Disaster Recovery Journal, Fall 2010

u;A;thorough;BIA;to;determine;function;and;service;recovery;time;objectives
u;A;subset;of;functional;dependencies,;e.g.;IT;applications,;communications
services,;interdepartmental;workflow
u;High-level;recovery;task;information
u;Detailed;recovery;resource;requirements;for;loss;of;workplace,;e.g.
personnel,;medical;and;office;equipment,;clinical;supplies,;etc.
u;Job;action;sheets;linking;department;BC;plan;owner;responsibilities;to;the
hospital’s;emergency;operations;functions

We picked a pilot medical center and worked closely with all clinical and business departments to ensure that their BC plans were complete. We then used the BC planning tool to clone copies of those plans for 29 other medical centers to use as “ starting point” BC plans which they would simply edit as part of their initial BC plan build. We took a similar pilot and cloning approach to our regional and headquarters functions as well. This approach was phenomenally successful. We had greater than 95 percent participation across the organization.

This strategy of cloning plans from existing departments has continued to be valuable as Kaiser Permanente adds new facilities. Over the past seven years Kaiser Permanente has added many new facilities across the country. Initial BC plans for each of these new facilities were generated from BC plans already in place at identical or similar departments in another location.

Since the deployment of the original BC plan template, we have slowly been ratcheting up both the BC planner’s competency as well as the comprehensiveness of department’s BC plans. Every few years we have introduced new content and incorporated it around training for the user community.

Challenge No. 3 – Minimize the Work Required

In a BC program deployment where responsibility is placed in the hands of the management team, it is crucial to always keep in mind that these BC plan owners and planning teams already have a full-time job. BC planning is done “off the corner of the desk” and for most is not a daily activity. Wherever the BC program can leverage work already done, it will pay major dividends in gaining support and gratitude from your user community.

When we first implemented our planning tool, the BC planners had to enter all of the information directly into the planning tool. This included data for personnel, IT applications, clinical equipment, supplies, etc. Over time, we have modified the BC plan template to incorporate links to other Kaiser Permanente databases where some of this information is already maintained in electronic format. In linking to these external data sources, we simplify the work effort for the end user in a couple of ways:

u;Offer;lists;of;available;choices;rather;than;type;in;entries;manually
u;Provide;automatic;updates;by;BC;planning;tool;any;time;the;linked;data
changes

This also has a significant benefit for the BC program office in that using external data links to populate certain data fields within the planning tool ensures that we get standardized responses that can easily be sorted and data mined.

Examples of the types of data that you might want to consider will vary by what industry you are in. For us here at Kaiser, the following data fields have either already been integrated or are in the process of being integrated over the next few years:

u;IT;application u;Office;equipment u;Fixed;and;portable;medical;equipment u;Department;names u;Site;names u;Personnel;types;(roles;or;titles)

Find Your Way Forward Toward Resiliency

Through the challenges discussed in this article, you have seen how Kaiser Permanente successfully and continually reinvents the use of its BC planning tool within the thriving BC program. I encourage you to take time to think about your program as evolving and changing, similar to how it is described within the BCMM. Focus on small steps that can be achieved within a single year’s planning cycle while keeping your eye on long term, measurable goals and objectives. Always be sensitive to the time availability of your user community. Constantly be vigilant to hear suggestions (that might sound a lot like complaints) to leverage work already done. The more successful you are at demonstrating that you are attuned to the needs and pains of your user community while meeting the objectives of senior management, the more widely accepted will be your planning tools. Through them, the overall resiliency of the organization will be met.

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Cheryl LaTouche, CBCP,;has;worked;in;the;BC;profession;for;more than;15;years.;La Touche;can;be;reached;at;(510);625-4803;or;via;email at Cheryl.LaTouche@kp.org. Business Continuity Maturity Model® and