Why does the recovery plan need an owner?

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First Example of a Good Answer:

A disaster recovery plan recovers technology platforms and associated technology functions i.e. servers, mainframes and networks. Writing and testing a disaster recovery plan is one of the key elements of business continuity management. Traditionally business continuity and disaster recovery planning have always been separated between the business and the information technology department. A disaster recovery plan should interface with the overall business continuity management plan, be clear and concise, focus on the key activities required to recover the critical IT services, be tested reviewed and updated on a regular basis, have an owner, and enable the recovery objectives to be met.

The owner is responsible for all the activities which are held at organization and if any disaster occurred, he has to plan according to the situation and he has to prepare a disaster recovery plan to the organization. The owner has different responsibilities and he has to take care of the members who are working in the organization to prepare a disaster recovery plan. Some of the responsibilities include the following:

1. The recovery plan owner will take direct responsibility to plan, coordinate, document, test and manage the disaster Recovery efforts. Owner is also responsible and accountable to ensure all committed activities and deliverables are performed with satisfaction.

2. The owner has to perform risk analysis for functional areas to identify points of vulnerability, single points of failure and identify risk avoidance and mitigation strategies.

3. The owner has to provide training for his staff if they need know any concepts.

4. Owner should be dedicated to his work. An efficient and hardworking owner will make the business successful.

In the case of a small business, owners should plan for such eventuality and have a contingency action plan that would enable them to relocate re-source-suppliers and continue their services to their customers. Even in cases when there are only walk-ins and the customers are transients, a disaster recovery plan can provide valuable information to those end-users, clients and the dependents of those businesses services; an alternative way to have those services available to them in an uninterrupted manner. Disasters caused by natural calamities will arise suddenly. In case, if recovery plan is not made in advance, it will lead to severe disasters. Owner should be able to reach all his team members and should implement emergency plans even during sudden disasters. Owner should make fast and spontaneous recovery decisions.

Finally I want to conclude that, owner plays a key role in a disaster recovery plan because he is responsible for running the whole organization in a structured manner.

Second Example of a Good Answer:

Disaster recovery plan describes how an organization is to deal with potential disasters. Just as a disaster is an event that makes the continuation of normal functions impossible, a disaster recovery plan consists of the precautions taken so that the effects of a disaster will be minimized and the organization will be able to either maintain or quickly resume mission critical functions. Typically, disaster recovery planning involves an analysis of business processes and continuity needs, it may also include a significant focus on disaster prevention.

The first step in creating a disaster recovery plan is to make a list of all the office jobs that would have to be relocated to an alternate location so the business can continue to run. Mark each job with a star (or asterisk) that you would consider critical if you were in a disaster recovery mode. In other words, which jobs do you need up and functioning as soon as possible. For example, customer service representatives and accounting personnel should be marked as critical, while telemarketing people making outbound sales calls should not.

One needs to ask the question as to who should be designated as the leaders or owners of such plans. Ideally speaking the Disaster Recovery involves critical business functions or IT functions. Therefore the primary ownership should lie with the Business Managers who are responsible for the particular function in the Organization. IT Director, Finance Director or other Business Managers in charge of a business Unit would become responsible in their respective areas. Apart from this direct ownership, the senior management too needs to get involved and own the recovery plans and as such they should get involved in monitoring the situation and assisting with decision making and any other way required.

The disaster recovery planning project isn't over until the final report is given to the stakeholders and upper management. Report on the success of each step in the project as indicated by the measurement of Key Performance Indicators that were originally defined. Present your budget versus actual spending report and explain why you went over or under budget. This will bring the project to closure and bring recognition to those who participated.

In case of Crisis management, depending upon the nature of crisis and the extent of damage, either the Business Managers or the Senior Management would be required to take charge. In case of any emergency or crisis effecting the entire organization and involves dealing with external agencies, media and other legal formalities etc, the senior management of the Organization would need to step in and take charge of the situation assisted duly by the Business managers and other designated officials as per the plan.

Responsibilities and Role of the Designated Ownership:

In helps to define the responsibilities and the role of the Recovery Plan owners to ensure clarity of the concept.

First and foremost the designated leadership needs to be able to understand the gravity of the situation, the extent of damage and loss including financial, revenue loss as well as the loss of reputation and how it affects the market, for this would help him take the right decisions required to protect his organization and eliminate the risk or direct recovery program.

Secondly, it becomes the responsibility of the designated owner to own the plan, to budget, obtain approval, provide and keep ready the necessary resources including hardware and other proposed solutions in stock.

Thirdly, the owner plans and provides for the required manpower resources, monitors and ensures trails and mock drills regularly to ensure alertness and preparedness at all times.

Apart from the knowledge and responsibilities assigned to the designated owner of the Disaster Recovery plans, it is important that he be invested with the required authority and powers to own the program and discharge his duties when required to do so. Once developed and tested, you should present your disaster recovery plan to the owners and/or board of directors. Record any and all feedback and make sure it is addressed in the revised plan. If they are more apprehensive after you present your disaster recovery plan, you need to revisit each and every item before you present it again. Many plans are written and few are ever updated. Even fewer are ever tested. A disaster recovery plan that was written five years ago when your business was half the size is not going to allow a rapid recovery. Review the plan every year to insure new aspects of the business are covered. Test the plan at least every two years. Pick a Saturday and pretend that you have to bring back the office operations in less than 24 hours. You don't have to physically do it, but sitting around a table offsite without any access to any resources in the office can shed a lot of light on your disaster recovery plan's inadequacies.

As the entire reasonability of getting the business back on its feet depends upon the designated owner, Organizations may designate a suitable senior management person with proven capabilities or form a team to own the plans and responsibilities.