Taylor Hallman of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, helps businesses plan, prepare, and test continuation protocols to ensure that they can function in the event of a natural disaster or other difficult events such as the loss of an owner. As a business continuation associate, the Franklin Lakes resident has worked with Prudential Financial since 2012. Professionals such as Taylor Hallman need to anticipate diverse worst case scenarios and business continuation plans; however, all of these procedures are built on a set of key steps.

Business continuation begins with a plan review that gathers division leaders and business continuity participants to discuss strengths and weaknesses in their current operations. Tabletop and walk-through exercises involve role-playing conversations to familiarize employees with protocols for different events. Functional testing considers data recovery, staff safety, and asset management. At some point in these simulations, planners ideally include any vendors with whom they work. Finally, the company might use one or more of these strategies to put a viable business continuation plan together.

Next, business continuation plans involve regularly documenting the results of testing. As companies progress and follow up on new discoveries, it is vital to incorporate new recommendations into the plan. This ensures that new scenarios are accounted for.

Finally, setting aside time to revisit approved protocols and amendments is important. While some organizations might revisit their business continuation plan quarterly, the size and scope of the company will determine how often participants should meet. Other factors determining when a business should revisit their plan include the type of the industry, available resources, and the effectiveness of current business continuation plans.