Business Continuity Program Strategic Plan Cycle

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Created by the Security Executive Council

Another imperative for continuous review and evaluation relates to budgeting and company-wide planning. Organization budgets and strategic plans should incorporate funding and requirements for the business continuity program, and will hopefully include the BCP as an annual strategic priority. To accommodate this, BCP review and evaluation must remain connected to other company planning cycles.

For example, many organizations review strategic priorities on an annual basis in preparation for the new fiscal year. During this review period budget decisions are being made. Funding related to BCP should be considered during this time. As management makes decisions about upcoming strategic goals, the BCP must be examined to ensure it is aligned with and incorporates any changes to the organization's business operations

To further illustrate this point, the figure below (adapted from Public Safety Canada's Emergency Management Planning Guide 2010-2011) highlights a typical organization's planning cycle. Note that this cycle requires periodic and annual focus on BCP planning rather than the limited evaluation that occurs after an incident.

chart showing strategic planning cycle

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