Mend the roof while the sun shines

Most, if not all, well managed businesses have plans in place should disaster strike.  Though for many businesses the first time the plans are tested is when the dreaded day arrives and all too often the plans come apart at the seams when the disaster doesn’t go quite as planned.  Disasters can be awkward like that.

In December 2010 the UK experienced some pretty fierce (by UK standards) winter weather.  At a distribution centre their ‘snow clearing’ disaster management plan kicked in.  During sunnier times local farmers had agreed to clear the roadways within the distribution centre site. 

During the snow the farmers arrived as agreed and cleared the roadways.  There was one vital piece of information missing in the disaster plan – where should the cleared snow be put?  The farmers cleared the snow, management had been informed that the roads were clear and deliveries could commence the next day.

The next day senior management arrived on site to find more than half of the trailers blocked in by mountains of grey snow cleared from the roadways!  In the absence of any better or clearer advice the farmers did what they thought was required – they pushed the snow out of the way.

It took two more days for the snow to be cleared (with shovels) and deliveries to commence as planned! 

An answer to the simple question “where will we put the snow?” hadn’t been considered during the halcyon days of summer, and an appropriate escalation route (in case of any doubts) hadn’t been made clear – and why should it?  We’ve got a detailed plan!

Common sense can often be lacking in life, and when under pressure to recover it can be even more elusive!

The most effective time to define your disaster recovery plans are when the pressure is off.  But how will you test those plans, and how will you ensure that they deliver their benefits when the pressure is on?