Yes, you read that correctly – what will business continuity good practice guidelines look like in ten years’ time? Given the evolution of BC planning over the last ten years, what the next ten will hold could be anybody’s guess. Unlike traditional things in life whose worth depends on them staying close to a few solid and immutable principles with only a little leeway for variation (think of macaroni cheese, for example), business is driven to change by constant competitive pressure. Yet for those who want to be ready for 2022 starting from today, there is an answer.
You’ve undoubtedly heard the expression ‘the only constant is change”. In fact, it’s even getting to be somewhat old hat. With a little recursive application (IT geeks, this one’s for you), it’s an expression that ought to be able to change itself and generate a new one. But such digression apart, the futures of business continuity good practice guidelines and business are linked by such change. As business transforms itself, BC planning will also have to adapt. So in the first instance, look to business trends to see where BCM is likely to go. Constant observation and re-adjustment of BC planning to stay aligned with the new trends will be a key factor in defining good practice guidelines in years to come.
For those of you who were hoping for a little more, for example descriptions of new BCP techniques, new tools and so on, apologies – however figuring out where business itself is going is hard enough. Nonetheless, you might like to take the following thought away with you. Instead of letting business drive business continuity good practice guidelines in the near future, consider making the reverse happen: use BC good practice guidelines to start driving business more and by doing so, perhaps control more of your own destiny.
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