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GENERAL INFORMATION | |
| Business name | |
Business address | |
Date | |
Prepared by |
|
SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this Business Continuity Plan is to have an executable plan for in case of an emergency.
This Business Continuity Plan will be triggered in the event of:
RECOVERY PLAN
1) Response personnel
The recovery team is responsible for maintaining business continuity and acting upon this Business Continuity Plan to ensure minimal business disruption.
Team leader
Team members
The following are the current team members on the recovery team:
2) Relocation strategy
A. Teams to be relocated
B. Details of alternate business site
3) Communications
A. Internal communications
The staff member in charge of internal communications on the current state of recovery is:
| Name | Email address | Role |
B. External communications
The staff member in charge of customer communications on the current state of recovery is:
| Name | Email address | Role |
REVIEW AND TESTING
This Business Continuity Plan will be reviewed every . This Business Continuity Plan will be tested every .
Agree to disapply the 48 hour limit on weekly working time
Evaluate an employee's performance
Notify your employee of changes to their employment terms
Communicate your rules and processes for staff expenses claims
This Business Continuity Plan template covers:
business details
which emergencies will trigger the use of the plan
the impact of the emergency on the business
what the recovery procedure will be
what resources will be needed to implement the business’ recovery
who forms part of the recovery team
if relevant, where the business will be relocated to
what teams and resources will need to be relocated
who is responsible for internal and external communications and for communications with suppliers
Business continuity refers to a business’ level of preparedness for maintaining (or quickly resuming) its business functions in the event of an emergency or disruption. In other words, business continuity is about a business having a clear plan for how to deal with a difficult situation so that it can continue to function with as little disruption as possible. A fundamental part of business continuity is developing and implementing a clear Business Continuity Plan.
For more information, read Business contingency plans.
A Business Continuity Plan is used to identify possible risks or threats, operational areas impacted, and the appropriate recovery strategy and personnel.
All businesses, regardless of size, should have a Business Continuity Plan in place. A Business Continuity Plan ensures that the business is prepared in case of an emergency by enabling the business to cope in a crisis and by minimising the disruption to the business and its customers. For more information, read Business contingency plans.
A Business Continuity Plan should be regularly reviewed and tested to ensure that it remains relevant and up to date. Such reviews and tests are usually carried out annually or every other year.
The response personnel are the employees in the recovery team, tasked with maintaining business continuity in accordance with the Business Continuity Plan. You should set out which employees are part of the recovery team and what their roles and responsibilities are. You should also set out who the recovery team leader is.
Making a Business Continuity Plan online is simple. Just answer a few questions and Rocket Lawyer will build your document for you. When you have all of the details prepared in advance, making your document is a quick and easy process.
To make your Business Continuity Plan you will need the following information:
Business details and Business Continuity Plan details
The business’ details (eg its legal structure, name and address).
Who is preparing this Business Continuity Plan?
On which date is this Business Continuity Plan created?
How often will the Business Continuity Plan be reviewed and tested?
Which events will trigger the use of the Business Continuity Plan:
Epidemic, pandemic, disease, etc?
Brexit-related disruption?
Natural disaster?
Technology issues (eg data breach or cybersecurity attack)?
Fire?
Which business functions should be prioritised in case of an emergency?
Service delivery?
Supply chains?
Staff?
Transport and logistics?
Contracts?
Epidemic, pandemic, disease, etc
How would the business be affected by an epidemic/pandemic/disease?
If relevant, what are the procedures and resources required to counteract disruptions to service delivery from a pandemic/epidemic/disease?
If relevant, what are the procedures and resources required to counteract disruptions to supply chains from a pandemic/epidemic/disease?
If relevant, what are the procedures and resources required to counteract the disruption to staff from a pandemic/epidemic/disease?
If relevant, what are the procedures and resources required to counteract the disruption to transport and logistics from a pandemic/epidemic/disease?
If relevant, what are the procedures and resources required to counteract the disruption to contracts from a pandemic/epidemic/disease?
Natural disasters
If relevant, what are the procedures and resources required to counteract disruptions to service delivery from a natural disaster?
If relevant, what are the procedures and resources required to counteract disruptions to the supply chains from a natural disaster?
If relevant, what are the procedures and resources required to counteract the disruption to staff from a natural disaster?
If relevant, what are the procedures and resources required to counteract the disruption to transport and logistics from a natural disaster?
If relevant, what are the procedures and resources required to counteract the disruption to contracts from a natural disaster?
Technology issues
If relevant, what are the procedures and resources required to counteract disruptions to service delivery from technological issues?
If relevant, what are the procedures and resources required to counteract disruptions to the supply chains from technological issues?
If relevant, what are the procedures and resources required to counteract the disruption to staff from technological issues?
If relevant, what are the procedures and resources required to counteract the disruption to transport and logistics from technological issues?
If relevant, what are the procedures and resources required to counteract the disruption to contracts from technological issues?
Fire
If relevant, what are the procedures and resources required to counteract disruptions to service delivery from a fire?
If relevant, what are the procedures and resources required to counteract disruptions to the supply chains from a fire?
If relevant, what are the procedures and resources required to counteract the disruption to staff from a fire?
If relevant, what are the procedures and resources required to counteract the disruption to transport and logistics from a fire?
If relevant, what are the procedures and resources required to counteract the disruption to contracts from a fire?
Brexit-related disruption
If relevant, what are the procedures and resources required to counteract disruptions to service delivery caused by Brexit?
If relevant, what are the procedures and resources required to counteract disruptions to the supply chains caused by Brexit?
If relevant, what are the procedures and resources required to counteract the disruption to contracts caused by Brexit?
If relevant, what are the procedures and resources required to counteract the disruption to staff caused by Brexit?
If relevant, what are the procedures and resources required to counteract the disruption to transport and logistics caused by Brexit?
Recovery
Who is in the recovery team?
Is it possible to relocate the business? If so:
What is the address of the alternate worksite?
Which teams will be relocated and where will they work?
Which resources will have to be relocated?
Which staff member will be responsible for internal communications?
Which staff member will be responsible for external communications to customers?
Supplier
Do you work with suppliers? If so:
Which staff member will be responsible for external communications to suppliers?
What are the names of the suppliers and the names of the supplier contacts?
A Business Continuity Plan helps prepare a business in cases of emergency. In order to do this, this Business Continuity Plan template includes the following sections:
General information
This section sets out basic details about the business and the Business Continuity Plan (eg when it was prepared and by whom).
Scope and objectives
This section sets out the purpose of the Business Continuity Plan and the events that will trigger it.
Business function priorities in event of an epidemic, pandemic or disease
This section will appear if the Business Continuity Plan is triggered by an epidemic, pandemic or disease. It sets out how the epidemic, pandemic or disease would impact business functions, the relevant recovery procedure and the resources needed.
Business function priorities in event of a natural disaster
This section will appear if the Business Continuity Plan is triggered by a natural disaster. It sets out how the natural disaster would impact business functions, the relevant recovery procedure and the resources needed.
Business function priorities in event of a fire
This section will appear if the Business Continuity Plan is triggered by a fire. It sets out how the fire would impact business functions, the relevant recovery procedure and the resources needed.
Business function priorities in event of a technology issue
This section will appear if the Business Continuity Plan is triggered by a technological issue. It sets out how the technological issue would impact business functions, the relevant recovery procedure and the resources needed.
Business function priorities in event of Brexit-related disruption
This section will appear if the Business Continuity Plan is triggered by a Brexit-related disruption. It sets out how the Brexit-related disruption would impact business functions, the relevant recovery procedure and the resources needed.
Recovery plan
This section sets out details relating to the business’ recovery plan, including:
details of the recovery team (ie the team responsible for maintaining business continuity and acting upon the Business Continuity Plan)
the relocation strategy for the business (eg operating from alternate premises or staff working remotely)
communications (both internally and externally)
Review and testing
This section sets out how often the Business Continuity Plan will be reviewed and tested.
If you want your Business Continuity Plan to include further or more detailed provisions, you can edit your document. However, if you do this, you may want a lawyer to review or change the Business Continuity Plan for you, to make sure it complies with all relevant laws and meets your specific needs. Ask a lawyer for assistance.
Carefully consider the needs of your business
As a Business Continuity Plan is designed to help your business continue operating and recover in case of an unforeseen event, you need to carefully consider the specific needs of your business and workforce. The Business Continuity Plan should not be treated like an abstract plan or process, but like a realistic plan in case of a business emergency. As a result, the recovery processes set out within it should be reasonable and achievable while also meeting your business’ needs.
Regularly review your Business Continuity Plan
In order to be effective, your Business Continuity Plan needs to be applicable to your business as it currently stands. As a result, care must be taken to regularly review, test and update your Business Continuity Plan. The review and testing dates set out in the document should be adhered to in order to ensure that the Business Continuity Plan remains relevant and adequate.
Understand when to seek advice from a lawyer
Ask a lawyer if:
you are unsure how to complete the Business Continuity Plan
this document doesn’t meet your specific needs
you have business premises outside of England, Wales and Scotland
This Business Continuity Plan is governed by the law of England, Wales and Scotland.
