Business Continuity For Dummies

Identifying Lessons: Ending Up Stronger

The process of exercising is complex and time-confusing, no doubt. When it’s finished, you have permission to be exhausted! But you want to get the most of the process, and so in this section we invite you to take a good look again. You may find that you can introduce other aspects to the exercise to suit your own circumstances.

Just a word of caution: don’t skip any of the steps we give you in the preceding sections of this chapter. All the steps are good practice.

Unfortunately, no shortcuts exist to getting this procedure right. If you think you find any, don’t be tempted to take them. Stick to this path and go through each part of the process. Share with your key people and then broadcast your plans across your organisation. Remind your people – at all levels of the business – that they must take testing seriously.

Invite people to contribute to the process, because someone may have a good idea you want to investigate. Even if you find that it may not work, don’t brush the suggestion aside: explain your reasoning and invite further contributions for consideration.

People are your most important asset.

Tackling the de-brief

Ideally, a de-brief takes place immediately following the exercise and before people leave the exercise location ...