Step by Step Guide to BCP

Spring 2016

1. Decide at what level of organizational unit you will conduct planning. (Entire college or division? Several departments or key processes?)

2. Assign a key staff person and at least one backup to be responsible for completing the plan for your unit.

3. Review the BCP Planning Considerations document, including:

   • Situations with Pandemic, Natural Disasters and other Short/Long Term Emergencies

   • Identifying Critical/Essential Functions for your Unit

   • Planning Scenario for The University of Memphis

4. Review the Business Continuity Plan template. This document describes the information that you are to provide to demonstrate how you will operate in a pandemic illness scenario.  You will need to:

   • Name appropriate contacts;

   • Identify the critical/essential functions that are critical to your unit;

   • Develop plans of action to continue these functions in the event of disruption of normal Business Activites;

   • Identify actions that need to be taken to ensure preparation for a disruption of Business; and

   • Specify your unit’s internal and external communications plans.

5. Review sample unit plans.

6. Create your unit’s plan in the BCP Editor by selecting the appropriate unit from the dropdown list and hitting ‘Add New Plan.’

   • Contact the Bill Lofton, wlofton@memphis.edu or ext. 2132,  if you do not have access to the BCP Editor.

   • If your unit does not appear in the listing, contact the Bill Lofton, wlofton@memphis.edu or ext. 2132, with your request.

7. Prepare your unit’s responses to each of the template’s items. Review with the appropriate administrators, faculty, and staff and make any needed revisions to the online plan.

8. When your unit’s plan is complete, select the ‘Mark Plan As Completed’ option under Submission Workflow Action in the BCP Editor. Your plan will be reviewed by the Business Continuity Planning committee.

9. Preparing the continuity plan is just the first phase in the process.  The second phase is making sure your staff understands the plan and how it will be implemented.

   • Train all unit staff on the requirements of the plan.

   • Complete Cross training of key staff as needed.

   • Purchase and stockpile necessary supplies and equipment, as appropriate.

   • Contact critical vendors, service suppliers, other university units to ensure critical operations of the unit will continue in an emergency situation.

   • Implement all other requirements of the Business Continuity Plan to ensure the unit is prepared for emergency situations.

10. The third phase in the process is to test key functions of the plan to make sure they actually work.  For example, periodically test the communication section to make sure key staff can be contacted by alternate methods.  Use this as a means to update your plan to make sure it is functional.  

11. The final phase in the process is ensuring the plan remains current.  Remember, these plans are living documents – they must be periodically reviewed and updated to be functional.  At a minimum they should be reviewed every year and following activation to make sure the information remains current.  

 Questions? Contact the Business Continuity Planning Committee at bcp@memphis.edu

02/03/2016