One of the major lessons of September 11 is that corporations need to review their existing crisis management and business continuity plans. You can create or enhance your plans by employing a five-step method: STEP 1: Assess the current risk factors that face your company and then determine the probability and criticality for each potential factor.
In assessing risk, you need to identify the key personnel and functions that should be involved in the decisionmaking process in the event of a crisis. Typically, your planning team should include the human resources director and senior representatives from security, risk management, legal, facilities, IT, public affairs, and/or corporate communications. Next, conduct thorough interviews with these professionals to establish their needs and identify concerns. Subsequently, organize a thorough and comprehensive physical and operational security assessment for risk factors and vulnerabilities.
You then need to take a broad and hard look at your industry’s risks, considering and preparing for the worst-case scenarios. For instance, you need to consider your vulnerabilities as a potential target of an animal rights organization if you are a biotech firm that conducts animal testing or as a potential secondary victim of a nuclear power plant accident if you are physically located within range of a danger zone.
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