Business Recovery Guide
A business recovery plan is a tool that can be activated after a major disruption or emergency to help companies gradually restore essential business functions and maintain continuity of service to customers and business partners. Use and customize this business recovery plan template to identify pandemic-related hazards and how you can mitigate the risks to essential business functions and assets.
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How to Use This Checklist
- **Gather preliminary information** – Record the date, preparer, and location to establish a clear starting point.
- **Document company details** – Enter the company name, address, city, state, and postal code, and outline the business continuity planning policy.
- **Identify key contacts** – List the main emergency contact with phone and email, and define the primary point of contact for the recovery effort.
- **Assemble the continuity team** – Name the team leader and members, including roles and contact information, and set a meeting schedule.
- **Assess hazards and risks** – Identify risks or events, evaluate their impact on critical assets, and note mitigation measures.
- **Evaluate production outcomes** – Describe each production outcome, the effect of a loss, recovery time, organizational impact, and recovery priority.
- **List recovery contacts** – Include organizations such as insurers, banks, and suppliers, with contact persons and details.
- **Implement reopening safety measures** – Work through the business reopening checklist, covering items like social distancing, PPE, temperature checks, testing, isolation, contact tracing, disinfection, travel, staggered return-to-work, remote work, accommodations, gathering limits, shared items, daily health checks, leave policies, mass testing, and action plans for infections.
- **Plan training and reporting** – Schedule training events with titles, objectives, and dates, and set a schedule for reporting test results.
- **Maintain and update the plan** – Use the section on maintaining and updating the business recovery plan to keep it current and effective.
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Why business recovery planning matters
A business recovery plan is a tool you activate after a significant disruption or emergency. Its purpose is to help your company progressively restore essential business functions so you can maintain continuity of service to customers and business partners. This checklist walks you through the core elements of that plan, from identifying pandemic-related hazards to mitigating risks for critical functions and assets.
Preliminary questions
Start by capturing the context of your review. Record the date the assessment was conducted, who prepared it, and the location. Then answer two questions that shape your return-to-work approach: - Will you be able to limit non-essential employees to those within the local geographic area? - Do you have protective measures in place for high-risk employees, such as remote work or tasks that minimise contact? These answers help you gauge your capacity to operate safely and protect vulnerable staff.
About the company
Document the basic details of your organisation: company name, main address, and city, state, and postal code. State your business continuity planning policy so everyone understands the commitment to maintaining critical operations. Provide the main emergency contact, including a telephone number and email address, so people know who to reach in a crisis.
Business continuity planning team
A recovery effort needs clear ownership. Identify a primary point of contact, a team leader, and team members. For each person, record their name, role, and contact information. Set a meeting schedule so the team can coordinate regularly. This structure ensures decisions are made quickly and responsibilities are clear.
Hazard identification and risk management
Identify the risks or events that could disrupt your operations. For each one, assess its impact on the company's critical assets and describe the mitigation measures you will put in place. This section helps you move from general concern to specific, actionable steps that reduce the likelihood or impact of a disruption.
Assessment of organisational production outcomes
For each key production outcome, describe what it is, how a loss would affect it, the expected recovery time, the organisational impact, and its priority for business recovery. Assign a person or department responsible and track the status. This prioritisation ensures you focus resources on restoring the most critical functions first.
Business recovery contacts
List the external organisations you may need to contact during recovery, such as insurers, banks, and suppliers. For each, record the organisation name, type, contact person, and contact details. Having this information ready saves time when you need to act quickly.
Business reopening checklist
When it is time to reopen, work through the measures that protect your workforce and customers. The checklist includes items on: - Social distancing - Use of personal protective equipment (PPE) - Temperature checks - Continuous testing, isolation, and contact tracing - Disinfection of common areas and high-touch surfaces - Business travel - Staggered return-to-work phases - Remote work / telework - Special accommodations for vulnerable members of the organisation - Staggered gathering periods - Restricting the use of shared items - Daily employee health checks - Flexible leave policies - Mass COVID-19 testing within the organisation - Action plan if a member is infected with COVID-19 Each item helps you put a specific control in place. You can adapt them to your local requirements and the nature of your workplace.
Training schedules
Training ensures your team knows what to do. For each training event, record the title, objective, and planned schedule. This section helps you plan and track the training needed to support your recovery and reopening efforts.
Maintaining and updating the business recovery plan
A plan is only useful if it stays current. Use this section to record the schedule for reporting test results and to note when the plan itself will be reviewed and updated. Regular maintenance keeps the plan aligned with your evolving operations and risks.
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