continuityplans

Continuity plans are documented, structured plans developed to ensure the continuation of essential operations during and after a disruptive event. They are a core element of business continuity management (BCM) and are designed to minimize impact on people, facilities, and operations while enabling rapid recovery.

A continuity plan identifies critical functions, defines recovery objectives, and specifies roles, communication, and procedures required to respond to incidents such as natural disasters, cyber events, or supply chain interruptions.

Typical components include governance and policy, business impact analysis (BIA), risk assessment, recovery strategies, incident response procedures, communications plans, training and awareness, testing and exercises, maintenance and version control, and documentation.

Plans usually comprise several related documents: a business continuity plan (BCP) that covers the organization as a whole; a disaster recovery plan (DRP) for IT and data recovery; and potentially incident response and crisis communication plans.

Implementation considerations include executive sponsorship, ongoing risk and impact assessment, dependency mapping with third parties, resource provisioning, staff training, and regular testing. Plans should be reviewed and updated to reflect changes in processes, personnel, or technology.

Standards and frameworks commonly referenced include ISO 22301, which specifies requirements for BCM; NFPA 1600 and other national or sector-specific guidelines.

Activation of a continuity plan is typically a controlled process with predefined criteria, triggering escalation, invocation of the plan, and coordination with stakeholders. The goal is to maintain or quickly restore essential services and minimize disruption to customers and operations.