process. Although it should be pointed out that succession planning solution may be to ensure that detailed written procedures, which
as part of a BCM strategy does not have to mean finding long-term can be easily followed by someone else when the need arises, are
successors for all key roles – a temporary stand-in with the right in place and kept up to date.
skills and knowledge may be all that is needed in most cases. Some prioritisation of work may also be possible by identifying
Some organisations may question the need for a comprehensive what can be deferred, transferred or outsourced. In some cases, key
succession planning strategy, citing the fact that when staff go on person insurance may be a cost-effective option, but only when the
holiday there is always someone to cover their absence. However, direct impact of losing key staff is largely financial – it may not be
an unplanned absence is likely to be much more difficult to much help if loss of reputation is likely.
manage. It is highly unlikely that the staff member(s) involved
would have had an opportunity to brief colleagues on critical issues
The most appropriate solution, or combination of solutions, 
or planned for their return, and it may not be possible to contact
is likely to vary for each critical area. Consider the following 
them in an emergency.
options:
Developing your people strategy
•  Re-allocation of non-critical staff
For those organisations which already have a succession plan
in place, this can provide a good starting point for developing
•  Succession planning
organisational resilience. But there are a number of steps that •  Cross-training or multi-skilling
should be taken to ensure that single points of failure can be
•  Documented procedures
identified, as well as areas where there is limited cover for key roles.
•  Agency staff or contractors
For many organisations, this is the
•  Recruit new staff 
first time they have really given serious
•  Transfer work to other locations or defer
•  Outsourcing
consideration to how to maintain their •  Insurance
business with reduced staff numbers or
without key staff members
Implement agreed strategies
As with any business continuity strategy, implementation is a
Identify critical staff pivotal point in the process. This is where you commit to investing
Identify critical staff in all business areas and support functions, the time and money necessary to make it happen. The key to
ideally as part of a broader business impact analysis or business successful implementation is to keep solutions simple and cost-
planning activities. ‘Critical’ in this context is time-critical, and the effective, focusing on quick wins. Make sure that agreed strategies
extent to which skills, knowledge or relationships are unique, or are translated into firm plans and delivered – ideally, accountability
cover is limited. Where are the single points of failure? for this should sit with local managers where possible.
Establish which members of staff are irreplaceable in the short
term. Are there key skills that would be hard to replace? Is there Review and maintain
a heavy reliance on ‘go to’ people with specific knowledge about Like any other element of the BCM process, information about
processes, systems, regulations and so on? Do key customers critical staff and the measures in place to mitigate their loss needs
rely on relationships with specific individuals? Who needs to be to be kept up to date and not just dusted off occasionally. It may be
available to make key decisions or authorise transactions? Have helpful to document key skills requirements in individual business
minimum levels of cover been agreed and are they being met? continuity plans, so that they are reviewed at the same time as the
Once areas where there is insufficient cover to provide an plans.
acceptable level of resilience have been acknowledged, identify There are many areas where changes may mean the need to
what the impact might be if those key staff are not available, for adapt the strategies that are in place, including changes to:
whatever reason. The analysis here must be sufficiently objective • Range of business activities, products and services
and challenging, as this stage will determine whether staff are • Operating environment (markets, locations, legislation, customer
really critical and where priorities should lie in developing strategy requirements)
options. • Internal processes (technology, policies, culture)
Remember that this can be a sensitive process. One company, • Organisational structure (organisational design, acquisitions,
having identified its critical staff, wrote to all its 600 employees mergers)
telling them whether they had been classified as critical or non- • Workforce (staff turnover, promotions, retirement, maternity)
critical – perhaps not the best way of motivating 90% of your staff. • The labour market (particularly the availability of skilled
resources)
Identify strategy options Whatever process you put in place for protecting your most
Once a good understanding of critical areas and the potential valuable asset – your organisation’s key skills and knowledge – it
impacts of losing key staff has been established, the next step is has to be simple to remain effective. The initial focus must be on
to decide what to do tackle these issues. There may already be the most critical staff. It is also imperative that the individual line
a number of factors that can lessen the likely impacts of losing managers of these staff take ownership of the issue, as well as the
people. Staff in other departments or at other locations may have solution or solutions it requires.
the necessary skills or knowledge to provide temporary cover. Or it
may be possible to bring in temporary staff if the skills needed are
widely available. Other measures to consider include introducing
Garry SMITh MBCI
or extending cross-training or multi-skilling to extend cover.
garry Smith is a senior consultant with garrison continuity
Often, people are identified as single points of failure because
garry.smith@garrisoncontinuity.com
of a few critical tasks that they are responsible for which represent
www.garrisoncontinuity.com
only a small percentage of their role. In such cases, the best
  Continuity  November/December 2009
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