最近爆发了一种新病毒, COVID-19, 或者冠状病毒, has many businesses scrambling to develop or review their business continuity plans. While there is much unknown about COVID-19 and whether it will turn into a pandemic, there are many things business can do today to ensure their businesses continue to operate if it does occur.
随着许多澳门赌场官方下载的全球化, the potential for a pandemic and the impact of such a pandemic could be significant. 特别是, the impact to the supply chain could be enormous since so much of the world’s manufacturing occurs in China, 病毒的发源地. 对商业供应链的潜在影响, 直接和间接, it’s important to have a solid business continuity plan (BCP) in place.
BCPs应由风险评估驱动. In this case, a pandemic risk assessment should be used to develop contingency plans. 这里有一些 关键的考虑 大流行风险评估:
1. 对你的收入流有什么潜在影响?
Will consumers still need/want your products or services during a pandemic? Recent stock market volatility shows the vulnerabilities in different sectors. The travel industry is expected to be negatively impacted, while online entertainment companies are expected to be positively impacted. Understand your business, your customers and the potential change in demand in a pandemic. Also assess whether the changes will be temporary or possibly permanent. Identify any mitigation plans to shore up business during a pandemic and plans to recover afterward.
2. 对供应链的潜在影响是什么?
If you produce goods, where are the components sourced? Recent news reports of shipping delays expected from China have impacted many global companies from electronics to pharmaceuticals and beyond.
If you produce services, where are your employees located? Expect travel restrictions, especially in countries where the COVID-19 virus is spreading. How will limited business travel impact your business?
How will you provide global services in areas where you have limited staff due to an outbreak?
3. 对客户的潜在影响是什么?
Are there any upstream or downstream impacts if your customers are also experiencing supply chain issues or severe staff shortages? Are there other impacts to your business beyond revenues?
An additional consideration is whether there are any opportunities in a pandemic scenario to improve business relationships with customers – not through opportunistic exploitation, 但是通过合作, 富有同情心的援助. Is there a way you might help your key customers during a pandemic? Helping out in hard times generates the kind of goodwill you can’t buy.
4. 对员工的潜在影响是什么?
How will your business operate if 25% of your employees are out sick or unable to come to work? Will you be able to run critical operations with reduced staff? What plans do you have to assist employees who are quarantined (those who are healthy and able to work as well as those who are ill and unable to work)?
As with your customers, are there opportunities to assist your employees? If employees are healthy but their children are kept home for weeks at a time, 或者员工生病独自生活, 公司是否可以提供适当的帮助? Take a look at your HR policies to see if you need to make temporary or permanent revisions to address pandemic-related issues. 你的员工是你最宝贵的资源, so you want to do all you can to protect them from the pandemic and assist them if they are impacted by it.
5. What are your delegations of authority and leadership contingency plans?
Some organizations overlook the important aspects of how to delegate authority, 比如批准大笔开支, as well as making strategic (or significant tactical) decisions, declaring a pandemic activation plan or returning to normal operations. When key leaders are unavailable – either because they are unable to be physically present or because they are ill – the organization must have contingency plans spelled out in advance as to how the authority of the organization will be delegated. These need to be tested with various scenarios to ensure vital operations will not be impacted if one or more key leaders are unable to work.
Summary
Until fairly recently, few people outside of governmental agencies seriously planned for a pandemic. It was always a line item in a business continuity checklist, but one most organizations passed over. 现在威胁越来越大, it’s important to look at the organization holistically to understand how a pandemic could impact your revenues, 你的客户和你的员工. 现在是准备的时候，而不是恐慌. 通过适当的计划和场景测试, you can help your company be better prepared to survive a global pandemic.
作者简介: 苏珊Snedaker is a recognized IT leader and award-winning author. She writes about business continuity planning, operations management and IT leadership at www.susansnedaker.com.
