Rothstein Associates Inc. Business Survival ™ Weblog

Business Continuity can be a challenge in any environment – and the complexities of manufacturing and distribution operations can be even more challenging.

The new BUSINESS CONTINUITY PROGRAM FOR MANUFACTURING AND DISTRIBUTION ON CD-ROM has some similarities to business continuity programs for other business environments – but many differences specific to manufacturing and distribution.

• Have Critical Revenue-Generating Operations been Thoroughly Analyzed?
• Is Your Plan Designed Specifically for a Manufacturing or Distribution Business?
• Is Your Plan Limited to Information Technology Planning?
• Do All Departments have Adequate Plans in Place?

The new BUSINESS CONTINUITY PROGRAM FOR MANUFACTURING AND DISTRIBUTION ON CD-ROM follows professional standards as recommended by the Disaster Recovery Institute International, Business Continuity Institute Good Practices Guidelines, National Fire Protection Association 1600 Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs as well as industry best practices.

Here is a process for business continuity tailored to the manufacturing or distribution environments, as implemented in the BUSINESS CONTINUITY PROGRAM FOR MANUFACTURING AND DISTRIBUTION ON CD-ROM:

Executive Commitment

Before any project can commence and have a reasonable chance of success, a commitment
must be secured from the highest levels of the organization. A ‘Management Committee’ (or ‘Steering Committee’) with significant senior management level participation needs to be assembled. Within the Management Committee an executive level individual needs to be placed in charge of the entire project. A management level individual needs to be designated as the ‘Project Manager’ to develop the actual documentation. Sufficient authority and resources will have to be allocated to the entire project for it to be successful.

Projects

In order to develop and maintain a comprehensive Business Continuity Management Program, Disaster Management, Inc. suggests a multi-project approach that parallels industry best practices as follows:

Project 1 – After a commitment from management has been made; this first step involves the Collection of Information needed to complete the necessary projects.

Project 2 – The development of a Business Impact Analysis (BIA). The BIA will include an assessment of the natural and man-made risks that face the business. The BIA will also analyze the recovery priorities and set objectives for the entire program.

Project 3 – The development of a central or overarching plan or Business Continuity Plan (BCP) for the business.

Project 4 – The development of a Crisis / Risk Management Plan is needed to define emergency actions to respond to actual specific emergency situations.

Project 5 – The development or update of the Information Technology Plan needed to maintain the systems and communication capabilities of the business.

Project 6 – The development or update of the plans in place for the operational groups and support departments or the Business Unit Plans needed to maintain critical operational activities.

Project 7 – Involves the Implementation of the entire program.

Project 8 – Involves the Exercising, Training and Ongoing Requirements of the entire program.

See The BUSINESS CONTINUITY PROGRAM FOR MANUFACTURING AND DISTRIBUTION ON CD-ROM