By / Meredith Low
I suspect many of you are seeing the limitations of a business continuity plan by now, whether you had one in place or not. They are designed for a short, sharp shock, and while the pandemic is a sharp shock indeed, it’s certainly not short.
So, what are you going to do? Completely replicate the processes that got you to your strategic and tactical plan, operational plan, and your budget in the next, say, week? While you’ve transitioned to working from home and aren’t totally sure what to do with your on-site server and what do you mean there are security issues with Zoom and everything else?
Well, no.
A plan, but a fast one
What most organizations probably need is something that tries to fold the swirling environment into the thinking behind your existing plans and processes. More expansive than a business continuity plan; broader than a crisis communication plan; more oriented to immediate action than a strategic plan.
This could be used for board decision-making, for ongoing management, and for leadership reflection. There’s a lot packed in here, but nobody is writing a novel right now. Maybe five pages, including graphs.
Let’s call it a Responsive Streamlined Action Plan (RSAP). It’s greater purpose is helping you with clarity, alignment, and action.
Start at the top: vision, mission, and values
What do you think is going on in the world right now?
Identify your assumptions about the current environment—not the assumptions that directly drive a financial model (e.g. % renewing members) but the kinds of assumptions you get from reading the paper and applying judgement. What is the story you’re telling yourself about the outside world? On what basis are you making any plans at all? Consider:
- We assume that drastic physical distancing measures will be in place at least until {date}
- We assume that a return to business as usual will extend at least [x] months beyond {date above}
- We assume the economy/our industry/our sector will be affected {in these ways}
- We assume our members will be affected {in these ways}
- We are concerned about {these less clear possibilities}
- We are hopeful about {these less clear positive developments}
- We are concerned about {these things}, which remain significant unknowns
Remember, this is about the world as you see it around you. You will not be right about all of these, but you should capture your thinking right now, because it drives your decision-making.
Writing these down brings disconnect to the surface. If you have a board member who thinks things will be—snap!—back to normal within a few weeks, and you’re looking a year out, then that’s the discussion you need to have before you get into action planning.
Reiterate (or reassess) your strategies
Do you need to seriously upend your strategies as a result of the pandemic or do they remain a true statement of what’s important to your success? Is anything missing? Anything you took for granted? What tactics do you need to put in the foreground? (Hint: those things that have been keeping you up at night should be there.)
If you see some strategies that you are going to just ignore for the time being, it’s important to say so. And conversely, if some strategies are all the more important in the current context, that gives you a framework for the activities you are undertaking.
OK, so now what?
Think about the post-business continuity moment—you’re continuing, but to do what, exactly? All of this is driven by your strategies and your values, as well as your assumptions about the external environment.
Start with your assumptions about your own operations. What scenarios are you contemplating?
- How long will your business model hold up under drastic physical distancing measures?
- Is it a given that your in-person events are cancelled?
- Do you expect members to continue to see value in membership? Does that depend on their ability to pay, and does that depend on economic conditions?
- Are you going to prioritize keeping staff? Demonstrating value to members? Advocating for certain outcomes to government?
Next, set out some actions. What’s most important for you to do?
- What actions are you taking? Couch these in your strategies (as revised).
- What are you going to do now to address the current situation, enable you to sustain operations, and position you for whatever you think is coming next?
- What’s not so important any more? What’s going on ice? What’s getting postponed a year? What’s getting cut forever?
Consider a simple “stop, start, continue” model for this section. Strip it down, and don’t pretend you know what you don’t know yet. There may be a bunch of things that you just have to figure out later, and that’s fine.
Talk about risk—beyond the obvious
What are the unknowns? Lay them out so you can adjust your plan as time goes on, and as the unknowns become known.
What are the ways this could go sideways? You’re probably going to have to do a lot of new things on the fly. Note where that’s the case, because that’s where executional risk lives.
Unfortunately, prudence requires that you consider some negative possibilities. Staff productivity is likely to decline. At times it may be hard to find traction on non-pandemic-related topics with members, volunteers, and partners. Key personnel may be unavailable due to illness or caregiving so look at ways to backfill or double up on crucial knowledge or activities.
Money is an outcome, not the starting point
Some jump here first, but the finances are an outcome of all that precedes. Too many organizations lead with the dollars. The whole point is that you need a narrative so that people understand why projections are what they are. If the assumptions change, maybe the projections change. Or maybe you understand why the projections were off from reality.
If all you’re doing is jumping to numbers (or your board members want to), you will need to back up to the assumptions (financial and non-financial) that drive the numbers. They’re all baked in.
Super simple metrics—green and red
Leadership at a time like this isn’t about stretch goals. It’s about achievable, meaningful outcomes.
Do measure, but include both aims and warning signs—keep an eye on a few metrics that will tell you you’re going in the right direction, but not blow out the engine.
What the document is and does
- The RSAP is a living document, based on judgements and assessments made on the basis of rapidly changing current conditions.
- Identify what would trigger it to be revised significantly
- Lay out a timeframe to come back to it. Every board meeting? Biweekly?
A tight document—not a long one
The thing is, you already have this document. You already know what parts of your strategic plan are foreground and background, based on where you are spending your time right now. You already know the risks—that’s how you’re deciding what documents you need to review and with whom you need to be speaking.
At some point you’ll need to move beyond a more ad hoc business continuity approach to bridge the gap with your strategic thinking, without pulling out a more comprehensive plan that was blissfully ignorant of the current reality.
You may feel like this needs updating as soon as the ink is dry. That’s fine. Print a copy, and start making your notes in the margins as you go.
If you’d like to talk about any of the above, please get in touch.▪
