Contingency Planning
About The Video.
Contingency planning is about minimising the effects of an emergency situation.  These emergencies can be split crudely into two types -
  • Events that are financial in nature and can be solved mostly with money; theft, bad debt, legal action etc.
  • ​Physical events like flood, fire, hurricane, data loss, etc.
Note:  Financial events are relatively simple: you save for a rainy day and you insure you and your company 'up-to-the-hilt'.
Wellness.
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  • ​Keep calm:  The most important thing in any crisis is to keep calm. It is especially important that you, as the boss, project composure and a quiet determination to make things right.
  • Don't blame, take responsibility:  In time of crisis the least helpful thing to do is to apportion blame or point fingers. It is imperative that you accept that the 'buck' stops with you!  There will be plenty time to review events when everything is back to normal.
  • Don't allow your mind to create problems and give birth to monsters:  Just deal with what's in front of you.  Thinking about future problems caused by the emergency will just get in the way. It will slow you down mentally and impair your ability to make good judgements.
  • Be happy:  What's happened has happened. The people around you will take their lead from you, their leader. Making the best of things and maintaining a happy demeanour will rouse and motivate everyone around you.
Suggested Videos.
BCM: Everyone's a Winner.
​A funny look at a serious problem. I liked this video a lot.
Preparing For All Hazards.
Note:  Don't get too tied-up in the details of this local video.  Consider the wider principles.
US Army General Colin Powell has expressed the opinion that a leaders role is to remove uncertainty. 

What's Next?

NOTE:  This page is predominately about the operational side of your business.  For financial issues (like your death or the death of a key worker) visit our Money pages.

Floods, fires and natural disasters all spring to mind when talking about contingency plans and whilst these should be considered in your insurance provisions there are many other events that could have a catastrophic effect on your business. Problems with personnel, loss of data, loss of sales, bad debts, theft, manufacturing defects and product recalls are just a few of the problems that can destroy small businesses.

To minimise the effects of a crisis on your business, you should consider devising a comprehensive contingency planning manual.  This manual needs to be reviewed regularly and kept close at hand.  The structure I use is - 

  1. Make an alphabetical list of any/all possible threats to the operation of your business.
  2. Work through your list outlining what your initial response will be to the event.
  3. Go back over your list and outline what should happen once the initial threat is contained and then how you want the whole event closed off and documented.
  4. Distribute your manual.
  5. Review/revise the manual every 12 months.

Our initial actions mostly involve stopping the event. Secondary actions often involve getting back to normal and the third phase tends to be about communicating to clients/workers and insurance companies.  Your business is unique and requires a specific contingency plan, Start or review your plan today.

How Can I Help?

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