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36 PCB007 MAGAZINE I MAY 2021 Feature Article by Tim McLean TXM An oen-overlooked part of a business's key protocols is business continuity planning. ese are the steps your company will take when faced with "business unusual," when cor- porate life or death is a very real potential. In this article, I will provide an overview of business continuity planning (BCP) and how it can be the difference between your business surviving or failing. We will discuss the risks to your business, what a BCP looks like, and how to implement one. If you are new to BCP and exploring your options, then you're in luck. I've broken down this article into five parts: • Defining a business continuity plan • How to start your business continuity planning • Defining the risks • Prevention, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery (PPRR Framework) • Rehearse, maintain, and review What is a Business Continuity Plan? A business continuity plan involves creating a system of recovery and prevention to deal with external factors and potential threats to a company. A company's resistance or resil- ience to failure is in its ability to withstand ex- ternal shock waves and still function. Any external event that impacts the opera- tions of your business should be included in your business continuity plan. Business conti- nuity planning outlines a range of disaster sce- narios and the steps to overcome the problem and return to normal trade. Most businesses, however, will be focusing their business con- tinuity management on one disaster—the CO- VID-19 pandemic. How to Start Your Planning Because COVID-19 has turned the world up- side down and business-as-usual on its head, it might be time to start your business con- tinuity planning. In manufacturing and sup- ply chain we are seeing a range of outcomes, from businesses struggling with unprecedent- Process Optimization in a Business Continuity Plan