a senior trainer, or manager light. We are constantly building their skills and giving them more insight into the bigger picture above them so that they can either grow into the position or fail fast when there is not a critical situation at hand. During our peak season, we promoted two leads to manager light. Peak is 10 weeks long, one shined like a star, and the other tried but failed.

The people who manage continuity-of-operations activities amid an emergency may not always be the exact same people who manage an organization's immediate response at the onset of an emergency -because different functions of an organization can be affected at different stages of emergencies, some of which can last a short period of time but some of which can go on for a longer time. Therefore - the process of identifying critical functions which require "continuity of operations" may also turn out to be different than the components of an organization's structure that have to handle the immediate onset of the emergency. There is a difference between these planning modalities.