Business contingency planning is something you hope you'll never need, yet it's also something you wouldn't want to be caught without if a catastrophe did strike. And, while it's admirable to be optimistic and expect the best, it's usually a good idea to prepare for the worst. Creating a personalized business continuity plan amounts to taking precautions "just in case."

A number of things can go wrong that can seriously threaten the survival of a business. Some of these follow.

1. Market and other economic disasters

2. Natural disasters

3. Terrorism

4. Emergencies, such as fire, accident, data loss or equipment breakdown

5. Death or illness of owner or principal company leader

6. Labor strike or other workforce problems

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Understand what business contingency planning is, how it works and how it can benefit your company

Gathering enough background information on business contingency plan design and implementation will help you determine the type of business contingency plan, as well as the individual plan components, that would suit your company best.

I recommend: Contingency Planning Solutions, Inc. explains why you need a business contingency plan. The Kansas Department of Administration defines business contingency planning and provides a sample Continuity Planning Outline that you can use as a model and which will help you pinpoint the areas that need to be addressed in any such business backup plan.

Check out business recovery planning service providers to learn what each can offer your company

Find out as much information as possible about each business contingency plan provider, as well as its particular area or industry of specialization, if any. This will help you more accurately determine which one might best address your needs.

I recommend: LogicTools helps you plan for and manage supply-chain risk. Contingency Planning Solutions, Inc. offers business recovery planning, along with four levels of consulting services and plan auditing to ensure that your contingency plan continues to meet your needs as your business grows. Contingency Now offers risk analysis, audits and training programs to help you build and implement your business continuity plan (BCP).

Look at business continuity planning software and other tools for a lower-cost recovery solution

Contingency planning template suites, software and numerous other tools can help you create an effective backup plan for your company.

I recommend: Contingency Planning Outsourcing, Inc. provides both software and a series of contingency planning templates to speed you on your way to a viable contingency planning process. The company provides a number of related services, as well. Supremus Group offers various contingency plan template suites, along with training and consulting services. Janco Associates, Inc. provides contingency planning templates, and Cyber Sea, Inc. features contingency plan template kits, which are part of its PROPosal Kit line.

Make use of websites that provide resources for all types of business contingency planning

Many websites offer collections of other resources that can help you track down as many vendors and service providers as you need to investigate to be sure you're getting the contingency planning template, tool or service that's right for you.

I recommend: Contingency Planning & Management provides a comprehensive group of resources that can help you with business continuity, information security, disaster recovery and emergency management information. DisasterPlan.com provides tips on preparing your disaster and business continuity plan, as well as numerous other helpful resources. Contingency Planning Exchange also highlights a considerable number of business continuity planning software and service providers to further increase your options.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Though it's difficult to think about the 'what ifs' you'll need to face during the contingency planning process, it's well worth it. Think of it as a way of empowering yourself against these eventualities and proactively protecting your business against the catastrophic losses that would be far more devastating than the temporary discomfort of thinking about these 'worst case scenarios.'