Business Continuity and Managed Resilience for Supply Chain
Client
The client in this case study is the largest purchasing cooperative in the quick-service restaurant industry, handling over $5.8 billion in annual purchases. They specialize in food, packaging, and equipment procurement. Operating since 1999, the client negotiates bulk purchases to cut costs, ensure supply consistency, and promote inclusivity by partnering with diverse suppliers. They employ 300 people across multiple locations throughout the United States.
Challenge
In response to the prevalence of business-impacting breaches worldwide, the organization’s leadership initiated a thorough review of their own business continuity plan (BCP). While a plan had been created several years earlier, it had not undergone consistent updates.
Developing and maintaining a robust business continuity strategy often presents sizable challenges for organizations. The initial creation of a BCP demands considerable time, expertise, and resources, often requiring specialized knowledge and experience. Assigning this task to an internal leader, such as a Director of Operations, is daunting, as it adds to their already substantial responsibilities. This process necessitates cross-departmental collaboration, which can lead to frustrating complications and even workplace tension. Simply put, it’s hard on time, morale and patience.
Additionally, there is a common tendency to overlook the necessity of regularly revising the plan. It requires a lot of time and money to produce a comprehensive BCP, but it immediately depreciates in value if treated as a static set of procedures rather than as an evolving document requiring continuous updates.
Solution
Once the client uncovered the need to strengthen their resilience strategy, they engaged with Volta to create a new plan.
Phase 1:
Volta conducted a comprehensive business impact analysis (BIA), followed by a detailed risk assessment. Based on these findings, Volta developed tailored business continuity plans (BCPs) for their operations branch, which included 7 departments. The client was so pleased with the results that we continued the process of creating plans for 15 other departments and lines of business in the organization.
Once the plans were finalized and approved, we facilitated a tabletop exercise to test their effectiveness. This exercise enabled the identification of gaps and areas requiring further refinement. Subsequently, Volta produced a thorough report highlighting these gaps and provided actionable recommendations for remediation strategies to enhance the overall resilience framework.
Completing this work typically requires six to twelve months, depending on the organization’s size. During this period, the executives recognized the substantial effort involved in developing the plan and concluded that they would prefer not to undertake this process again. This realization ultimately led to the addition of managed resilience to the scope of the engagement.
Phase 2:
Initially, the focus of the project was to conduct assessments and develop comprehensive documentation for the business continuity plan (BCP). Transitioning this effort into an ongoing managed resilience service required migrating the plans into our platform, enabling seamless viewing and operational management. Once integrated, these plans became dynamic and adaptive, allowing for continuous updates and efficient maintenance by our team.
The client can log in and view their plan as a living, breathing system of protection for their business. We meet with them quarterly to review updates and track any changes necessary to ensure continuity.
Results
Improved Efficiency: After engaging with Volta for managed resilience services, the client experienced a streamlined process for developing and maintaining their business continuity plan (BCP). Internal resource constraints were minimized, and productivity was preserved, as our team of experts handled the complexities of the plan creation.
Enhanced Adaptability: By leveraging our expertise, the client’s BCP evolved into a dynamic, adaptive system. Regular updates and integrations ensure their plans remain relevant and responsive to emerging threats and organizational changes. This adaptability enables faster incident responses and seamless adjustments in a rapidly shifting risk environment.
Simplified Training and Onboarding: Our services also facilitate a more efficient onboarding process for the client’s staff. Comprehensive, step-by-step recovery protocols have replaced reliance on tribal knowledge. This prepares new hires for emergency situations quickly and significantly reduces the time and resources needed to bring new team members up to speed.
Proactive Maintenance and Updates: The client benefits from ongoing updates and maintenance, handled entirely by our team. This eliminated concerns over outdated or static plans, as we ensure all documentation adheres to best practices.
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