As the Co-Founder and COO of Flawless Inbound, I believe that having resilient operations is important for all industries. Operational Resilience is a form of lived Change management that we practice every day and on which we fall back in times of rapid change. It ensures business continuity and allows us to successfully navigate all types of risks – including pandemics like the one we are currently experiencing with CoVid-19.
Let's start by pinning down what OR is and does. The Gartner Glossary offers the following definition:Operational resilience is a set of techniques that allow people, processes and informational systems to adapt to changing patterns. It is the ability to alter operations in the face of changing business conditions. Operationally resilient enterprises have the organizational competencies to ramp up or slow down operations in a way that provides a competitive edge and enables quick and local process modification.
It's clear from this definition that OR revolves around change and adaptations. What does that mean in practice? Your business will inevitably face stressful situations, and a high level of OR makes the difference between thriving and failing. At its core, it's an indicator of how well you are prepared to cope under pressure.
So what steps can you actively take to make your business resilient? Here is a list of what to scrutinise above all else – you can go ahead and adapt it to your specific business situation.
- Identifying Assets
Find and document the services, people, processes, technology, facilities, and information that support the continuous delivery of your services and products.
- Know your Thresholds
Every organisation should set an impact threshold parameter to identify its maximum tolerable disruption.
- Hypothetical Testing
Assess your own ability to remain within impact tolerances through a range of severe (but possible) scenarios in which service provision is disrupted.
- Review
Review the scenarios' impacts and responses, document the steps taken toward recovery, and work on increasing their feasibility.
- Forge a Recovery Plan
Based on the results of your assessments, you can draft a comprehensive Resilience Plan.
- Communicate Results and Solutions
Now that you have a plan in hand, you can go ahead and develop internal and external communication messages to implement it and get your team up to date.
Remember that change is a process and that it takes time. Don't rush it and take small steps – even if it's tempting to do all at once. You'll be surprised how far a steady mindset can get you.
With the points from above in mind, you will be able to make significant increases to OR in your business. And if you decide that you could use a little expert help, we're always excited to share our experience and take on new challenges.
Take care and stay resilient,
Liliane Youssef
COO & Co-Founder, Flawless Inbound