Creating a Crisis Management Plan: 10 Essential Elements

There are ten crucial components to a successful crisis management plan. A risk analysis, an activation protocol, a command center plan, a chain of command, reaction action plans, resources, training, and an evaluation are a few of these.

The crisis plan is primarily the responsibility of the crisis management team. Every team member contributes, and the group also confers with other interested parties, including senior management and the operations team. The plan outlines each person's responsibilities and critical roles in the crisis response. See "How to Create an Effective Crisis Management Team" for comprehensive guidelines on how to put together a crisis team.

According to Deborah Hileman, President and CEO of the Institute for Crisis Management, "a good crisis plan possesses a variety of elements that prepare crisis team members to effectively perform their duties when a crisis occurs." The roles and duties of the team, the chain of command, the specifics of the operations center, the structure of the command system, and the activities related to communication, mitigation, and recovery should all be included. Additionally, you want to incorporate protocols tailored to particular typical situations.

Your crisis management plan needs to be adaptable and realistic since crises seldom go as planned and emergencies are unpredictable. As a result, confirm that your strategy is flexible enough to adjust to changing conditions and that you can carry it out under duress.

The ten items listed below should be included in your plan:

Describe the possible outcomes you believe your company may encounter in your risk analysis. Your planning will be guided by a clearer understanding of these possible events. A wide range of risks should be covered; these include natural disasters, cyberattacks, power outages, technological malfunctions, CEO deaths, workplace shootings, financial crises, operational mishaps, and product failures. Furthermore, describe how to intensify such reaction in the case that a crisis turns out to be more catastrophic than initially thought. Your staff's response should be guided by the protocol, which should take into account the incident's type and location. Additionally, the protocol ought to set up a means of communication that indicates when a crisis is over.Chain of Command: Clearly identify who has the ultimate say and who reports to whom by including an organization chart relevant to crisis management in your plan. Creating a clear organizational chart facilitates consistency and coordination, two things that autonomous companies occasionally find difficult to accomplish. The need for extra levels of command in your strategy may depend on how critical the situation is. An emergency at one location, for instance, might activate the response team and leader at that specific location, but a company-wide crisis might necessitate a crisis team at headquarters that oversees regional teams.

Plan for the Command Center: Establish what will be the team's center of operations in an emergency. Indicate the utilities and supplies the crew will need as well. You must also pick a backup command center in case the primary command center becomes unavailable. To view all of the information needed to set up a command center, please scroll down.

Action Plans for Reactions: Make careful preparations for how you will react in different situations. As part of this planning, responsibilities for each task are assigned. Consider these reaction steps as modular components that you should use as needed. By conceptualizing crises in this way, you may create a flexible crisis management plan.

"The best plans have an all-hazard approach, which means that all possible risks are taken into consideration while writing a strategy, rather than just one particular catastrophe. Relying on this approach guarantees that, no matter what kind of disaster occurs, your team will always be prepared and able to respond consistently,” advises Regina Phelps, founder of Emergency Management & Safety Solutions, a crisis management consulting firm.

Plan for Internal Communication: Establish protocols and fallback ways for the crisis management team members to get in touch with one another. Gather the contact details of all team members and anyone else they may need to get in touch with, such as outside consultants and subject matter experts. Additionally, you need to set up procedures for informing every employee of critical information. Some of these procedures include setting up a system for workers to check in and report their whereabouts and safety, or using a notification provider to send texts and automated calls. Decide how you will break important news to the staff, such a death or a threat to the company's survival. Don't forget to set up a timetable and updating procedure as well.Plan for External Communication: Specify how you will communicate with the general public and important external stakeholders. Select a representative. Put in writing specific instructions along with who you will tell (such as local media outlets). Additionally, draft holding statements, the specifics of which you may complete at a later time after obtaining the necessary data. Set talking points and prioritize your strategic communication goals. Verify that your plans complement existing communication initiatives. Prepare to set up a dedicated phone line or website to address inquiries from members of the public or consumers.

Training: Practicing drills and exercises with the crisis management team is essential to achieving the aim of being able to carry out your crisis management strategy swiftly. The crisis team will benefit from practice as it will help them become accustomed to their unique tasks and collaborate as a team. Tabletop drills or rehearsals can also highlight weaknesses in the plan. Don't forget to keep up to date with frequent training. Furthermore, train other employees according to their specific roles. For example, instruct a warehouse manager on how to use a fire extinguisher, a production associate on how to stop an assembly line, or an executive assistant on how to handle a media call.

Review: Establish a systematic review procedure so that you can plan frequent follow-up meetings to discuss your plan. Your crisis management plan will need to be updated as your company's operations or the risk environment shift. Following a real crisis, the group should assess what worked and what didn't. Decide which lessons are most important, then make the appropriate adjustments.