Business Planning

Why Business Continuity Planning Is Essential For Your Company?

Soumava Goswami

Business Planning September, 09 2023

When crises happen in business, it is quite common to panic and make wrong decisions by remaining unprepared. Crises can happen anytime, and you must not start every day with the worst that can happen. However, you must stay prepared for anything to happen. You can do this with the help of a useful business continuity planning structure in place. This is because, if you do not stay prepared for the crises, it can cost your company a lot.

In this article, you will learn some general details about business continuity planning. Apart from that, you will learn the importance of having such a planning structure in place. Furthermore, we will also discuss some of the major benefits of business continuity planning, which you must be aware of. Finally, we will share with you the steps you can follow to implement business continuity planning.

What Is Business Continuity Planning?

Business continuity planning is essential for a company as it helps in creating a prevention and recovery from the various risks and threats that can potentially affect the company. Having the plan will ensure that the personnel and assets of the company are protected.

Protecting them will enable the company to start functioning by recovering quickly after a disaster situation. Business continuity planning is also essential to recover from situations like cyber-attacks where the company’s data gets compromised.

Why Is Business Continuity Planning Important?

According to TechTarget.com,

“The plan should enable the organization to keep running at least at a minimal level during a crisis. Business continuity helps the organization maintain resiliency in responding quickly to an interruption. Strong business continuity saves money, time and company reputation. An extended outage risks financial, personal and reputational loss.”

With the help of the business continuity plan, you are making the company look after itself. You are analyzing the potential areas for risks and gathering important information from those areas. You have to have full information about those areas which are helpful for disaster situations. Furthermore, having a business continuity plan is also important to comply with legal processes.

What Are The Benefits Of Business Continuity Planning?

According to Investopedia,

“Business continuity planning is typically meant to help a company continue operating in the event of major disasters such as fires. BCPs are different from a disaster recovery plan, which focuses on the recovery of a company’s IT system after a crisis.”

Basically, such a business continuity plan will help you to take stapes, including creating backups of projects, client information, and more. If something must happen to the company’s office, the satellite offices of the company will have access to all the essential information of the company.

However, a business continuity plan does not work if a large population in the company is affected. It can happen at times of an outbreak of a disease. Despite that, having a business continuity plan in place will help you to improve the risk management processes of the company.

Business Continuity Planning – Steps To Follow

To make a great business continuity plan, it is important to have a management that oversees the plan.

According to Hubspot.com,

“This type of management determines the potential threats to a company and how each of these threats might impact business functions. Based on these findings, business continuity management is able to tweak the company’s continuity plan to address any new potential hazards.”

There are some steps you must follow to develop useful business continuity planning for your organization. Here are they:

Step 1:

Select your Business Continuity Team. Here, you must assemble a management team. Make sure the team is well-organized and detail-oriented. Make sure there is at least an executive manager, a program coordinator, and an information officer.

Step 2:

Define the objectives of the business continuity plan. To do that, you will need to know about what your end goal is. Furthermore, you must also have good information on the resources and budget based on your current projects.

Step 3:

Find the key players of your department and interview them. Make sure to talk with the executives as they have a bird’s eye view of the organization. Furthermore, make sure to interview the key team members of each department. This will help you to get an analysis that is useful and comprehensive.

Step 4:

Identify the essential functions of the business and the types of threats. By doing so, you will be able to find the major areas of your business that require the highest level of business continuity.

Step 5:

Assess the Risks in Every Area. Here, all you need to do is quantify the information that you have gathered from the interviews.

Step 6:

Conduct an Impact Analysis. Here, you will need to summarize your findings based on the costs and benefits to find out further what your priorities are.

Step 7:

Draft the business continuity plan. You must have already got ideas regarding what to include in the plan. Include all the requirements of the plan, followed by the procedure and end goals.

Step 8:

Test gaps in the plan. Once you have created your plan, you must immediately test it for any gaps. You can do it by communicating with those who are implementing the plan.

Step 9:

Revise your plan on the basis of findings. This will be on the basis of your findings in Step 8. Here, you will need to correct the flaws that you have found throughout the process.

Bottom Line

Business continuity planning is essential to hasten an organization’s recovery from a major risk leading to a threat or disaster. Basically, the company identifies all the risks that can affect the organization. The continuity plan puts in place various mechanisms and functions. With the help of these, the organization allows assets and personnel to minimize the company’s downtime.

In case of a disaster in the company, it is important to implement business continuity planning to provide cover for the disaster. Do you have any recommendations regarding how to implement business continuity planning? Share your views and ideas with us in the comments section below.

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Soumava Goswami

Inspired by The Social Network, Soumava loves to find ways to make small businesses successful – he spends most of his time analyzing case studies of successful small businesses. With 5+ years of experience in flourishing with a small MarTech company, he knows countless tricks that work in favor of small businesses. His keen interest in finance is what fuels his passion for giving the best advice for small business operations. He loves to invest his time familiarizing himself with the latest business trends and brainstorming ways to apply them. From handling customer feedback to making the right business decisions, you’ll find all the answers with him!

How To Build An Ecommerce Website To Boost Your Business

Making new Ecommerce websites are accessible nowadays. Those who have a business based on online media have these Ecommerce websites. It is just like a book of business. You have bought a pair of shoes, perfumes, dresses, etc. They have sent your ordered items to your doorsteps. It seems easy when you are looking at things from the view of a customer. But you will feel challenged when you feel you are the business owner, and you have to send the product to the customers’ doorsteps. However, serial entrepreneurs are doing the most demanding things and maintaining ecommerce websites. Benefits Of Using Ecommerce Websites Serial entrepreneurs always use ecommerce websites to boost their business. However, if you are also thinking of opening a new ecommerce website, you will get a series of benefits. First, ecommerce websites have an option to earn a considerable profit. Now make a website and get the benefits. Now, we will tell you the advantages of opening Ecommerce websites. Go through the book of business and learn the factors. 1. Fast Buy As the owner of the ecommerce website, make your customers satisfied. So, it is easy for them to purchase products in some time. It takes only a minute to buy the product. For example, suppose one of your customers finds a particular product if the person gets it by search and can order it in a single minute. In this way, you can get benefits from using Ecommerce websites. 2. Cost Reduction Process It is a book of business where you have to pay less. For example, if you are selling products in your store, spend money on decoration, electricity, lights, and all. But in the online store, you don’t have to pay for other things. You can follow the serial entrepreneurs. The process is simple and also easy to understand. You don’t have to think of negotiation. If you give a price, interested customers will buy it with that price. But sometimes in the shops, people want you to reduce the cost of the product. However, serial entrepreneurs use Ecommerce websites. Read More: Top 7 Part-Time Work From Home Jobs In 2021 3. Multi Selling Products Using the ecommerce website, you will have time to sell multi-products. For example, you can sell grocery items and also clothing items. The all-in-one facility is excellent and also appreciable. You can open a website and boost your business. Go through the book of business. You may need a designer, but you also do not have to pay extra for creating if you know how to design like it. You will get the best profit through the company. Therefore, make a new website and operate it. How To Build An Ecommerce Site Creating an Ecommerce website is a time-consuming process that may take almost a year to decorate appropriately. However, if you are going to make an ecommerce website for the first time, you may feel bored. Thus, you need to have patience for opening a website and also can see the book of business. Don’t lose patience. Wait for the day of getting a high profit. So, we will now see how to make an Ecommerce website. Design the website in the best way that you can. It is the best time to create an ecommerce website. Serial entrepreneurs always follow these steps. 1. Legal Domain Name When you make a perfect plan for creating an Ecommerce website, choose the niche that you will select. Then, when you locate the place, you will work. After that, you also need to have a name that will perfectly match your business content. Famous serial entrepreneurs always place a proper name as the domain name. With this name, everyone will search and will purchase. You may have to buy the domain name the first time. The official website name is always a registered process. However, pay for that. 2. Legal EIN Number For E-commerce Business When you pay for the domain name, ask to get the EIN. It is the process of Ecommerce website business. If you get a number, that means your business is legal. EIN is the employer identification number. Based on that identity number, pay tax to the online service authority. Visit the book of business and get the details there. The process is the same as the shops. Many websites do not have an EIN. That means the business that the owner is running is illegal. Anytime the owner can get rid of accessing the account. However, you must think of doing a permanent business. Therefore, you must apply for an EIN. 3. Business Permission And License To run a legal e-commerce business, get the license to tell you to have a legal E-commerce business. Then, you need to get permission from the authorities. So, apply for obtaining a permit and go to the next steps. However, wait for the response of the authority and then proceed. Then, in the book of business, it is appropriately mentioned. 4. Designing Designing is the last significant part of creating an Ecommerce website for running a business. When you get an echo from the authority, that means they want you to do the business. However, you go gentle and choose a platform through this, and you will operate the site. For designing, you may need to have a designer. Therefore, select a person who will design your website as you will want. Successful serial entrepreneurs always follow the steps and then open websites and earn money online. Read More: How To Endorse A Check- Step By Step Guide For The Beginners In 2021 The Last Lines These are the steps that serial entrepreneurs have to follow to boost their business through E-commerce. However, all the doubts that you could have been cleared. If you still have doubts, then watch a video and learn in more detail. But before going through the steps, research the market. In that, you will learn what the best niche is in demand. You can go with it, therefore. However, don’t waste your time and seriously have a look at the book of business. It is the best time for you, so go gentle towards your goal. Read More: What Is Network Marketing And How To Do It In 2021 How To Open A Small Restaurant With Less Budget?

Importance Of Capital Goods – What Role Does It Play In The Industry?

Do you want to know whether the Capital Goods are the future or a threat to future investment? If yes, you have to understand the reality of Capital goods before drawing any conclusion over it. You must know some of the fundamental aspects of Capital goods before understanding their functions and importance in the Industry. Without knowing the basics, you cannot draw any conclusions about it. Without an adequate supply of Capital goods, Industry cannot grow on the right track. Therefore, you must possess the correct amount of capital goods to increase the chances of your business growth. What Are Capital Goods? The physical assets of a company that is used in the process of production by a company are known as Capital goods. The consumers will use all these products and services produced by the company using these goods. Different forms of capital goods are equipment, machinery, tools, and buildings. Most importantly, they are not finished products; instead, they are used to prepare them. Importance Of Capital Goods Capital plays a vital role in the modern productive system. Without the use of Capital, you cannot be able to run your business successfully. Therefore, every essential aspect of your business is dependent on the application of capital goods. Also Check: Canned Packaged Goods: Everything You Need To Know 1. It Is Essential For Production Without capital, the production of goods and services is hard to imagine. However, nature cannot provide you with all the furnished goods and services to human beings. Machinery for farming, mining, forestry, and ashing can make things easier and more effective for your production process. However, if a man has to work with his bare hand for agriculture, then productivity will be low. Even in the primitive age, the application of the tools was there for plowing the agricultural field. In the modern age, the application of sophisticated machines has made people's lives more accessible and has increased the rate of efficiency. 2. Enhances The Productivity With the enhancement of technology and specialization, the application of capital goods has become much more important than before. Therefore, within a limited time, more goods can be produced. It's like machinery has made the life of the people easier today. In addition, extensive use of capital has made the USA one of the strongest economies in the world due to the high productivity rate. Many developed countries of the world today are primarily dependent on Capital Goods. So you have to make your choices in the correct direction while improving your business. 3. Importance For Economic Development In the process of economic development, capital occupies a central role. This is because the core of economic growth is capital accumulation. A country’s economic development is solely responsible for the usage of capital goods. Roads, railways, airports, harbors, and other essential facilities we use today are part of the capital. Economies of the USA, Russia, And China are developed because they have a high amount of capital to build their economy. Without the application of Capital goods, no economy can flourish in the long run. 4. Creates Employment Opportunity One of the vital roles of Capital goods is creating employment opportunities in any country. Therefore, creating employment opportunities in a country increases when you use Capital goods. Therefore, employment generation is the actual cause for which its use is crucial. It creates the employment opportunity in two ways or, better to say, in two stages- Firstly it creates employment opportunities when workers are hired to produce the machinery, which will help construct dams, roads, and railways. Secondly, workers will be required to handle the machinery for producing the finished products using the capital goods. Many factories will crop up in completing the dam projects, and many people will get employment opportunities. Thus, the capital formation can increase the chances of employment generation in a nation. First, however, you have to understand the ways before using capital goods to develop your nation's economy. 5. Helps To Convert Raw Materials Into Finished Products No factories in the world can flourish only with adequate raw material. The sales of an organization will increase when with the help of machinery, a company's raw materials will be converted into finished goods. Only by selling the finished goods, the asset side of the balance sheet shows a better figure for the organization. Therefore, the profitability of an organization is heavily dependent on the use of Capital goods. You have to understand the co-relation between Capital goods and their usage in modern-day business. Then, proper planning with the help of adequate execution can make things simpler for your organization. Also Read: Boxed Packaged Goods: The right Guide To uplift Your Business Functions Of Capital Goods There are several functions of Capital goods that many of us are not aware of in the correct order. Some of them are as follows:- It ensures an adequate supply of raw materials for your business. The supply of appliances and heavy machinery can help you increase your production level. Capital goods provide the means of subsistence to the workers. You can enjoy the provision for transportation like Railways, motor trucks to make the supply of your products and services smoother. Employment creation and employment generation for the workers increase when you use capital goods. Thus, capital goods form a vital part of the economy that you cannot ignore at your end. You have to admit the importance of Capital goods in your life. Developed countries of the world have focussed on Capital formation first to develop their economy. Final Take Away Without applying capital goods, no economy can prosper in the long run. Therefore, developed economies of the world make extensive use of the capital to improve their economy to the next level. You can share your comments and opinions if you feel that my opinion is correct. For example, today, the demand for Capital goods has increased due to increased orders. If your company has a higher capital margin, then the chances of the growth of your organization increase. You have to understand the facts before deciding to invest in Capital goods. More Resources: Should You Buy GMER Stock? Everything You Should Know Should You Buy GS2C Stock? Everything You Should Know Is PHI Stock A Good Buy? Everything You Should Know

Matrix Organizational Structure – What Are Its Pros And Cons?

In a matrix organizational structure, the teams within an organization try to bring different roles within the team together. Doing so, unlike a traditional hierarchical structure, they develop a grid-like reporting structure. Basically, the organization combines two or more structures from within. Here, both the traditional hierarchy of management as well as inter-department management is combined. In this article, you will learn in general about a matrix organizational structure and how it works within an organization. In addition to this, we will also discuss the major pros and cons of this organizational structure. Apart from that, we will also discuss the major roles within a matrix organizational structure. Hence, to find out more about such an organizational structure read out through to the end of the article. What Is A Matrix Organizational Structure? The matrix organizational structure basically combines two or more kinds of organizational structure. For example, let’s say you combine project management and functional management. According to Indeed.com, “Additionally, the matrix structure is composed of both a traditional hierarchy of management, where employees are managed by a functional manager, as well as additional project managers who can manage employees across different departments. These two or more managerial systems intersect on a grid or matrix.” In this organizational structure, different management styles are used - where the functional management as well as the divisional management are combined. Here, functional management consists of the traditional hierarchical structure based on the job function and the organization’s department. On the other hand, a divisional manager is the one who presides over the cross-functional team, which consists of representatives of both teams. The matrix organizational structure combines the functional and the divisional managers. This helps the work processes to be done faster. According to the Wall Street Mojo website, “In a matrix structure, team members provide information to a project leader and their department head. This management structure might assist businesses in developing new goods and services without reorganizing teams.” The matrix organizational structure was started in the aerospace industry. This was the time when many firms wanted to get into a contract with US Government employees. They needed to create certain charts that show the structure of the project management team. How Does A Matrix Organizational Structure Work? This structure is best understood with the help of an example. According to ChartHop.com, “At the simplest level, an example of an organization using a matrix structure would be one that has set functional teams (e.g. Marketing, Sales, Customer Success) as well as more divisional teams with members from different functional areas that work together on specific initiatives.” A common example of a matric organizational structure is Nike. The company has teams that operate the functional management like merchandising and HR, as well as divisional teams that operate based on location, demographics, and product. Companies and their employees can get a lot of advantages with the matrix structure, especially with the ways that they work within the organization. The teams can share knowledge with each other and can make more informed decisions. Apart from that, the best thing that they will have is better morale within themselves. However, there are problems that you can find inside a matrix organizational structure, too. Some of them include conflict, slowdown of processes, lack of clarity, and more. What Are The Pros Of A Matrix Organizational Structure? According to LinkedIn.com, “One of the main advantages of a matrix structure is that it allows for more flexibility and adaptability to changing customer needs, market conditions, and strategic goals. By creating cross-functional teams that work on specific projects or tasks, a matrix structure can leverage the diverse skills, knowledge, and perspectives of employees from different departments, and foster innovation and creativity.” The intricacy of the matrix organizational structure is one of its main characteristics. You can see from the above sections that the employees are answerable to two managers - functional and project managers. This is because the allocation of resources is in such a way that the human resources are utilized at their highest. The following are some of the major pros of a matrix organizational structure: The departments are able to coordinate better, as the structure brings highly competent team members from different departments to one place. One of the major characteristics of a matrix organizational structure is that it combines the operational and project management frameworks. The communication between two or more departments gets better with the implementation of the matrix organizational structure. What Are The Cons Of A Matrix Organizational Structure? Like most management structures, the matrix organizational structure also has its drawbacks. Here are some of the cons of the matrix organizational structure that you will need to be aware of: There is a continuous need for clarification for the managers regarding their positions, and there are ambiguities in some cases. Hence, there is always a need to define the power dynamics between managers. Apart from the managers, the teams also need clarification regarding their roles in the structure. The individual team members should have a good idea of what their role is at the functional level and what their role is at the project level. This helps in reducing miscommunication between the members. In some cases, due to the involvement of different teams and departments, the decision-making processes can get a bit longer. Apart from that, time is taken since decisions regarding processes need to be made through two different managers. Hence, processes such as quality assurance slow down due to the presence of multiple supervisors. Read More: Entrepreneur : Who Coined The Term ‘Entrepreneur’? Wrapping Up Hope this article was helpful for you in getting a better idea of what a matrix organizational structure is. This structure is best suited for large organizations or organizations that deal with multiple projects. Due to the multiple needs of the organization, the managers can shuffle teams and bring personnel from different departments to work together. The matrix organizational structure helps in better coordination between departments and ensures a better quality of products and services. Do you have anything to add regarding this type of organizational structure? Share your thoughts and ideas with us in the comments section below. Read More: What Is Social Entrepreneurship? – Steps To Become A Successful Social Entrepreneur What Is A Venture Capitalist, And What Are Their Functions? What Is a Franchise, And How Does It Work? – Examples, Benefits & More

Disaster Recovery Vs Business Continuity – What Are The Differences?

Disaster recovery vs business continuity: Which one is important? - The short answer is “Both.” It depends on the situation you are dealing with. Most companies operate by assuming that their workplaces will maintain their consistent state with changing times. Hence, they try to find comfort in daily routines and rhythm of work. However, there are certain events when a business might face disruption. Hence, businesses need to have a disaster recovery plan and a business continuity plan in place to ensure that the business recovers faster when it comes across a negative situation. In this article, you will learn about disaster recovery and business continuity in general. However, the focus of the article will be on the differences between the two. Apart from those differences, we will also discuss the major similarities between them as well. In addition to this, we will, in brief, share with you how each of these works and how to implement them. Hence, to learn more, read on through to the end of the article. Disaster Recovery Vs Business Continuity – What Are They? If you want to prepare for disruptions in business, you will need to create various strategies and plans, following which you will be able to ensure that the core business functions are intact. This can help the business to come back faster from the uncertain negative consequences it just faced. What Is Disaster Recovery? Amazon Web Services defines disaster recovery as such - “Disaster recovery is the process by which an organization anticipates and addresses technology-related disasters. The process of preparing for and recovering from any event that prevents a workload or system from fulfilling its business objectives in its primary deployed location, such as power outages, natural events, or security issues.” To measure the targets of disaster recovery, two factors are taken - Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) and Recovery Time Objectives (RTO). The failures for which companies make disaster recovery plans are mostly larger-scale disaster events. The plan includes various procedures and policies for the company so that it can recover quickly from the disaster by following them. What Is Business Continuity? According to the Business Continuity Institute, “Business continuity is about having a plan to deal with difficult situations so your organization can continue to function with as little disruption as possible. Whether it’s a business, public sector organization, or charity, you need to know how you can keep going under any circumstances.” You will need a business continuity plan, too, in case of a disaster situation. However, the continuity plan is to deal with the disaster situation so that the organization is able to continue its functioning with little to no disruption. However, you will need to understand here that a business continuity plan does not work at times of a large program or a disaster, which affects the company a lot. It also does not work when a large number of people are associated with a single plan. Hence, many big companies make business continuity plans for each of their departments. This makes each department implement the plan as per its needs. Disaster Recovery Vs Business Continuity – Major Differences Disaster RecoveryBusiness ContinuityFocuses on restoring access to data and IT infrastructure after the impact of the disaster.Involves the creation of additional safety measures for employees. Here, the company creates safety drills and stays prepared with emergency supplies.Disaster recovery is created for disruptions of higher levels, especially when many personnel are involved.Involves the limitation of abnormal or inefficient functioning of the system.Ensures that the organization can return to full functionality following a disaster situation.Focuses on keeping the business operations running even during disasters.It consists of plans and procedures on how to continue business operations. The plans also include who should do what at the time of any disruption.Business continuity planning does not work in situations when many people are involved.Involves limitation of operational downtime.Ensures that all the communication methods of the organization continue working during a crisis. You can see from this table that both disaster recovery and business continuity are complementary to each other. Businesses need to combine both plans to ensure they are prepared for disastrous events. Disaster Recovery Vs Business Continuity – Major Similarities The following are some of the major similarities that you will find between disaster recovery and business continuity: Both are proactive strategies that enable a business to stay prepared for uncertain and disastrous events. Both plans allow the company to minimize the effects of the disaster before it actually occurs and affects the business. Both work quite well in situations of natural and man-made disasters. However, the result of their implementation depends on the situation. Professionals need to review both plans on a regular basis, and some of them need revision with the evolving situation of the organization. How Do Disaster Recovery And Business Continuity Work? According to the University of Central Florida, “Having business continuity and disaster recovery plans in place can help companies minimize the consequences of a catastrophic event. They can also provide peace of mind; employees and business owners alike may feel more comfortable in a work setting where there are clear policies for how to respond to disasters.” To implement these plans for the recovery of the business, the organization needs to create/hire crisis management professionals. These professionals will be responsible for developing and implementing such plans. Apart from that, they are also responsible for evaluating and revising them as per needs and training the employees of the organization to stay prepared. Final Thought Disaster recovery vs business continuity: Hope this article was helpful for you in getting a better idea of both of these terms and how they operate in the organizational setting. Disaster recovery works in situations when the disruption is big and many people are involved. On the other hand, business continuity planning is to ensure business operations are continued in disruptions. Do you have any more recommendations regarding when and how to implement a business continuity plan and a disaster recovery plan? Share your thoughts and ideas with us in the comments section below. Read More: Entrepreneur : Who Coined The Term ‘Entrepreneur’? Intrapreneurship – Definition, Importance, Duties, And Responsibilities What Is a Franchise, And How Does It Work? – Examples, Benefits & More

Why Business Continuity Planning Is Essential For Your Company?

What Is Business Continuity Planning?

Why Is Business Continuity Planning Important?

What Are The Benefits Of Business Continuity Planning?