Common sentiment has it that “planning is essential, but plans are worthless.” This false choice distracts from the fact that the product is as important as the process. An effective plan is not a “cookbook” or operational checklist, but a clear concept of how an organization functions during uncommon events. Specific attributes can provide durable intrinsic value:
- Scope: clearly distinguishing between coordination or operations orientation; objectively assessing hazards with focus on impact on the organization’s ability to carry out its critical functions, which themselves must be defined;
- Realism: clear and realistic assumptions, based on as much evidence as possible, are essential, as is describing real and relevant capabilities and identifying gaps; it takes more than realistic assumptions to make a useful plan, but their lack effectively dooms it;
- Flexibility: providing a flexible, scalable response framework rather than trying to incorporate every possible scenario; identifying thresholds and mechanisms for activating or escalating response;
- Delineation: clearly identifying roles and responsibilities within the organization before, during, and after major emergencies and disasters, including any special authorities requiring internal or external declaration of emergency; laying out the organizational philosophy and priorities and ensure the plan and associated procedures are consistent with them;
- Maintenance: keeping it current and relevant, which means testing and updating it based on exercise and actual incident results.
Committing to making the plan as useful as the planning is as much a statement of organizational values as it is prudent practice. A good plan is a tool and a bad plan by itself can be overcome, but making a plan an end in itself (e.g., for compliance or reassurance) will likely lead to a worthless document and an inferior response.
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