A Business Continuity Management (BCM) plan is crucial for any organisation to tackle unforeseen disruptions. Adhering to standards and guidelines ensures effective business continuity and recovery in a structured manner. The proper functioning of a BCM plan depends on well-maintained documentation. It helps preserve an organisation’s business continuity program by providing safety and equipping stakeholders, especially employees, to act according to the situation. The proper documentation of processes and strategies in compliance with recognised standards like ISO 22301 helps organisations meet legal obligations and align with audit, insurance, and safety requirements. With a well-documented BCM plan, organisations can ensure their preparedness and ability to handle any disruption.
To make creating a BCM plan and documentation easier, below is the list of mandatory documentation for a Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) in accordance with ISO 22301:
| Clause | Description of Clause | Application and Use |
| 4.2.2 | List of legal, regulatory and other requirements | Lists everything the organisation needs to comply with. |
| 4.3 | Scope of the BCMS and explanation of exclusions | Defines where the BCMS will be implemented in the organisation. |
| 5.2 | Business continuity policy | Defines core responsibilities and the intent of the Business Continuity Management. |
| 6.2 | Business continuity objectives | Defines quantifiable objectives that are aimed to be achieved through the BCM. |
| 7.2 | Competencies of personnel | Defines knowledge and skills required in personnel to implement the BCM system. |
| 8.4 | Business continuity plans and procedures | Includes plans, strategies, procedures for response, communication, recovery (including disaster recovery plans), as well as includes mechanisms for restoration and returning to daily operations. |
| 8.4.3.1 | Documented communication with interested parties | Includes documentation of any sort of communication with the stakeholders and interested parties and could be in means of email communications or even official communications from government agencies, etc. |
| 8.4.3.1 | Records of important information about the disruption, actions taken and decisions made | These records are usually maintained through minutes or by filling out checklists for activities performed during the time of any disruption and any valuable decisions made during that course of time. |
| 9.1.1 | Data and results of monitoring and measurement | Includes evaluation of whether BCMS met the required objectives |
| 9.2 | Internal audit program | Includes internal audit program of the organisation of the BCMS |
| 9.2 | Results of internal audit |
Includes the internal audit report of the BCMS |
| 9.3 | Results of management review |
This is usually in form of minutes, also, sometimes, in form of documented decisions. |
| 10.1 | Nature of nonconformities and actions taken |
Describes non-conformities and their cause |
| 10.1 | Results of corrective actions | Description of corrective action taken to eliminate the cause of a non-conformity or non-conformities. |
As a globally recognised certification body, TÜV SÜD provides ISO 22301 BCMS Certification Services with a highly qualified and experienced team. Organisations can rest assured that their ISO 22301 BCMS certification will be taken care of with utmost diligence and commitment.
The importance of BCMS documentation is intrinsic to ensuring proper adherence to the BCM plan. Proper documentation of BCMS not only guides the organisation to face any disruption in an efficient manner but also lays down the foundation of several other risk management systems. With well-organised documentation of BCMS in accordance with ISO 22301 standard, an organisation can well impart its commitment to the safety and security of its operations and stakeholders.
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