Describe rehearsal, exercise and maintenance of business continuity Essay

Describe rehearsal, exercise and maintenance of business continuity - Essay Example In the rehearsal or exercise, there are important ingredients that need to be incorporated, according to the proposed exercise checklist, to wit: (1) clarity of objective and format of the plan; (2) budgets and approvals that were obtained; (3) facilities that are specifically identified to be needed; (4) design of alternative scenarios for the exercise process; (5) proper documentation before and after the scheduled exercise; (6) actual exercise activity; (7) learning outcomes; (8) advisory to stakeholders; and (8) revisions of portions where risks have been identified (Credibility, Rehearsals, Exercising, Audits of Plans and Risk Decision-Making, 2014). Maintenance is another relevant component in terms of keeping the plan updated, in the light of new developments, resources, or participants who need to be apprised and oriented. As emphasized, â€Å"organizations, its people, and environments are continually changing† (Credibility, Rehearsals, Exercising, Audits of Plans and Risk Decision-Making, 2014, p. 12). The review process, per se, was recognized as part of the maintenance component. Benchmarking is defined as â€Å"a measurement of the quality of an organizations policies, products, programs, strategies, etc., and their comparison with standard measurements, or similar measurements of its peers. The objectives of benchmarking are (1) to determine what and where improvements are called for, (2) to analyze how other organizations achieve their high performance levels, and (3)to use this information to improve performance† (Benchmarking, 2014). Applying this measurement tool in business continuity plans, benchmarking reviews the plan’s components, structures, objectives, and processes in the light of similarities or disparities with other plans and to incorporate any component that is deemed pertinent for the current organization’s