Business Continuity Plan

A business continuity plan (BCP) is a written plan for keeping the important parts of a business running when something goes badly wrong, whether that is a cyber attack, a power cut or a flood. It sets out which activities matter most, who is responsible, how quickly each one needs to be back and what to do while the normal systems are down.

It is the business version of knowing where the torch, the spare keys and the emergency numbers are before the lights go out, not after. A plan only helps if it has been practised, so good ones are tested regularly rather than written once and filed away. For a small business, having one can be the difference between a bad week and closing for good.