Creating a business continuity plan that actually works

In his latest column, Greg Du-feu, Managing Director of Dufeu IT, explains how fabricators can create a Business Continuity Plan that actually works.

Every glazing fabricator has a plan in their head for what they’d do if disaster struck — but very few have it written down, tested, and ready to execute.

A Business Continuity Plan (BCP) isn’t just for massive corporations. It’s for every business that can’t afford downtime — and in fabrication, downtime costs money, customers, and credibility.

Here’s how to write a plan that’s simple, practical, and actually works when it’s needed most.

Step 1: Identify Critical Business Functions

Start by asking: “What must keep running, no matter what?” For a fabricator, that might include:

• ERP and order management systems
• Accounts and payroll
• Communications with suppliers and installers
• Production scheduling and dispatch

Everything else is secondary.

Step 2: Assess the Risks

List what could disrupt each function — fire, flood, ransomware, power failure, or even a key staff absence.
Then, rate each by likelihood and impact. This becomes the foundation of your plan.

Step 3: Define Your Recovery Objectives

Set two key targets:

• Recovery Time Objective (RTO): How quickly you need to restore operations.
• Recovery Point Objective (RPO): How much data you can afford to lose.

Example: “We must restore ERP access within 8 hours with less than one day’s data loss.”

Step 4: Establish Backup and Recovery Procedures

Document where backups are stored, how to access them, and who’s responsible for initiating recovery.
Include contact details for your IT provider (and make sure they’re printed as well as digital).

Step 5: Outline Manual Workarounds

How will you operate if systems are offline?

• Issue paper job sheets.
• Record deliveries manually.
• Communicate via mobile phones or radios.

The goal is to maintain momentum until full restoration.

Step 6: Assign Roles and Responsibilities

Every staff member should know what’s expected of them. Define clear ownership for:

• IT recovery
• Production oversight
• Customer communication
• Supplier coordination

Step 7: Test the Plan

Run through a mock scenario at least once per year. Practice makes it muscle memory.

Step 8: Keep It Simple

Your plan shouldn’t be a 50-page manual. One or two pages per department with checklists are far more effective in real life.

Step 9: Review After Every Incident

Whether it’s a power outage or cyber incident, review what worked and update the plan.

Step 10: Store It Accessibly

Store printed and digital copies off-site. A plan you can’t access in a crisis is useless.

Real-World Example

A Northamptonshire-based fabricator suffered a network outage due to a hardware fault. Because their BCP outlined manual dispatch and supplier coordination, they fulfilled all customer orders within 48 hours, even while IT systems were being rebuilt.

Their competitors without a plan lost five days of production.

Final Word

A Business Continuity Plan isn’t about predicting the future — it’s about preparing for it.

Follow Dufeu IT on LinkedIn, connect with me personally, or visit dufeu-it.co.uk/contact to learn how to implement continuity and disaster recovery plans tailored to your fabrication business.