Business continuity planning for professional-services firms
A client-service business can lose its normal way of working while its client deadlines stay unchanged. Start with the commitments due in the next three days and decide what you can safely deliver with the people and approved tools actually available.
List the commitments with a clock attached
Choose the client deliverables, payroll approvals and scheduled responses that cannot simply wait. For each one, write down the due time, the accountable manager and the minimum useful output. Separate a true contractual or regulatory deadline from an internal preference; have the responsible specialist confirm the distinction.
Make access a verified dependency
Identify which approved systems, files and permissions each commitment needs. Record who can authorize access for the deputy. A backup employee is not a working alternative if that person cannot open the right files or communicate with the client. Keep a controlled offline decision and contact register without exporting sensitive client material to unapproved devices.
Choose what pauses
Name the lower-priority work you will defer, the manager who approves that choice and the capacity you will reserve for urgent existing clients. If the normal system is unavailable, a short factual update can be more useful than an unsupported promise that everything will run normally.
Prepare a client update you can stand behind
Use four parts: what is confirmed; which service is affected; what the client should do now; when the next update will arrive. Have the relationship owner approve it. Avoid disclosing unverified causes or confidential incident details. Use the communication channel your organization has already approved.
Practice the missing-person problem
In a discussion exercise, assume the person who normally coordinates a deadline is unavailable for three days. Ask the deputy to explain the next decision and show the evidence needed to make it. Record missing authority, access and contacts as actions with owners and due dates.
Continue with the complete kit.
The First 72, Edition 01, includes an interactive offline planner, printable guide, seven editable worksheets, three tabletop scenarios and four message templates. One organization can make unlimited internal copies. $249 USD once, plus applicable tax. No subscription or consulting engagement.
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These ODSS notes are an original starting format. You can also use Ready.gov business preparedness resources and CISA tabletop exercise resources. The agencies do not endorse ODSS or this product.
General management planning and fictional discussion only. Use approved emergency procedures and local authorities during an actual emergency. Your organization must verify its own information, approve its procedures and obtain specialist advice where needed.