5. Developing a Draft BC Plan Document

Definitions

Cold site

Suitable accommodation that is readily available, with sufficient space to set up the necessary resources, desks, equipment and communications circuits, to enable the company to offer a complete, or near complete service, while the new permanent home is being prepared.

The business continuity plan provides for phased recovery of the most vital business processes. If the recovery is expected to take longer than a few weeks, a cold site should be selected and equipped to enable all, or most, of the company's staff to offer a full service, until the new permanent home can be commissioned.

Scenario

The MSTA definition of a scenario is “a complete set of events that, together, give rise to an unplanned, prolonged interruption in one or more business processes”.

BC planning for recovery after a partial disruption or a one-day disaster

Most emergencies affect only a small number of business processes and for a relatively short period. It is, therefore, important to make provision for:

a) emergencies that are expected to last for less than 24 hours.

b) invocation of only part of the organisation's business continuity plans.

Scenarios which might produce short term or partial emergencies are listed in the primary threats (see Section 3.1) and include computer software errors, water pipe fractures, air conditioning contamination, etc.

Escalation procedures

The steps to be taken by the first person who discovers a 'disaster' and the subsequent actions required to be followed by the Emergency or crisis management team and others, up to the time that the business continuity plan is invoked or the emergency is considered to have finished.