What is Business Continuity planning? Here is a metaphor! In Kiswahili when one isn’t making headways we have a saying “Unapiga hatua mbili mbele unarudi hatua tatu nyuma” – You are taking 2 steps forward and 3 steps backwards. I believe this is not an uncommon feeling for small business owners like myself. There seem to always be curveballs being thrown around that disrupt our businesses and make us take those 3 steps back e.g. power cuts, water shortages, staff strikes or resignations, unreliable suppliers etc., Business Continuity planning is about preparing your business to gradually be able to manage disruptions in a way that you at least only take one step back or maintain the 2 steps taken forward.
To support SMEs in dealing with annoying and sometimes unexpected serious disruptions to their businesses, below are some tips I put together to get you started on your Business Continuity planning journey – safari njema “travel well”.
Tip 1: Risk Management
It is not surprising for casual workers of a project to disappear immediately after pay day. Rainy season can affect accessibility of the potholes filled road to your warehouse. Staff can lock you in/out of your office in a staged strike. The Power supply company can just decide to cut off power – halfway through a client’s haircut – may be your business contribution to the economy is inconsequential. Anyway, enough ranting. Many business owners know from experience the risks and challenges inherent to their businesses. However, knowing the risks and putting off fires daily is not the end state – relax, you are not a trained fire fighter. It is important to both know the risks, and making conscious effort to document how your business is managing them. Explore and asses as many risks that have and might impact your business in the future. Just keep a snag list of those annoying things and how to manage them, and there you have it, your very basic Risk Register. Make sure you keep updating it and when you have prophetic moments, take a sneak peak of future risks that may affect your business.
Tip 2: Compliance
Let me also throw in a note on Compliance here; Ensure all your business practices and operations comply with laws and policies regulating your business industry. Non-compliance is the easiest way to go out of business. Boss! get and renew your licenses, permits etc., on time. You don’t want the beast to skip a meal.
Tip 3: Your Business Processes/activities
What do you really do when you go to your office? Other than coffee/tea breaks, corridor bickering and flirting, what do your staff do when they report to work? Each business owner should have a habit of mapping what people do or activities that take place in their businesses and document the effects to their business if these activities are disrupted or become unavailable. I am not saying immediately stop buying sugar and coffee for your staff to see the effects. But if you do, I hope you have a Crisis Management plan in place. Continuously mapping your business processes and activities will not only help you plan for their continuity, in case they are disrupted, but also it helps visualing where there are inefficiencies. This mapping is also key to identifying information and automation needs for your business.
Tip 4: The Human factor
Who works for you and who do you serve? During my early years of running a Barber Shop, I had one of my several major setbacks. I woke up to an empty Barber Shop. All the barbers quit overnight without notice. To my surprise, they opened their new Barber shop just next door – the nerve I tell you! What happened to long distance trading? I lost both my employees and clients. I was out of business for several weeks before I could start providing services again. People are at the heart of any business. Without people you don’t have a business. Businesses are made by and for the people. Business owners should continually think and identify effects of losing the human touch to their businesses, particularly employees, even if it is for one day. Elaborate disciplinary measures for employees is not the solution for Business Continuity. Business owners, at a minimum, should consider scenarios and document effects of losing their employees and how they will deal with it.
Tip 5: Your Vendors and Service Providers
Just after COVID-19 lockdowns and passenger planes started flying, I travelled through JKIA’s fancy Duty Free shop and…all chocolates were on sale, 30% to 50% discount. Perfect! I quickly picked up a couple of them for my office colleagues as it is a culture when you come back from leave and boarded the plane. I only found out when unpacking that, the discount wasn’t to attract sales after a long period of lockdown, NO, the chocolates were expiring in 7 days. A few months later, I travelled and there were fewer options of chocolates on the shelves. With COVID-19, supply chains have been greatly impacted. Having a good understanding of the capabilities of your suppliers and service providers, as well as their limitations, is key to your Business Continuity planning. This should include maintaining list of current and potential vendors as well as service providers. Good stock and Inventory Management practices could also assist in mitigating such disruptions.
Tip 6: Your business premises/location
Where do you sell your products and services from? What if you cannot access your office or shop e.g., due to public demonstrations and/or unrest? In some countries, due to COVID-19 lockdowns, staff were unable to go to offices. In the worst case scenario, we have heard of fires destroying small businesses in congested markets and shops. Business owners need to think of the effects of losing access to their primary business locations and document what measure can be put in place to facilitate Business Continuity.
Tip 7: Technology in your business
What machines and ICT systems does your business rely on? In this era, use of technology in businesses is inevitable. Technology and business softwares such as Info Nauza, automate a number of business processes to increase efficiency and facilitating evidence based decision-making. Business owners should consider the effects of disruptions caused by loss of their business equipment and ICT Systems such as that mobile phone with a broken screen used to receive orders from clients, the old pickup used to deliver goods, internet connectivity, systems breakdown etc., and document the measures in place for alternatives or rapid restoration processes to ensure Business Continuity. At the very minimum take an inventory and develop a list of ICT Systems your business relies on and start thinking of “what if” they are disrupted or become unavailable? Write down the effects and start thinking of how you can avoid or deal with these effects.
Conclusion
Business Continuity solutions are not one size fits all. Solutions must be specific to a business and/or industry context.
For SMEs, these tips, if followed maybe a good start to building a resilient business through business continuity planning. Consider engaging a Business Continuity Expert for maximum gains to your Business Continuity Planning. You can tip me later.
Let me know what your favourite tip is…
