Checklist

Checklist for Business Continuity Testing

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Business continuity plan (BCP) testing is the most reliable way to validate a BC strategy, and it is a critical component of continuity planning. Use this checklist for business continuity testing for an actionable plan. By skipping regular testing, you won’t know if your organization is prepared for a disaster—until it’s too late.

Testing by the Numbers

According to a 2023 report from Forrester Research and the Disaster Recovery Journal, many organizations conduct tests on an annual or semi-annual basis. However, as the complexity of tests increases, the frequency of testing decreases. The survey indicates that 56% of respondents, a notable increase from 47% in 2021, do not engage in full simulations at all.

Testing your business continuity program allows you to validate your BC plan and manage risks. In fact, 88% of our online poll respondents test BCPs at their companies to identify gaps, and 63% of them do that to validate their plans. Business continuity testing isn’t about pass or fail. It’s about continuous improvement by learning from findings uncovered in a live exercise.

Reasons to Test a BCP

A well-orchestrated test strategy helps protect the brand, its promise, and its value proposition. If your competitors had a poor test performance or made a critical mistake in a real-life situation with a client, your company can shine by demonstrating its reliability and advance its business forward.  

So, why test your BCP? 

  • Identify interdependencies, gaps, and areas for improvement.  
  • Demonstrate to your clients a higher degree of commitment.  
  • If you are the supplier to a firm, you rise among competitors, taking on more projects, and winning new business.  
  • Continually validate and improve plans.  
  • Satisfy compliance requirements and regulators.  
  • Reduce recovery time and cost.  

 

Download our Checklist for Business Continuity Testing to get an actionable plan.

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