Architects' Guide to Business Continuity
Guidance for reducing–and recovering from–firm disruption
Floods, cyber-attacks, pandemics, and the unexpected loss of a team member are just a few of the risks that can prevent firms from remaining open and profitable.
Will you be able to provide clients with the assurance that work on their project will continue despite a disruption? The Architect's Guide to Business Continuity helps firms become more resilient with a step-by-step process and accompanying worksheets for assessing and reducing risks associated with disruption. The guide shares lessons learned from previously impacted firms, builds on and adapts business continuity best practices specifically for the building industry, and helps firms remain open in the face of disruption. In addition to a business continuity planning process, the guide includes a preparedness checklist and emergency response checklist to manage disruptions when they do occur. While designed with the architect in mind, this Guide would also benefit other design firms and professional service providers.
Not only can business continuity planning reduce post-event hardships, it can also lead to insurance discounts, a positive reputation for building performance, and even new business opportunities; including post-disaster detailed assessments and repairs, hazard mitigation retrofits, risk-informed site evaluation, facility feasibility studies, and design for shelter in place and/or rapid recovery to promote business continuity goals.
Use this guide and the accompanying worksheets to:
Understand the elements of a business continuity plan and how it reduces risk and protects profits.
Inventory the resources that enable your firm to run.
Anticipate the financial, legal, brand, and operational consequences of disruption.
Develop recovery strategies and solutions to enable the firm to maintain functionality despite disruption.
Assess hazard and climate risks that can disrupt your ability to conduct business.
Develop a Risk Treatment Plan to reduce the chance of disruption and to minimize the impacts caused by disruption.
Already have a business continuity plan?
Access a firm preparedness checklist to mitigate risk.
Experience a disruption?
Reference action items for immediately responding to a disruption.
Image above: Three small images showcasing select pages from the guide. This includes image of the cover, with two bottom images (left image) the business continuity planning process and (right image) suggests a timeline for executing the process.
Download
Architect's Guide to Business Continuity (pdf) >
Workbook: Step 1 of the Business Continuity Planning Process (excel) >
Workbook: Step 2-5 of the Business Continuity Planning Process (excel) >
Prepare: Mitigating risk; an excerpt of the Architect's Guide to Business Continuity (pdf) >