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You’ve put a lot of effort into writing your crisis plan. But ultimately, what matters is what your crisis management team does when a crisis actually occurs. How do you prevent your crisis plan from ending up in a drawer? How do you ensure that your crisis management team effectively uses the crisis plan during a crisis? In this article, I’ll share tips on how to turn your crisis plan into action.
Of course, italways starts with awareness; do the members of your crisis management team know that there is a crisis plan? Let them know that there is a crisis plan and what it contains. Also explain why the organization has a crisis plan, so that everyone understands its importance.
Of course, it’s even better if you can involve the members of your crisis management team in the development of the crisis plan. For example, ask them what they would like to see included in the plan. Ask them for feedback on draft versions of the plan. This way, you ensure that they feel involved and that it doesn’t become just “your document.”
Agood crisis plan must be action-oriented in order to be effective during a crisis. Consider dividing your crisis plan into a policy section and an action-oriented section. The action-oriented section includes, for example, task sheets, schedules, and predefined actions. This structure ensures that the crisis plan is not only a policy document but also a practical guide for taking action during a crisis.
Makesure the crisis plan is always available and up to date. Paper plans are difficult to keep current, so it’s best to manage them digitally. Make sure you have a backup plan in case the crisis plan becomes unavailable due to an IT outage, for example.
Itis important that all members of the crisis management team know where to find the plan and how to access the relevant documents. To avoid having to search through a comprehensive crisis plan, it is best to break the plan down into separate documents. For example, task cards can be saved as separate documents. With the right crisis management software, you can ensure that the appropriate crisis documents are available to those who need them for their specific crisis role. This prevents people from having to search through a list of documents.
Make surethe crisis plan is always incorporated into your emergency response activities (training sessions, drills, and exercises). This ensures that everyone learns how the crisis plan can help manage a crisis.
During crisis training sessions, it is always a good idea to refer to relevant topics included in the crisis plan. Before a crisis team drill, you can review the most relevant parts of the plan and clarify any uncertainties. You can also organize a training activity in which you go through the plan step by step with a small group of people, using a crisis scenario as a guide.
The best way to incorporate the crisis plan into your crisis training is to establish learning objectives for it. These ensure that you have a clear understanding of what everyone should take away from the training or exercise.
Want to get a head start on developing your crisis plan? Click this link to download our free crisis plan template.
