ContinuitySA has recently completed a comprehensive business continuity management and crisis management plan for a major construction industry player. Originally slated to take 18 months, the project was completed in only 11 and under budget, a notable feat for a solution which covers multiple geographically separate sites across Sub-Saharan Africa.

"This client appreciates the value of business continuity management in protecting its reputation, building trust with shareholders and stakeholders, and generally improving sustainability by minimising potential disaster impact of disasters," says Padma Naidoo, General Manager: Advisory, ContinuitySA.

The client chose ContinuitySA as it recognised its expertise and capability of delivering to an ambitious project rollout plan.

With the project's original scope expanding from crisis communication to crisis management generally, and the subsequent inclusion of its sales and marketing offices in the exercise, delivering to schedule and under budget proved challenging. With site visits to multiple locations in South Africa, and in several other African countries, the ContinuitySA team was put to the test, working long hours to achieve a positive outcome.

Naidoo says the project's success can be attributed to several success factors: "Commitment from the top leadership at the client was essential, as was the time we took to reach consensus about approach and methodology. Key areas were regular monthly project status and progress meetings to ensure good communication and a commitment to continuous improvement. In addition, the client's BCM Team also gave us the necessary time and attention when we were on site. Because of this, we were able to shorten the timeline by seven months despite the increased scope."

The construction industry company's commitment to continuous improvement means it will, along with partner ContinuitySA, now move into subsequent phases: readiness reviews for each unit and then disaster simulations to test the efficacy of the business continuity management plans.

"People, circumstances and risks change all the time, so business continuity plans must be constantly refined and tested," concludes Ms Naidoo. "We've established a good working relationship that provides a solid basis going into the future."