1) Develop a hypotheticalcontingency plan - The guidelines below can be very helpful when you are developing your contingency plan. Use them as a guide.

2) Highlight at least four guidelines that are relevant and helpful in your contingency plan

GUIDELINE:

• Your main goal is to maintain business operations- Look closely at what you need to do to deliver a minimum level of service and functionality.
• Define time periods- What must be done during the first hour of the plan being implemented? The first day? The first week? If you look at the plan in this way, you're less likely to leave out important details.
• Identify the trigger- What, specifically, will cause you to implement the contingency plan? Decide which actions you'll take, and when. Determine who is in charge at each stage and what type of reporting process they must follow.
• Keep the plan simple- You don't know who will read and implement the plan when it's needed, so use clear, plain language.
• Consider related resource restrictions- Will your organization be able to function the same way if you have to implement Plan B, or will Plan B necessarily reduce capabilities?
• Identify everyone's needs- Have people throughout the company identify what they must have, at a minimum, to continue operations.
• Define 'success'- What will you need to do to return to "business as usual?"
• Include contingency plans in standard operating procedures- Make sure you provide initial training on the plan, and keep everyone up-to-date on changes.
• Manage your risks- Look for opportunities to reduce risk, wherever possible. This may help you reduce, or even eliminate, the need for full contingency plans in certain areas.
• Identify operational inefficiencies- Provide a standard to document your planning process, and find opportunities for performance improvement.