A business discontinuity plan
When considering our business continuity strategies and plans, it’s quite usual to think about the different options for ensuring the continuation of various activities.
But in some cases, a strategy of discontinuity (i.e. deliberately deciding to suspend an activity for a period of time – or even to cease it permanently, rather than trying to keep it going), might be appropriate. Examples might include cases where :
- The cost of implementing a continuity strategy is prohibitive or significantly outweighs the benefits;
- An existing legacy process wouldn’t be done in the same way if it were set up now;
- There’s an unprofitable or low-profit activity that we currently do because we always have;
- We have insufficient resources to continue or recover all of our key activities in the short term;
- The “disaster” gives us an opportunity to change what we do and/or the way we do things.
Clearly the decision to discontinue an activity, whether for a specific period or permanently, is a strategic one that needs to be made by appropriately senior people. And it’s a good idea to assess the impacts and risks prior to taking that decision. But a deliberate strategy of business discontinuity isn’t necessarily as off the wall as it might at first appear.
