Insights Webinar - From Policy to Practice: How to Make Business Continuity Part of Your Organizational DNA

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Missed the live Q&A? Here are the key questions answered

With record-breaking attendance, this webinar sparked engaging discussions and insightful questions from participants.

To keep the momentum going, we have compiled key Q&As to provide further clarity and guidance on integrating business continuity into your organization’s culture.

Explore the answers below and take your resilience strategy even further!

What is the best generic indicators that sufficient for a new BCM department for a specific organization that may don’t have still a complete BCM activities?

Leadership buy-in and an awareness culture are two important elements, as we saw in the webinar. If you can achieve both, you will have the foundation to complete your BCM activities.

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Any Tips and Tricks about how to organize a successful BC Campaign ?

Of course, a successful BC campaign isn’t just about sharing information—it’s about making business continuity relevant and engaging for your audience. During the webinar, we explored what makes a business continuity campaign truly effective. We will share with you some key strategies to help you organize a successful campaign.

1. Leverage marketing & communication strategies

• Create engaging and clear messaging: Use simple, relatable language to communicate the importance of Business Continuity. Avoid jargon and focus on practical benefits for employees and the organization.
• Use diverse communication channels: Internal newsletters, emails, intranet articles, digital screens, social media, and even posters in common areas can reinforce Business Continuity awareness.
• Make it visually appealing: Use infographics, videos, and real-world examples to grab attention. Consider branding the campaign with a catchy slogan or theme (e.g., “Stronger Together: Building Resilience”).

2. Integrate business continuity awareness into daily operations

• Incorporate business continuity into onboarding: Ensure that every new employee receives business continuity training early on. A short video or a quick training session can make a big difference.
• Align with existing initiatives: Work with HR, IT, and Risk Management to embed business continuity messaging into ongoing training, performance reviews, or compliance programs.
• Create partnerships with internal influencers: Identify champions within different departments who can promote business continuity awareness and best practices.

3. Engage leadership & secure buy-in

• Showcase leadership commitment: A message from senior executives emphasizing the importance of business continuity can drive engagement.
• Make it a priority in governance: Schedule regular BCM updates in executive meetings and tie BC initiatives to organizational goals.
• Use real-world examples: Demonstrate the value of BC with case studies or incidents that impacted similar organizations.

4. Make it Interactive and Practical

• Conduct scenario-based exercises: Tabletop exercises, crisis simulations, and role-playing activities make BC tangible and engaging.
• Gamify the experience: Use quizzes, contests, or challenges (e.g., “Test Your Readiness” or “What Would You Do?” scenarios).
• Recognize participation: Reward engagement through certificates, shoutouts in meetings, or small incentives for teams that actively participate.

5. Use “Moments of Opportunity”

• Capitalize on external events: If a competitor experiences a major disruption, use it as a learning opportunity to reinforce the importance of BC.
• Leverage annual awareness campaigns: Tie your BC initiatives to events like Business Continuity Awareness Week (BCI Awareness Week), Cybersecurity Month, or disaster preparedness campaigns.

6. Ensure Continuous Improvement

• Measure success: Track engagement levels through participation rates, feedback surveys, and post-incident evaluations.
• Adapt and refine: Learn from past campaigns—identify what worked and what didn’t to improve future initiatives.
• Keep it fresh: Avoid repetition by introducing new formats, themes, and delivery methods each year.

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What are your thoughts on Operational Resilience and how it is different than a holistic approach/integrated BC, DR, Crisis Management (BCM Program)?

Operational Resilience does not replace Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery (DR), or Crisis Management—it elevates and integrates them into a broader strategy that ensures long-term sustainability, adaptability, and service continuity beyond traditional recovery planning.

Premier Continuum has conducted an Insights Webinar on Operational Resilience. Please refer to it here.

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What is the optimum way to align DR with BCM ?

There's no single best way, but here are some pointers to help you.

Integrate DR into the BCM Framework

• Ensure DR is not just an IT function but fully embedded in the BCM strategy.
• Align DR objectives with Business Impact Analysis (BIA) findings to prioritize critical systems and applications.

Ensure Consistency in RTO/RPO Across Plans

• Validate that Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPOs) in DR plans match business priorities set in BCM plans.
• Avoid IT-driven RTOs that do not align with operational needs.

Test DR and BCM Together

• Conduct joint exercises (e.g., crisis simulations, failover tests) to ensure seamless integration of IT recovery and business response.
• Validate cross-team coordination (IT, business units, crisis management).

Develop Clear Communication & Escalation Paths

• Ensure BC teams understand DR processes and IT teams know business continuity priorities.
• Create a unified incident response structure that includes both DR and BC teams.

Use a Common Documentation & Governance Approach

• Store DR and BCM plans in the same repository for easy access and alignment.
• Establish shared governance by including DR in BCM policies and oversight committees

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Event description

From Policy to Practice: How to Make Business Continuity Part of Your Organizational DNA

Just as DNA defines the very identity of an organism, Business Continuity (BC) must be woven into the fabric of your organization to ensure resilience, growth, and sustainability. Beyond policies and procedures, this inspiring webinar will explore how to embrace BC as a living, breathing part of your operations—essential to your organization’s strength and survival, much like roots are to a tree.

Key takeaways include:

• How to embrace BC into your organization’s culture by aligning it with core values and daily practices.
• Practical steps to shift from compliance to commitment, fostering organization-wide ownership of BC.
• Strategies to strengthen resilience and growth, the way a tree deeply rooted in fertile soil.

Business Continuity isn’t just about plans—it’s about building a culture where resilience is second nature, empowering your organization to thrive amid challenges. This webinar is based on best practice as taught in Professional Practice 2 of the Business Continuity Institute's Good Practice Guidelines.

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Let’s cultivate the roots of resilience together! 🌱

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About the speaker

Margaret Millett, MsBC, Hon FBCI, MBCP, is a global thought leader in business resilience with over two decades of experience. A contributing author to the BCI Good Practice Guidelines (GPG) for multiple editions (2023, 2017, 2013, and 2010), Margaret has been serving as Vice Chair of BCI Women in Resilience (2021-2024) and a founding board member of the BCI USA Chapter.

Margaret has worked internationally with IT and Fortune 300 Financial Services companies, helping build world-class Business Continuity programs. Her expertise is recognized globally, with speaking engagements across North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. In 2023, she received the prestigious BCI Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to the profession.

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