Business continuity is a topic most organizations leave until a crisis situation.  Business continuity is simply the ability to maintain operations and services during a disruptive event.  What made me think about it at this time? Last weekend, we held a critical strategy meeting around developing African economies in Washington, DC.  We held this meeting during a winter snow storm with a record setting 16 inches of snow within 24 hours.  Can you imagine the disruption in business services?

Africa has its own unique set of challenges that could disrupt business at any time.  Think of the recent floods in Malawi, or the major power outages for many months in South Africa in 2008, which I experienced.  In many areas, power disruption is a regular occurrence.  Also, the impact of illnesses like Malaria, TB and HIV/AIDS on workers is a real business concern in Africa.

So, what’s the answer?  Businesses need a determination to get things done.  The strength of perseverance goes along way.  The spirit of getting things done can be a cultural thing.  For example, major technology firms like Cisco and Google have mission critical operations in Israel, which is essentially in a conflict zone.  Why would they do this?  First, I think, is the competitive advantage of innovation seemingly inherent in the Israeli business culture.  Second, is the Israeli capacity to continue to get business done amidst crisis.

Beyond a culture, or spirit, of getting things done, is the planning and process for anticipating and minimizing disruptive events.  This is business continuity planning.

Many think business continuity planning is concerned with data and systems, which is called IT continuity planning.  However, business continuity planning encompasses any mission critical operation.

The process for managing business continuity generally involves analyzing your business, assessing the risks, developing a strategy and plan, and rehearsing the plan.   While the planning and process can be formal and ongoing, businesses of any size can consider the following questions and develop a simple plan to start:

• What are our mission critical operations or services?
• What are the internal and external risks to our business?  How likely are they to occur?  What impact would they have?
• Who are the critical human resources necessary to run our operation?  How do we manage if something happens to them?
• What are the critical facilities and equipment necessary to run our operation?  How do we manage if something happens to them?
• How long can our business handle a disruption before being severely affected?
• What information and situations should we monitor to stay ahead of the curve, if possible?
• What does the business need at minimum to stay operational?
• Do we have adequate and appropriate insurance to cover disruptions? 

There are several resources available to help you learn and manage the business continuity process.  First, ContinuitySA is a business continuity consulting agency headquartered in South Africa, but also located in countries like Mauritius, Cameroon, Rwanda, Angola, and Kenya.  Second, the Business Continuity Institute provides a free good practices guide.  Third, RISCAuthority provides a free toolkit and software.  If you are a foreign business in an African country, you might want to look at an emergency planning guide produced for American businesses operating overseas by the Overseas Security Advisory Council.

As a final note, the business continuity process is a necessary sustainability tool for maintaining successful business operations in Africa.  From a human perspective, this is a means to protect the livelihoods of key stakeholders – owners, staff, investors, suppliers.  Don’t let a single disruptive event put to waste the years of building a business.

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