Business continuity and crisis management
Create a business continuity plan
A business continuity plan sets out how your business will continue operating during a crisis. It is a blueprint for restoring critical business activities quickly and reduce the impact of disruption.
How to write a business continuity plan
Business continuity planning is based on two key processes:
- risk assessment - which shows you what kinds of incidents you might face
- business impact analysis (BIA) - which identifies recovery times for key activities
Together, these help you understand risks and plan how to respond effectively.
What to include in your business continuity plan
A business continuity plan should cover the following areas:
Emergency response
Protect people first. Create clear procedures for different scenarios, such as incident response flowcharts/checklists, evacuation plans, emergency contacts, relocation sites, and remote working arrangements. Once people are safe, you can focus on limiting damage to your business.
Crisis management
Set out how you will communicate during a crisis. Define roles, responsibilities, communication channels and processes for updating staff, customers, stakeholders and the media. If necessary, appoint a company spokesperson to handle questions and provide media updates.
Business recovery
Set out clear recovery plans for critical functions and assets. Identify key people, resources and immediate actions needed to restore operations, including systems recovery, stock and supplier recovery, resources and equipment recovery, etc. The early stages of an emergency are critical to reducing impact, so make sure staff know what to do through training and clear instructions.
Key contacts
Create a list of the people and organisations you may need in an emergency, with their roles and contact details. Include key staff, suppliers, emergency services, utility providers, landlords, insurers and local contractors such as locksmiths, plumbers, electricians and IT specialists. Include site maps showing fire escapes, sprinklers and other safety equipment.
Stay flexible
Different incidents require different responses. Your plan should be flexible enough to cover a range of scenarios, from minor disruptions to major emergencies.
Business continuity plan templates and tools
You can build your business continuity plan from scratch or use one of the many templates or software tools available online to help you get started. Keep in mind that the best plan will be the one that is tailored specifically to your business. GOV.UK's business continuity management toolkit (PDF, 569K) can help you create a plan and adapt it to your business.
Disaster recovery vs business continuity
A disaster recovery plan focuses on technological incidents and restoring IT systems and data. It works alongside your business continuity plan, which covers the wider business response. See more on IT incident response and recovery.
Business continuity and insurance
Business continuity planning supports your insurance cover. Many insurers expect you to have a plan in place to manage risk and minimise losses. For more information, see business insurance: the basics.