When it hasn’t been proven. Or when the assumptions it contains haven’t been validated. Or when it’s out of date. Or when no-one knows about it. 

It sounds obvious doesn’t it? But for many organisations this is the reality with their business continuity plans. All too often, plans are developed by an individual (often someone who has another ‘real’ job too) in splendid isolation. The resulting plan gets the magical ‘tick in the box’, but then sits on a shelf gathering dust and no-one else in the organisation really knows what it’s all about. And it certainly never gets tested.  

But let’s not delude ourselves. An untested plan is not a plan. A plan that’s based on invalid or unproven assumptions is not a plan. A plan that isn’t kept up to date is not a plan. And a plan that no-one knows about is not a plan.   

Your plan isn’t like this is it? So prove it! If you haven’t already done so, put in place a continuous improvement programme that includes regular reviews and updates, regular exercises and tests and an ongoing awareness and education campaign. In this way you’ll ensure that your plan is, and remains, a proper plan.