1. Big Picture
Make a skeleton plan or a goal walk or a mind map, and start filling in the spaces. Consider what can go wrong: is the organization vulnerable to fire, flood, tornado, disease, workplace violence, hurricane, bomb threats, the loss of key employees, burglary, computer crash - or what?

2. Critical Situations
Identify which situations are most relevant to the organization, and develop contingency plans for those situations first, with less detailed plans for less likely events.

3. Contingency Team
Select a contingency planning team. Include people with many perspectives on the company’s vulnerabilities. For example, include someone with detailed knowledge of the building and any computer network. Include department managers and a human resources representative.

4. Contact Staff
List all staff names, and alternate ways that people can communicate with each other. Include home phone numbers, pager numbers, non-work e-mail addresses, and mobile phone numbers. The more ways to contact staff should disaster strike, the better. Keep the list updated. Consider setting up a “phoneout tree” that can be activated in a crisis.

5. Designate Authority
Designate a single decision-maker and an alternate. Those persons must know the steps to take in various crises, and how to reach staff and other essential contacts (police specialists, fire department, clients, customers, etc). Inform staff who will give directions during times of chaos.

6. Chain of command
Consider a clear chain of command and authority. Consider military chain of command, or that of governmental succession; and how to apply that for the organization. If key people are missing, who will make decisions?

7. List Vulnerabilities
Make a checklist. Do you work in an office with no alarm system? Might layoffs occur sometime in the future? What if all telephones are disconnected? What if a key supplier can’t move shipments? What if the intranet or internet is "down"? Consider what could go wrong. Many scenarios will be specific to certain organizations. Consider how each one of those situations would affect core activities, revenue streams, customer service and staff.

8. Alternative Workspace
Can employees work out of their homes? Will another company share their facilities until space at a new location is rented and equipped? Get answers now, and be prepared.

9. Backup Information
Most people back up computer data. Where are your important papers and files – both print and electronic? Do you have recently backed data up off site?

10. Backup Knowledge
In smaller organizations, assets may be largely vested in a key individuals. Model the expertise and skills of those individuals and pass it on. Interview the key people and create educational materials. Start coaching, training or mentoring programs of knowledge management. Document and educate staff in that essential knowledge. A Systemic Coach skilled in Expert Modeling, who can model and duplicate expert performance.

11. Essential Resources
What’s needed to keep the organization running in a crisis? If part of an organization shuts down, where would revenue flow come from? What people, equipment, space, supplies, or services are needed to keep revenue flowing during a business disruption?

12. Hire a Coach
As the contingency plan develops, hire a consultant to check the plans – someone familiar with emergency preparedness who can help streamline the plan while identifying critical holes in it. A Systemic Coach skilled in emergency procedures may also edit emergency manuals, present emergency preparedness training and liaise with local authorities.

13. Educate Staff
Once a plan is in place, write manuals and educate staff. Arrange seminars and visits by emergency workers, police and fire officials, etc. Let staff know that their familiarity with disaster procedures will be tested at random times.

14. Exercise Contingencies
Simulate some crisis scenarios. Shut down systems and monitor how staff react. Perhaps call the director of one location and tell them to disconnect from all electronic communication. What happens at other locations? What happens if you shut down a main computer system? What would people do if there was a disease scare? Simulate the loss of some key employees.