Crisis Management Plan Template
Managers, supervisors and executives use a crisis management plan template to outline contingency plans that maintain functionality and the safety of stakeholders when a crisis occurs.
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How to Use This Checklist
- **Describe the scenario.** Write the critical scenario, incident or emergency the plan covers, then rate its probability and the severity of its impact on people, operations and reputation.
- **Plan the immediate response.** Record the immediate actions to be taken when the scenario is detected, and the resources, equipment and personnel required to respond.
- **Set the communication response.** Define who communicates, to whom, through which channel and in what order when a crisis is declared. Designate named alternates for every role so the plan stays workable if a primary contact is unavailable.
- **List advisors, legal counsel and key directors.** For each person, capture their role or title, full name, and how to reach them during a crisis — emergency phone, home phone, personal mobile, an alternate contact, and the preferred communication channel.
- **Build the emergency protocol.** Set out each step in sequence: the trigger or condition that activates it, the action to perform, the person or role responsible, the maximum time allowed to complete it, and the resources or support required.
- **Confirm readiness.** Check whether each protocol step has been tested or exercised in the last twelve months, note the date of the most recent test, and record any gaps or weaknesses identified.
- **Define recovery and review.** Set the criteria for declaring the crisis over, the actions needed to restore operations, systems and services, who leads the recovery effort, and how you will communicate with stakeholders, staff and the public afterwards. Record the date of the last plan review, the changes made, and any outstanding actions.
- **Confirm acknowledgement.** Have all designated responders read and understand their responsibilities under the plan, and sign to confirm it.
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What a crisis management plan is
A crisis management plan defines how your organization responds when a critical scenario, incident or emergency occurs. It exists to maintain operations and stakeholder safety while the situation is being handled. The plan starts by naming the scenario it covers and by rating two things: the probability that the scenario will occur, and the severity of its impact on people, operations and reputation. Those two ratings tell you how much preparation the scenario deserves.
Why it matters
When a crisis is declared, the people responding need to know what to do, who does it, and how the message travels. A written plan removes that uncertainty. It records the immediate actions to take when the scenario is detected and the resources, equipment and personnel needed to respond, so no one has to improvise the first response. It also keeps the plan usable over time: designating named alternates for every role means the plan still works if a primary contact is unavailable, and testing each protocol step shows where the plan is weak before you have to rely on it.
What the template covers
The template is organized into the sections that make a response workable: * **Scope and critical scenario** — the scenario covered, its probability, its impact severity, the immediate actions on detection, and the resources, equipment and personnel required. * **Communication response** — who communicates, to whom, through which channel and in what order when a crisis is declared, with named alternates for every role. * **Advisors, legal counsel and key directors** — role or title, full name, emergency phone number, home phone number, personal mobile number, an alternate contact, and the preferred communication channel for reaching each person during a crisis. * **Action plans and emergency protocol** — each step in sequence, with the trigger that activates it, the action to perform, the person or role responsible, the maximum time allowed, and the resources or support required. * **Crisis recovery and plan review** — the criteria for declaring the crisis over, the actions required to restore operations, systems and services, who leads the recovery, and how you will communicate with stakeholders, staff and the public afterwards. The plan also records the date of the last review, the changes made as a result of it, and any outstanding actions required to bring the plan up to date.
Emergency protocol and testing
The emergency protocol section sets out the action steps to be followed during and after a crisis. Each step records its sequence order, the condition that activates it, the action to perform, who is responsible, the maximum time allowed to complete it, and the support required. You then check whether the step has been tested or exercised in the last twelve months and record the date of the most recent test, along with any gaps or weaknesses identified. Testing is what turns a written plan into a plan you can rely on. > All designated responders must acknowledge that they have read and understood their responsibilities under this plan. The template includes a field for that acknowledgement and a signature.
How to carry it out
1. **Describe the scenario and rate it.** Write the critical scenario, incident or emergency the plan covers. Rate its probability — very low through very high — and the severity of its impact on people, operations and reputation, from negligible to severe. 2. **Define the first response.** Record the immediate actions to take when the scenario is detected, and the resources, equipment and personnel required to respond. 3. **Assign the communication response.** Name who communicates, to whom, through which channel and in what order when a crisis is declared. Choose the channel — phone call, text message, email, in person or other — and designate an alternate for every role. 4. **Record key contacts.** For each advisor, legal counsel and key director, capture the role or title, full name, emergency phone, home phone, personal mobile, the alternate contact person, and the preferred channel for reaching them during a crisis. 5. **Write the emergency protocol.** List each step in sequence with its trigger, action, responsible person or role, maximum time allowed, and required resources or support. 6. **Test each step.** Confirm whether the step has been exercised in the last twelve months, note the date of the most recent test, and record gaps or weaknesses. 7. **Close the crisis and recover.** Set the criteria for declaring the crisis over and define the actions required to restore operations, systems and services, who leads the recovery, and how you will communicate with stakeholders, staff and the public afterwards. 8. **Review the plan.** Review after every activation and at least once a year to confirm it still reflects the organization's structure, risks and contacts. Record the date of the last review, the changes made, and any outstanding actions. 9. **Confirm acknowledgement.** Have all designated responders read and understand their responsibilities, and sign to confirm it.
Keeping the plan current
The plan is only as good as its last review. Review it after every activation and at least once a year to confirm it still reflects the organization's structure, risks and contacts. Record the date of the last review, the changes made as a result of it, and any outstanding actions required to bring the plan up to date. If a protocol step failed its last test, or a contact can no longer be reached through the channels you recorded, that is the signal to update the plan before the next crisis.
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