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Business Continuity Planning (BCP) is the process of developing a plan to ensure that an organization can continue to operate or resume normal operations, in a timely manner, after an unexpected disruption of business. The goal of BCP is to minimize the negative impact of a disruption on an organization's operations, customers, employees, and other stakeholders.

A robust Business Continuity Planning (BCP) program involves a number of key components including:

• Risk Assessment - Identification of potential risks and threats to the organization's operations, such as adverse weather, labor strikes, cyber attacks, power outages, fires, acts of terrorism, internal security incidents, pandemics, civil unrest, or other disruptions.

• Business Impact Analysis -  Analysis of the potential impact of each of the identified risks on the organization's operations, financial stability, reputation with customers, or even its long term survival.

• Business Continuity Strategy -  Development of a comprehensive plan (or multiple plans) which addresses how critical business functions can continue to operate or quickly resume in the event of a disruption. Business continuity mitigation strategies include alternative work locations, multiple data centers, recovery plans for each business unit, crisis communication plans, business insurance, and more.

• BCP Development and Implementation -  Development and implementation of a well documented, broadly communicated, and understood PCP,  which includes policies, procedures, roles, responsibilities, and guidelines for responding to and recovering from disruptions.

• BCP Testing and Maintenance - Regularly testing and updating the Business Continuity Plan in order to ensure its effectiveness and relevance in addressing new risks and changes in the organization's operations and goals.

• Crisis Management - Development of a crisis management plan to manage and respond to a disruption, including emergency response plans, vendor/strategic partner agreements, internal communication plans, customer notification plans, and incident management plans.

• BCP Training and Awareness - Developing and executing training and awareness programs for employees and key stakeholders to ensure they are aware of the details of the BCP as well as their roles and responsibilities in the event of a business disruption.

• BCP Documentation - Maintenance of accurate and up-to-date documentation of the Business Continuity Plan and all related policies and procedures.  Another important aspect of BCP documentation is making it available to employees and strategic partners in a variety of formats and methods so that it is readily available when needed, in case of a business disruption.

Business Analysts can play an important role in Business Continuity Planning by working closely with stakeholders to understand the organization's operations, identify potential risks and threats, and develop strategies to ensure critical business functions can continue to operate or quickly resume in the event of a disruption. 

In summary, BCP is a critical function for any organization to ensure its resilience in the face of unexpected business disruptions with the goal of protecting its employees, serving its customers, continuity of adequate operations, and maintaining its reputation.