Business Planning – Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity

Why does your need a business continuity plan (sometimes called a business disaster plan)? There are a lot of statistics out there, and frankly, I’m not sure if they are all true or not, but it is not good.

Travelers Insurance estimates that 25% of businesses that suffer a major disaster never reopen. I’ve read that 50% of New Orleans businesses that failed to reopen within 7 days after hurricane Katrina hit went bankrupt in less than a year. That statistic is quoted a lot but I can’t find the source of the information.high-water-123230_960_720

So how hard is it to create a business continuity plan? It’s not easy,but it’s not as hard as you probably think. We at Preferred Insurance Center have the ability to help you through the process. We have created a tool that can guide you through the process. There are 3 ways to utilize the tool.

  1. Just download the tool – This will get you started, and it is free, but it probably won’t actually get the job done. Most people don’t get through the process, even with a great tool, without a little help and discipline.
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  1. Setup an Initial Explanation Meeting with Follow-up – We’ll arrange for you to have the tool and explain how to use it. Then we will call back every week to review your progress, answer your questions, and keep you moving in the right direction. The cost of this depends entirely on how many weeks it takes you to complete the plan so you have every reason to see the project through.
  2. Full Consultation Meetings – We won’t write the plan for you but if you want to set up regular meetings to keep the project moving, we will do that.

How you create the plan isn’t nearly as important as getting the job done. Having a plan that is highly imperfect will still put you miles ahead of not having any plan at all. Most businesses will put this off till the tornado strikes, and then not have a clue what to do. Don’t be like most businesses. Do something now.

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Ideal Team Player - Fulfill TAP Action Plan
When a teammate completes the TAP process they end with a plan for what they are going to do to succeed and how they will measure it. How effective is this teammate at fulfilling their own TAP Action Plan?
Preparation Tool: Who's lives do we effect and how?
Focal Point: Our Core Values
Focal Point: Our Inspirational Vision
Focal Point: What Exactly Do We Do?
Focal Point: Our Strategy - How We Will Succeed At What We Do
Focal Point: What is most important now - Right Now?
Focal Point: Financial Impact
We cannot ignore the financial impact something has on the organization. Even most non-profits must have some money to operate. In most for-profit organizations, there needs to be a solid financial return to stay open, regardless of how noble their purpose is.
Focal Point Importance Weighting
Purpose:Core Values:Vision:What We Do:
Strategy :Important Now:Finances:Total:

Action Summary: Who will do what to accomplish what's most important Right Now?
Thriving Key - Connection
Connection: We are human, and the organization's primary and controlling system is our "human system".  People need to feel connected to other people in order to thrive. An organization needs the people that make it work to feel connected to each other.  They need to be a team. Connection to other people is actually stronger than opiate addiction.  Check out this amazin Rat Park video.
Thriving Key - Control
Control: When We say "Control", think of "Empowerment".  What we mean is that everyone needs to know they have some meaningful influence over what they are doing and even a team they are a part of. The days of people being happy just doing the same thing over and over again are well...over! The person at the "point of value", or where something meaningful happens, need to have both influence and responsibility in order to thrive. 
Thriving Key - Progress
Progress: Everyone needs to feel they are making progress at something that matters or they feel that they, as person, aren't making a difference. This is why tracking things is so important. If you don't measure it, you probably can't improve it, and if you can't improve, you aren't going to feel like you are contributing. 
Thriving Key - Clarity
Clarity: Clarity is the "wrapper" that makes everything else work.  If you aren't clear about what you are doing, why you are doing it, and how you will measure success, you are in a forest in the fog- not good. For example: How can you feel you are making progress if you aren't clear about what exactly progress is?  
Thriving Key - Purpose
Purpose: People and organizations need a purpose, or worthy cause. For the people at an organization to want to contribute to the organization's success, they need to believe that organization has a purpose greater than just making money. It is best if the people have a genuine connection to the purpose, and even better if the individual knows their own purpose and feels their work contributes to their personal purpose in life. 
Initiative Health
A scale from 1-5 (5 if best). Measures the budget, people's time commitments, milestones, and tasks. If the score is going down the or below 4, the Initiative is likely headed for trouble. See the report details to determine what the problem is. It comes from 5 questions asked during a health report, which is normally done every 2 weeks.
Initiative Maturity
A scale from 1-5 (5 if best). Measures the preparation and implementation of a Initiative. If it was setup carefully and completely, and is being followed up on and is healthy, it is more likely to succeed. All Initiatives should strive for a 5 in the Maturity. It comes from 5 questions asked during a health report, which is normally done every 2 weeks.
Initiative Overall Score
A scale from 1-5 (5 if best). It simply an average of the Value, Goal Level and Team Dynamics scores. The number represents the general impact of the Initiative weighted for it's value or importance to the Organization. The average of the Initiative Overall Scores gives some indication of the general health of the organization as it measure Results and Team Dynamics weighted for Importance to the Organization.
Team Dynamics
A scale from 1-5 (5 if best) attempting to score how functional and productive the team is being. It is based on the book "The 5 Dysfunctions Of A Team" by Patrick Lenceoni (strongly recommended) It comes from 5 questions asked during a health report, which is normally done every 2 weeks.
Relative Value To Organization
Ranks the relative value of an intitiative for the organization on a scale of 1-5. The higher the value the more important the Initiative is to the organization. The value is used in scoring the total initiative index as it is more important to do well on the most important Initiatives.
Initiative Type
Idea - An Initiative that is being considered but has not actually launched.
CFI - Critical Focus Initiative
KPI - Key Performance Idicator
QKH - Quick Hit - Not a Project
PRJ - Project: Fits ANY of these...
.....Has 5 distinct steps or more.
.....Involves 5 people or more.
.....Will affect $5,000 or more.
.....Will take 60 days or more.
.....Is A Nail (What's a nail?)
........For want of a nail, the shoe was lost.
........For want of a shoe, the horse was lost.
........For want of a horse, the rider was lost.
........For want of a rider, the message was lost.
........For want of a message, the battle was lost.
........For want of a battle, the war was lost.
........For want of a war, the kingdom was lost,
........All for the want of a nail. (Ben Franklin)
Name
Yep - just the name! It is a link. Click it and this will become the top Initiative, any children will be listed below it, and the tasks/milestones etc. related to it will be in the section below that.
Unit of Measure
Description of how this Initiative will be measured. "Not everything that can be measured is important and not everything that is important can be measured." Albert Einstein.
Captain
The final responsible person. The buck stops here. "A dog with 2 owners starves"
Alignment Score
Based on the Alignment Evaliuation how "aligned" is this Initiative with the FocusPlan. The score range is
Very Negative = -4
Very Positive = +4
This is a tool or guide - not a decision maker.
Goal Level - Poor
Absolutely must get to this amount or there would serious damage to the company. Any Initiative that is not at Essential is in Crisis.
Goal Level - Good
This is the minimum level that would be considered a success. It is what the Captain is saying he/she can and will attain.
Goal Level - Excellent
Possible but VERY difficult. It doesn't require perfection, but it would be an impressive achievement.
Goal Level - Blue Sky
Everything must go perfectly and the stars must all align. This should not usually be considered a good thing as it often is caused by something else doing very badly.
Goal - Current
This is the measurement based on the "Unit of Measure" that this Initiative was at the last Health Report. It should indicate the Goal Level the Initiative is at.
Goal Level - Current State
This is the Current State reflected by the measurement (Crisis, Poor, Good, Excellent or Blue Sky). It is declared when doing a health report, usually by the Captain.
Health Reports
This is the date the last health report was completed. Health Reports can be viewed or submitted by clicking on this link. If it has been more than 2 weeks since the last Health Report, it will turn red.
Approval
The Captain, Keeper and Leader are expected to declare that the Initiative is well prepared or that they are willing to break the "rules" to get it moving. The Approval Delcaration is:
I Agree This Initiative('s):
1 - Success Preparation narrative Is Focused, Clear and Actionable.
2 - Milestones and Tasks are well planned and highly likely to succeed.
3 - Has the resources needed, available or planned for, and approved.
4 - Captain, Keeper and Leader each has the time, energy and focus needed to succeed. They are not over-committed endangering the success of this or any other initiatives, duties or personal well being.
5 - Leadership believes this initiative is in the best interest of the organization.
6 - I strongly believe this initiative will succeed and be on time.
Related Meeting
As a rule, every Initiative should be discussed at some regular meeting at least twice every month. The meeting linked to in this field is the PRIMARY meeting governing this Initiative. Clicking the link will open that meeting in a popup window.
Declared Health
This is a subjective statement from either the Captain or a team about the condition of this Initiative. A well planned Initiative that is in Crisis could be in "Average" health or an Initiative that has a Current State of "Stretch" could bein Poor health because it is going down rapidly.
Status
Backlog - Planning but not yet started. Will not show up as an active objective
Begun - Started and will show up as active initiative
Committed - Higher priority than Begun
Fulfilled - Finished and no longer tracking.
Abandoned - Not completed but no longer used
Details
Allows you to View or Edit the narratives and objectives of the Initiative, depending on your access level. Generally Captains, Keepers and Leaders can edit and submit Health Reports for an Intitiative.
Quick Tasks
Allows you to create a task quickly with less detailed information. The tasks will display under this Initiative but it cannot be assigned to a Milestone etc.
Reviews
Reviews are incredibly important. It gives everyone the ability to evaluate how well this Initiative fits the FocusPlan, and you can make suggestions for improvement. The yellow button will take you to a short video explaining the Reviews and how to complete them.
Ideal Team Player - Give Effective Feedback
People need feedback to improve, or even just to know how others perceive them and their work. A person is effective at giving feedback when they...

* Are willing to give candid feedback. It is dangerous and the willingness to do it is vital.

* Are able to give feedback in a way that the majority of people will accept it. If the feedback results in anger because it is given poorly, it helps no one.

Have the wisdom to deliver feedback at the right time, for the right reason. Candid feedback thrown around without need or thought is often just mean. 
Ideal Team Player - Receiving Feedback
Feedback is so often given poorly (wrong time, in the wrong way, by upset people) and so seldom given well. People who can receive and learn from feedback, even when poorly given, have one of the greatest skills. They will learn and grow because they will hear 5 times us much feedback as the average person, often from people who intend to hurt them, but end up helping them. 
Ideal Team Player - Follow Procedures and Use Tools
We all know people who just can't follow the rules. Sometimes thes "lone wolves" that do things their own way are highly effective as individuals. The problem is, they are very destructive to teams that need to work together. Their ability to do things without procedures, is often at the expense of everyone else's productivity and the team as a whole is much less effective. 
Ideal Team Player - Motivate The Team
Some people just are NOT hungry to succeed. Some are hungry for their own success, but not concerned for the team. Some people are hungry to succeed themselves and hungry for team success. People with that attitude who can spread it to others jumpstart actions and are invaluable. 
Ideal Team Player - Relationship and Communication
Some people have emotional intelligence. They build relationships and communicate well with almost anyone. Some people can give someone everything they want...and still leave them angry or disappointed.  
Ideal Team Player - Attain Primary Goal
Most teammates should have a Primary Goal by which they measure success. How effective is this teammate at achieving that goal?
Ideal Team Player - Pursue Growth
Teammates who put effort into growing, both professinally and personally, can contibute more to the lives of others and the organization. How effective is this teammate at trying to learn and grow?
Ideal Team Player Score
The average of their scores on the Ideal Team Player section of the review.
Numeric value of each grade is:
Very Effective = 4
Effective = 2
Nuetral = 0
Ineffective = -2
Very Ineffective = -4
FocusPlan Impact Score
The average of their scores on the FocusPlan Impact section of the review.
Numeric value of each grade is:
Very Positive = 4
Positive = 2
Nuetral = 0
Negative = -2
Very Negative = -4
Retention Priority Score
It is the "Impact On FocusPlan Score" X "Difficulty To Replace" X "Likelihood of Leaving Next 12 Months". Highest possible score is 27. High scores indicate who rentention efforts should be focused on.
Numeric value of each grade is:
Low = 1
Medium = 2
High = 3
Task Due Date
The date which the Captain agreed he/she the organization would be able to ETBR (Enjoy The Business Result). It is very important that these estimated dates be reasonable and dependable. A promised date that is not met is much worse than a date that is met so contingent activities can be planned. Of course setting dates unnecessarily long is a very poor practice as it also delays contingent activity.  
Task ETBRs
This is the number of times the Due Date has been set. Most task should be completed by the ETBRs 1 or 2. If this number exceeds 2 it need careful attention. Either the task is harder to do than expected, or the Captain is not committed to it's completion. A Captain that has an average ETBRs of over 2 needs training to better plan an execute.
Task Status
Backlog - Planning but not yet started. Will not show up in My Tasks or WMS unless within 10 days of its due date.
Begun - Started and will show up as active task on all related list.
Committed - The captain is saying this task will be completed during the next weekly sprint.
Failed - was committed to but not completed during the sprint. Gives the captain a chance to examine why he failed and learn from it.
Fulfilled - Completed, turns green. Will remain on most list for 7 days and then stop showing up.
Abandoned - Not completed but no longer used. Will not show in any list.
Task Expected Result
Ideally, this is the benefit desired, not just the completion of an action. Example - "Machine 7 is serviced and back in production" is better than "Change the leaking hose on Machine 7".
Task Initiative
This is the Initiative this task is related to. Usually it is a clickable link.
Task Details
Links which will allow you to View or Edit the task details, depending on your permissions.
Task Milestone Task
This link will open a New Task window. The task will be linked to the respective Initiative and Milestone.
Task On Calendar
Have you scheduled time on your calendar to do this task? Either enter Yes or Actual Date.
Arena
An Arena is usually and Organization but each user has a Personal Arena which is intended to help organize your personal life. Think of it as a place you go to organize and plan for you and an orgainzation.

This could be a clickable link. Your "Current Arena" is shown in a green box, usually in the upper right of the page. Clicking there will allow you to change the Current Arena. This is important for security reasons.
Copy Entry: Clicking the link will make an exact copy of the entry.
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