SITUATION:
Coordinated Consulting Services was hired to conduct an agency-wide business impact analysis (BIA) and corresponding business continuity plan (BCP) for Mercy Corps Headquarters in Portland, Oregon.
NEED:
In October of 2017, a 25-member Mercy Corps team participated in a brainstorm session to discuss Mercy Corps’ preparedness for a Cascadia Subduction Zone Earthquake. The group agreed that there was a need to develop a plan that would address identified gaps in planning including, emergency staffing and reporting structures, communication strategies after a disaster, support for global operations, and the role of Mercy Corps in a domestic response.
SOLUTION:
CCS completed an assessment all of Mercy Corps’ business functions through an agency-wide business impact analysis (BIA). Functions from each department were prioritized according to critical recovery time periods and types of impacts to the agency. With a greater understanding of Mercy Corps’ essential functions and resources, CCS worked with the Mercy Corps Business Continuity Planning Team to develop an overall business continuity plan that guides Mercy Corps through all phases of a continuity plan activation, including Initial Response, Relocation Operations, Recovery, and Restoration. Mercy Corps’ BCP includes detailed lists of staff that support essential functions, contact information for continuity staff, headquarters and global offices, and key vendors, as well as pre-approved and pre-scripted communication messages to support continuity plan activation.
OUTCOME:
The Mercy Corps US Headquarters BCP was finalized and distributed agency-wide at the end of 2019. The result was that Mercy Corps had a working BCP and BCP team to guide the agency through the COVID-19 pandemic response, including activation of the plan, implementation of alternate operations through telework, and development and implementation of recovery and restoration procedures. CCS worked with Mercy Corps to conduct a COVID-19 Mid-Response Review and Improvement Plan to guide the ongoing priorities and strategies for Mercy Corps’ business continuity program.
