Business Continuity Planning is the practice of planning how your department will provide services or conduct departmental business during or after an emergency or disaster that may have both short-term and long-term consequences. The Departmental Level Business Continuity Planning Tool was created to assist University of Georgia (UGA) departments in the development of business continuity plans specific to their unique departmental and building needs. This planning tool has been modified to be used by University of Georgia units for Business Continuity Planning for all types of disasters. A Business Continuity Plan (BCP) is different from a Building Emergency Action Plan (BEAP) in that a BCP is a “departmental specific plan” used to guide departments on how to provide for operational continuity; whereas, a BEAP is a “building-specific plan” that prepares building occupants for possible emergency situations. The development of both a Business Continuity Plan and a Building Emergency Action Plan will provide the most complete emergency planning effort.
Because disasters can routinely impact institutions of higher learning, representatives from the UGA Office of Emergency Preparedness (OEP) and UGA Enterprise Information Technology Services (EITS), have been involved in emergency planning and disaster recovery planning in conjunction with local, state, and federal emergency planning and response agencies. However, the overall ability of the University to respond appropriately to a large-scale or extended emergency will also depend on the readiness of individuals and departments within the University of Georgia to respond appropriately. Therefore, to aid departments in their planning efforts, OEP is providing this planning tool to guide departmental discussions and planning efforts to address threats and emergencies that could have larger impacts in the community and on campus.
Business continuity and disaster recovery planning is an integral part of the University’s comprehensive emergency planning efforts. The BCP will adhere to an “all-hazards” approach to emergency planning. Due to UGA’s size and scope, BCP planning must also be done by each UGA department to ensure continuity of operations at every level on the campus.
The Office of Emergency Preparedness recognizes that emergency planning creates a burden for University departments. However, readiness at each level within the University is critical for successful management of large-scale emergencies.
Although it may be necessary to make adjustments in departmental plans as new information is received and incorporated into the overall UGA Emergency Response Plan and the UGA BCP, it is important for departments to periodically review and make any changes to their BCP. The goal of this planning exercise is to help departments consider the many issues they may face and then augment as appropriate for individual departments.
Decisions regarding UGA closings, travel restrictions, payroll implications, recommended personal protective equipment, etc. will be made at the Institutional level. However, other decisions (i.e. the care of laboratory animals, securing research projects, telecommuting assignments for departmental personnel, online instruction, etc.) will most likely be left to individual departments. Therefore, your department’s BCP should include responses to these and other issues specifically affecting your department.
The completed BCP should be used to educate faculty, staff, and students within each department about the department’s business continuity and emergency preparedness procedures. Steps should be taken to validate planning efforts with drills or exercises as the departmental plan evolves. Please note that completion of this planning tool does not constitute an “official” and final business continuity plan for the department. Continuous updates and revisions will be necessary as new information becomes available. Access to the completed written document should be restricted to authorized personnel who will need the information during an emergency event that warrants activation of your Business Continuity Plan.
Do not post the completed document on the Internet, or for public review, since it may contain sensitive information. After completing your plan, you can create a summary of the plan.
BCP Registration / Plan Updates
If you are a first-time BCP user or if you are registering for access to a new department, register here. You will register under the Business Continuity Plan (BCP) link on the landing page.
After you are registered and approved by OEP, you will receive an email informing you of your approval. You can then access your department’s BCP online tool generator.
Business Continuity Plan (BCP) Checklist
The following checklist identifies specific activities and suggestions to help departments in their continuity of operations planning efforts in order to resume departmental operations as quickly and efficiently as possible during and after an emergency that interrupts operations.
IMPACT OF SERVICES: PLAN FOR THE IMPACT OF DEPARTMENTAL SERVICES:
- Assign a departmental BCP coordinator with the following duties:
- Coordinate the development of the departmental Business Continuity Plan
- Act as liaison between various departmental and university units
- Coordinate departmental efforts during recovery
- Assign an alternate BCP coordinator to serve as a backup and assist the BCP coordinator
- Consider assembling an internal departmental continuity committee to gain input regarding the development of the BCP Plan. Some individuals you may want to consider include your department head, assistant department head, an IT professional, and a representative from your department’s human resources or business services.
CONTACT INFORMATION
- Plan for a notification method for contacting departmental employees, university units, vendors, students, as well as other contacts needed to continue departmental operations. For example, use a phone tree, create a departmental contact list, develop an email list-serve.
MISSION CRITICAL DEPARTMENTAL FUNCTIONS / SERVICES
- Determine which departmental functions are mission-critical. Decide which processes need to be maintained or restored first to keep the departmental services and functions running. Then prioritize these services.
- Determine an alternate recovery process for temporary recovery and for normal recovery
- Determine the impact should there be a loss of essential / critical departmental functions / services / processes. Also, consider both monetary and non-monetary outcomes. These should be measured with respect to safety, compliance, property loss, fines, legal, and loss of critical services.
DATA AND TECHNOLOGY NEEDS
- Develop a technology plan to determine which mission-critical data and technology components (both hardware and software) would be needed to recover documents, information, and research in the event of disruption of services. (Refer to UGA Information Security’s link: http://eits.uga.edu/access_and_security/infosec/pols_regs/policies/bcpdrp for more information.)
- Assess how quickly and accurately services can be restored. Perform a data recovery test, if possible.
- Determine the effectiveness of the department’s data backup policies and procedures and who is responsible for maintenance of this documentation.
DEVELOP THE DEPARTMENTAL BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLAN
- Determine necessary resources, facility and infrastructure requirements, as well as equipment and supplies needed for recovery of mission critical departmental services and functions
COMMUNICATE THE PLAN
- Provide access to the BCP to appropriate personnel. Be sure to also share evacuation and shelter-in-place procedures with department employees and students.
TEST AND MAINTAIN THE PLAN
- Test the BCP upon completion and update it annually to ensure information is accurate. Be sure that any sensitive information in the BCP is securely stored.
FAQs
- WHAT IS “BCP”?
- BCP stands for Business Continuity Planning, or the practice of planning how your department will provide services or conduct departmental business during or after an emergency or disaster that may have both short-term and long-term consequences.
- WHAT IS THE BCP TOOL ONLINE PLAN GENERATOR?
- Developed by OEP, the BCP Tool Online Plan Generator is an easy and efficient web-based method to create a Business Continuity Plan (BCP). After department team members complete eight user-friendly sections, the system will automatically generate a department-specific BCP.
- HOW DO I ACCESS THE BCP TOOL?
- Department leads for continuity planning using a valid UGA MyID and password, can log into a secure link to request access to the BCP Tool: https://busfin3.busfin.uga.edu/oep/prepare_login.cfm. Once your request has been reviewed, you will receive an email with a link to the BCP Tool which can be accessed with a valid UGA MyID and password.
- CAN I UPDATE THE BCP TOOL AFTER I’VE SUBMITTED IT?
- Yes, upon login, registered BCP Tool users will be able to enter and edit each section of the BCP online plan generator as needed to view, edit, or complete their plans.
- HOW WILL I KNOW WHEN THE BCP HAS BEEN REVIEWED BY OEP?
- Upon completing the BCP, the program will automatically send OEP an email that the plan has been completed. After OEP has reviewed all sections in the BCP, team members connected with that department will receive an email from OEP with feedback/instructions related to the completed BCP.
- HOW WILL I BE NOTIFIED WHEN IT IS TIME TO UPDATE OUR DEPARTMENT’S BCP?
- The system will automatically create an annual email reminder to team members connected with a specific department that it is time to update their BCP.
- WHAT INFORMATION WILL I NEED TO OBTAIN PRIOR TO USING THE SYSTEM?
- It would be helpful for department BCP team members to quickly review the eight sections of the BCP Tool Online Plan Generator before starting the program. Some sections will require BCP team members to obtain the information from other sources before completing these section screens:
- Department Business Continuity Team members and their contact information
- Essential services for your department and the individuals responsible for those services
- Supplies, equipment, and materials needed to support essential department services
- Critical department communication and IT services and the individuals responsible for those services
- Individuals who manage vital departmental records and their contact information
- Departmental emergency preparedness educational efforts
- Departmental Pandemic plans
- Training and testing of Departmental BCP’s
- It would be helpful for department BCP team members to quickly review the eight sections of the BCP Tool Online Plan Generator before starting the program. Some sections will require BCP team members to obtain the information from other sources before completing these section screens:
