Contingency Planning for the Next Phases of the COVID-19 Pandemic
The Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic creates uncertainties for the timescales, lockdown easing and response measures that will be adopted by different countries, sectors, and communities.
Few predicted the dramatic restrictions that were imposed by governments around the world and the impact these would have on how we go about our day-to-day lives.
Organisations, large and small, have experienced variations of operational mode over the past weeks. Now we are reaching the point where countries are taking the tentative first steps to initiating a way out of lockdown and contemplating how to return to work in a safe and productive manner.
Teed’s consultants are working closely with clients to review how they are managing operations during the initial stages of the pandemic. Analysing the gaps in preparedness to establish what worked well, what did not go so well and identifying the appropriate measures for responding to future iterations.
Our Covid-19 Business Continuity Review is designed to help clients understand their current position and risks, the strategies and contingencies that are either in place or required and recommend improvements to increase preparedness. The maxim here is people safety, maximising productivity and identifying opportunities.
The pandemic has some way to go and new infection surges could emerge at any time. Organisations need to ensure that all future risks have been sufficiently thought through and prepared for. It is often an unfortunate combination of circumstances that causes the most significant impacts.
Forethought, scenario planning, prompt decision making and effective communication with stakeholders will help safeguard jobs, market share, reputation and business continuity. Reacting to trigger events and materialising risks is much easier when you already have your response, recovery and resumption route mapped out.
Teed’s consultants are experienced practitioners who make the best use of time and budgets available to ensure clients receive quality deliverables that work. Using our proven methods, we facilitate discussions with relevant business representatives to determine a plan of action for Covid-19. This will give managers the tools to navigate their ship through the choppy waters ahead as the pandemic runs its course.
Covid-19 Business Continuity Review Report
On completion of the Covid-19 BC Review, clients will receive an independent report explaining the review outcomes, including:
- Project scope, objectives and approach
- Incident review findings
- Primary risks, dependencies, gaps and areas of concern
- Response, business continuity strategy, contingency and risk mitigation actions
- Recommended actions to improve Covid-19 business continuity preparedness
- Red/Amber/Green prioritisation for improvement actions, based on risk/benefit analysis
- Proposed way forward including implementation timescales
- Modes of operation and issues for consideration within each mode to guide senior management decisions during forthcoming stages of the Covid-19 pandemic
Teed’s Covid-19 BC Review will provide senior managers with the information they need to manage decision making and business continuity effectively through the uncertain times ahead. The organisations who fare best will be those who put aside time to plot their route.
What does the Covid-19 Business Continuity Review involve?
All discussions will be held by video or telephone conferencing. An initial pre-project discussion will determine the time and budget required for the review and a proposal will be submitted. There are four steps to the review culminating in the Covid-19 BC Review Report which summarises the project approach, findings and recommendations.
Project Initiation
- Agree the project scope, objectives, approach, participants, timescales and methods
- Prioritise the organisation’s critical activities and consider how these may change if it becomes necessary to adopt different operating modes
- Define the business continuity aim in response to Covid-19
Incident Review
Facilitate an incident review discussion to understand the measures taken so far in response to the evolving Covid-19 pandemic, including:
- Speed of response and effectiveness of communication
- Incident management roles and responsibilities
- Decisions made, contingencies adopted and actions taken
- Impact on services, customers, suppliers and stakeholders
- Effects on staff morale and efficiency
- Measures still to implement
- Consider effectiveness of business continuity strategies and contingencies adopted
- Agree improvement and mitigation actions to be taken forward
Risk & Dependency Analysis
- Facilitate risk and dependency review discussions to understand potential threats to satisfying the Covid-19 business continuity aim, including:
- Actions that could be taken by external parties (e.g. governments, regulators, stakeholders, unions, etc.) that may jeopardise ability to provide essential services and perform critical activities
- Safety and efficiency of working environments and practices
- Reliance on key suppliers and potential supply chain disruptions
- Increased dependency on technology and associated risks
- Staff unavailability and inefficiencies resulting from changed working practices
- Market, customer and competitor risks and opportunities
- Consider effectiveness of current risk and operational controls against the threats
- Identify gaps and concerns that warrant further consideration
Strategy & Contingency Development
Facilitate discussions to consider gaps and concerns to allow Covid-19 business continuity strategy and contingency options to be identified, including ways to improve upon existing:
- Incident management responsibilities and protocols
- Approach for communicating with stakeholders
- Response, recovery, and business continuity planning
- Hygiene and social distancing practices
- Welfare and support measures to maintain confidence and efficiency of staff
- Resilience and security measures to protect technology and information
- Supplier management practices (e.g. contract changes, contingency suppliers, increased buffers, geographical locations)
- Customer management and business development activities to generate opportunities
- Prioritise options to meet the Covid-19 business continuity aim and consider feasibility of each
- Agree strategies and contingencies
Please contact us to discuss how Teed can help you navigate the next phases of the Pandemic
View this page as a PDF Teed Covid-19 Business Continuity Review.pdf