What are the common risks?
The components to be considered are people, processes, premises, providers, profiles and performance.
People
- What changes of roles and responsibilities might be required should some staff no longer be able to work?
- What levels of awareness and education about the plan/contingencies do particular staff require?
- What is the likely availability of people (existing and/or replacement staff) to keep the business going during/after a disaster?
- What might be the emotional impact of the disaster on your staff members and what support processes might you have to access in the recovery phase?
- What might your people need in order for their own home situations to recover from a disaster?
Processes
- What organisational processes (manufacturing, sales, delivery, financial, IT) do you run and what changes might you have to make to them in a post-disaster situation?
- How would your communications (both internal and external) be affected and what non-traditional communication methods might you require to stay connected?
- What formalised planning have you done, where is it stored and who knows about it should it be required?
Premises
- What might the impact be on buildings and facilities for staff, customers and suppliers?
- What alternative buildings and/or facilities could you use as a backup or in an emergency?
- How can you minimise the impact of potential disaster with security, sprinkler and other risk minimisation actions?
Providers
- How could you protect an ongoing supply chain (purchased goods and/or raw materials) if either their or your business were affected by a disaster?
- Who are your contractors or the people you outsource work to?
- Do you have a complete list of their contact details?
- Who provides your communication, sanitation and other essential services?
- Do you have a list of their contact details?
- Are all your lists backed up with copies held somewhere off site?
- In the event of a disaster, what alternative sources do you have to supply the services your business requires?
Profile
- How might your brand, image and reputation in the marketplace be affected after a disaster? What elements do you need to protect and how would you do that?
- How would you prepare for a heightened awareness of your brand/market profile in a post-disaster situation?
Performance
- How long would it take you to re-establish accepted benchmarking standards post-disaster?
- How would you evaluate and audit your post-disaster recovery processes to check on their relevance and/or effectiveness?