The Business Continuity Operating System: What the Best do Differently to Achieve Success

This book is a quick ad fun read for those in business continuity, or needing something to help contextualize BC for managers/leaders. I love the fictional character approach to a very real, and timely, topic that mirrors many of my experiences as a consultant and organizational employee.If you are new to the field I would say this is a must read. For those more seasoned, you should find both parallels you will recognize as well as some informative approaches that are great to refresh the conversations in the BC community.

“Far out” would my favorite singer John Denver say about the book of Brian Zawada ‘The Business Continuity Operating System. From struggle to success. A journey from a novice to a professional BC manager. Great he used a casus of a ‘real’ company. A recognizable content of for many as us in the field of BCM, Resilience. Easy to read and a pleasure to read and I recommend it to read.

Reading this book made me realize how much I love the field of business continuity and I am betting it will result in similar feelings for you. In storybook fashion, Brian Zawada weaves a tale of a gentleman who doesn't have time for business continuity despite his company's desire that he lead the charge to develop a program. Slowly, but surely, the inner fire starts to burn and he comes to an understanding that all roads to success, both for his company and himself, lead through the path of business recovery planning. The story, alone is worth the read, but the fact that one learns a better strategy to achieve business continuity in these perilous times of COVID and Climate Change...well, that is the cherry on the top!

Im ersten Teil des Buches lässt Brian Zawada in einer lebensnahen Fallstudie den Risikomanager Michael in seiner neuen Stelle als Risk Manager ein BCM implementieren, da ein neuer Kunde dies als Anforderung definiert hat. Er macht die klassischen Anfängerfehler, hat aber glücklicherweise den in BCM erfahrenen Ben an seiner Seite, der die entscheidenden Hinweise und Hilfestellungen gibt. Die Fallstudie zeigt viele Fettnäpfchen auf, in die ein Business Continuity Manager stolpern kann, aber gleichzeitig auch Lösungen um sie zu umschiffen. Im zweiten Teil wird es dann akademischer, in dem die wichtigsten sieben Erfolgsfaktoren eines Resilience Managements beschrieben werden. Das Buch ist kurzweilig zu lesen und trotzdem inhaltlich wertvoll. Brian Zawada hat seine Schatzkiste aus 25 Jahren BCM für uns geöffnet. Und - endlich ein Buch über BCM das ohne tausende von Abkürzungen und reichlich Fachjargon auskommt! Bravo Brian!