Why do I need a business continuity plan?

Any service or department could be affected by a disruption at some time, and very few organisations can say that they have never experienced some sort of unplanned event. 

Disruption can come from a variety of sources, national or local (fuel shortages, bad weather, pandemics, fire, flood, IT interruptions, etc). So, we need to consider which activities are time critical and how we can sustain them at a minimum acceptable level. 

By preparing in advance, we're more likely to deal effectively with the disruption, and get back to usual more quickly. We'll all know what is expected of us, and how we should prioritise tasks. Finally, we are sometimes asked by partners or funders to confirm our business continuity arrangments, so we need to make sure that our plans are properly documented, in line with best practice.

I have been asked to provide a copy of the University’s business continuity plan. Where can I find it?

Please contact the  Insurance, Audit & Risk Team.

Does the Penryn campus have a separate business continuity plan?

FX Plus has an Incident Response Plan for the Penryn campus. Contact Kerry Ray for details.

I need to write a business continuity plan. Can you help?

Yes, we have developed  business continuity templates specifically for this purpose. 

How can I meet other people involved in business continuity, to share problems and solutions?

The Business Continuity Support Group meets four times a year. Please contact us for further information and to join the Group. 

I’ve written my plan, but how do I know it will work?

You need to carry out an exercise. Please contact the  Insurance, Audit & Risk Team for help and advice.

I would like to raise a business continuity topic more widely within the University. How can I do this?

Please inform the Business Continuity Support Group by contacting the Insurance, Audit & Risk Team.

Abbreviations

We try to keep abbreviations to a minimum because they can cause confusion and make documents difficult to read. The few that we do use are: