Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Case Report

Case Analysis. For an upcoming training exercise, Dr.Burneur would like to review your response to a sample recovery case as is found on page 9 of this syllabus. Here, we use the Sprey-Cote company for the environment. Class note: You will now create the case! Go to page 9 of this document for the case detail. Take your time and enjoy this course activity. Recovery Case (Spreycote Industries, Inc.) is an illustration of case analysis. A Recovery Case – Spreycote Industries, Inc. The following is the framework that will be used in creating the case for Spreycote Industries, Incorporated. You will develop a scenario that shows some type of interruption in continuity and recovery efforts that were extended. Rely on conditions that were already in place (or not) prior to your chosen event. Be certain to describe carefully the conditions that existed prior to the event. In all sections, carefully describe, as well, the response to the event and note in detail the actions taken and who was involved. Not all employees need to be included in your analysis, use only those who are integral to the scenario. You will find that Spreycote is a very tightly-knit organization. Some Do’s and Do Nots: Then, fast forward the calendar for a period of six months and describe the nature of the organization after your event and ensuing actions. Do not close the business. Please try to use as many of the characters from the list below as you wish, and illustrate their specific roles as your event unfolds. Do not feel compelled to use all of the characters in the scenario. As well, do not modify the setting or the characters. Case Personnel Robert McShunt, MBA – Owner and CEO; founded the company twelve years ago. He is 46 and has a wife and 3 children; they have one young cat and one Labrador retriever. They live about five miles from the plant. McShunt is an avid promoter of causes relating to animals of all types. He has spearheaded the concept of including promoting animal-related causes as a corporate philanthropy effort. The corporation has established the Spreycote Foundation for Animals, an organization promoting support for local and national animal rescue. Rita Coleridge, MBA – Vice President and COO; has been with the company since its founding. She lives in the suburbs about 20 miles from the plant. She is, in effect, also the CFO, since she works well in a fiscal environment. She has no pets at this time. Coleridge is known for her attention to detail and complete knowledge of the entire enterprise. Cliff Clavin, M.S. in Business Continuity – Lead Business Continuity Officer over a staff of three other BCO’s. He has been with the company five years. He lives two blocks from the plant with his postal service executive wife, one child and two aging cats. Norman G. Peterson, Ph.D. in Advanced Manufacturing Processes – Vice President for Industrial Innovation. He lives five miles away from the plant with his daughter, Patricia, who also is employed as an Office Manager for Spreycote. Norman has been with McShunt since their graduate school days at the University of Texas. He is recognized as a founding partner of the company. Patricia has been with the company for 10 years and is the “glue” that holds the organization together. Patricia also adopted Otto, a tagged sea otter who she visits in Scotland during yearly vacations in Ireland. Lou Anne Dougherty, B.S. Mechanical Engineering – Supervisor of Quality Control. She lives one block from the plant with her husband of two years. They have a two-year-old Border Collie. She is working on her MBA online from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. She is well-respected in the company but is looked upon as somewhat of a loner. Brad Staple, B.S. in Industrial Hygiene– Plant maintenance supervisor and custodial services manager. Brad has been with the company since its founding. He lives in a cul-de-sac behind the plant in a single home with his wife and college-student daughter, Connie. Connie is working full time on a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at Boston University and plans to graduate this semester. Connie plans to join the company research staff upon her graduation. Plant Operations Staff: 17 –This group includes the mentioned Mr. Clavin and the 3 staff members reporting to him. (This group includes custodial and maintenance personnel.) Refer to them as PO-1 etc. Plant Manufacturing and Field Application Staff: 32 –Those you use may be referred to as MS-1.etc. The Setting Spreycote Industries, Inc., is located in Boston in the Dorchester section of the city, and has been in business for twelve years using the same manufacturing and application processes and has operated at a considerable positive profit margin since its inception. At present, the entire plant operation schedule has been dedicated to redesign by creating a synthetic durable and decorative substance that will replace the existing heavy color-tinted concrete mixture that is currently applied to the substrate of any building (cinder block, wood, metal). The continued development of the non-concrete replacement mixture efforts are facilitated by the fact that research is now taking place during January and February when the existing coating cannot be applied. Normally, the plant is inactive during these months; only the maintenance personnel and McShunt and Peterson are on the premises during this period. The anticipated new-process coating completion deadline is slated to coincide with 3 live test sites, each of which is under construction on-site as a pre-fabricated metal single story building measuring about 200 by 250 feet with a standard asphalt peaked roof featuring solar panels that will provide the main power source for the buildings. Roofs are not coated due to the nature of the solar panels. Case Scenario Outline – Your Turn to present “the rest of the story” – You create the situation and tell a BC story! Report Format APA and reference material is not required in this exercise, although a Case Narrative title page, page numbers, double spaced type would be helpful. If useful, specific sections of either course text may be included sparingly if needed to make a point. Use the past tense in the narrative. Double space and submit in WORD format. There are no restrictions on parameters of the case, although realism and plausibility are necessarily required to make the case demonstrate business continuity “lessons learned” in a clear and logical manner. Feel free, though, to make it function as pleasant and informative reading. NOTE: Cases often contain information that is not germane or significant to the issue or event. Such information and dialogue are termed “case noise.” Take your time to separate the key personnel and facts of the case as you would were it a real-life event. Please do not replicate any recent event that received media attention. The case report will be graded on sound Business Continuity rationale, logic, and coherence. Limit the narrative to no more than 10-12 pages not counting the title. Business Continuity Case Analysis Suggested Format Guidelines The following provides a suggested macro-outline for a case analysis involving a Business Continuity issue or situation. While there are several models in the literature that address a case analysis format, this outline is tailored specifically to our needs and to the topic of Continuity. Elements in Case Analysis I. Overview of company and geographical setting; if a setting is not established, feel free to establish one. The Spreycote Case identifies the setting for you. Watch out for “case noise.” You may be given information that simply pertains to the environment or to the character as developed; read into the case only that which can be practically explained. For example, if you are told that a character lives in an apartment with their mother, it is case noise unless you can find a logical reason to connect that fact with something that has occurred in the case timeline. 2. Here is the outline that should be followed in developing your case;; you have been provided a profile of the organization; now you add the case details and resolution. “Case Scenario Outline – Your Turn to present “the rest of the story” 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Introduction – persons, places and time frames Description of What Happened – include personnel in all phases of the outline as needed Results of the Event a. Losses encountered b. Key personnel involved Recovery efforts – who, what, where and when? Immediate results of recovery efforts Six month setting – the clock moves ahead a. State of the industry; what’s going on now? b. Short term and predicted long term implications with rationale 7. What were three of the lessons that were learned from the incident? 3. After reading the case scenario, begin your narrative as if you were telling a story. However, punctuate your narrative by using the numbered bullets in the case scenario. Make the narrative believable. Remember, though, that cases are examined, primarily, to present lessons learned; therefore, item seven is of critical importance. Lessons that were learned depend heavily on the state of the organization before the incident happened (in many situations). 4. If you use sources in your analysis, use them sparingly. A case report is not a term paper where other opinions are sought; however, statements you make that are not supported in the case must be document. For example, “NFPA 1600 states, “….” You would use APA format in documenting your quotation. In this case, a reference page is also used to supplement internal documentation. But, use sources sparingly and for a good reason. Referenced sources need to be noted on a “References” page. 5. Include a concluding paragraph or two to close your analysis; end this section as you would end any good and worthwhile story. Assume for the first exercise that you are working for an organization known as ASDF Industries, Inc. It is a mid-sized (approximately 1000 employees) manufacturing company of industrial machinery of several different types. They design and manufacture custom equipment based upon their client’s requests. They employ designers, engineers, project managers, traffic managers, expediters and process consultants. They are on the cutting edge of innovation—up to the current year and beyond! You have recently (in the past three months) been appointed to be the first actual Business Continuity (BCO) officer in view of your graduate work and management skill and expressed interest. The CEO, Bunsen Burneur, Ph.D., has charged you with two important responsibilities. Here is an excerpt from a memorandum sent to you this morning: [SECOND PAPER—Case Analysis. For an upcoming training exercise, Dr.Burneur would like to review your response to a sample recovery case as is found on page 9 of this syllabus. Here, we use the Sprey-Cote company for the environment. Class note: You will now create the case! Go to page 9 of this document for the case detail. Take your time and enjoy this course activity. Recovery Case (Spreycote Industries, Inc.) is an illustration of case analysis. A Recovery Case – Spreycote Industries, Inc. The following is the framework that will be used in creating the case for Spreycote Industries, Incorporated. You will develop a scenario that shows some type of interruption in continuity and recovery efforts that were extended. Rely on conditions that were already in place (or not) prior to your chosen event. Be certain to describe carefully the conditions that existed prior to the event. In all sections, carefully describe, as well, the response to the event and note in detail the actions taken and who was involved. Not all employees need to be included in your analysis, use only those who are integral to the scenario. You will find that Spreycote is a very tightly-knit organization. Some Do’s and Do Nots: Then, fast forward the calendar for a period of six months and describe the nature of the organization after your event and ensuing actions. Do not close the business. Please try to use as many of the characters from the list below as you wish, and illustrate their specific roles as your event unfolds. Do not feel compelled to use all of the characters in the scenario. As well, do not modify the setting or the characters. Case Personnel Robert McShunt, MBA – Owner and CEO; founded the company twelve years ago. He is 46 and has a wife and 3 children; they have one young cat and one Labrador retriever. They live about five miles from the plant. McShunt is an avid promoter of causes relating to animals of all types. He has spearheaded the concept of including promoting animal-related causes as a corporate philanthropy effort. The corporation has established the Spreycote Foundation for Animals, an organization promoting support for local and national animal rescue. Rita Coleridge, MBA – Vice President and COO; has been with the company since its founding. She lives in the suburbs about 20 miles from the plant. She is, in effect, also the CFO, since she works well in a fiscal environment. She has no pets at this time. Coleridge is known for her attention to detail and complete knowledge of the entire enterprise. Cliff Clavin, M.S. in Business Continuity – Lead Business Continuity Officer over a staff of three other BCO’s. He has been with the company five years. He lives two blocks from the plant with his postal service executive wife, one child and two aging cats. Norman G. Peterson, Ph.D. in Advanced Manufacturing Processes – Vice President for Industrial Innovation. He lives five miles away from the plant with his daughter, Patricia, who also is employed as an Office Manager for Spreycote. Norman has been with McShunt since their graduate school days at the University of Texas. He is recognized as a founding partner of the company. Patricia has been with the company for 10 years and is the “glue” that holds the organization together. Patricia also adopted Otto, a tagged sea otter who she visits in Scotland during yearly vacations in Ireland. Lou Anne Dougherty, B.S. Mechanical Engineering – Supervisor of Quality Control. She lives one block from the plant with her husband of two years. They have a two-year-old Border Collie. She is working on her MBA online from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. She is well-respected in the company but is looked upon as somewhat of a loner. Brad Staple, B.S. in Industrial Hygiene– Plant maintenance supervisor and custodial services manager. Brad has been with the company since its founding. He lives in a cul-de-sac behind the plant in a single home with his wife and college-student daughter, Connie. Connie is working full time on a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at Boston University and plans to graduate this semester. Connie plans to join the company research staff upon her graduation. Plant Operations Staff: 17 –This group includes the mentioned Mr. Clavin and the 3 staff members reporting to him. (This group includes custodial and maintenance personnel.) Refer to them as PO-1 etc. Plant Manufacturing and Field Application Staff: 32 –Those you use may be referred to as MS-1.etc. The Setting Spreycote Industries, Inc., is located in Boston in the Dorchester section of the city, and has been in business for twelve years using the same manufacturing and application processes and has operated at a considerable positive profit margin since its inception. At present, the entire plant operation schedule has been dedicated to redesign by creating a synthetic durable and decorative substance that will replace the existing heavy color-tinted concrete mixture that is currently applied to the substrate of any building (cinder block, wood, metal). The continued development of the non-concrete replacement mixture efforts are facilitated by the fact that research is now taking place during January and February when the existing coating cannot be applied. Normally, the plant is inactive during these months; only the maintenance personnel and McShunt and Peterson are on the premises during this period. The anticipated new-process coating completion deadline is slated to coincide with 3 live test sites, each of which is under construction on-site as a pre-fabricated metal single story building measuring about 200 by 250 feet with a standard asphalt peaked roof featuring solar panels that will provide the main power source for the buildings. Roofs are not coated due to the nature of the solar panels. Case Scenario Outline – Your Turn to present “the rest of the story” – You create the situation and tell a BC story! Report Format APA and reference material is not required in this exercise, although a Case Narrative title page, page numbers, double spaced type would be helpful. If useful, specific sections of either course text may be included sparingly if needed to make a point. Use the past tense in the narrative. Double space and submit in WORD format. There are no restrictions on parameters of the case, although realism and plausibility are necessarily required to make the case demonstrate business continuity “lessons learned” in a clear and logical manner. Feel free, though, to make it function as pleasant and informative reading. NOTE: Cases often contain information that is not germane or significant to the issue or event. Such information and dialogue are termed “case noise.” Take your time to separate the key personnel and facts of the case as you would were it a real-life event. Please do not replicate any recent event that received media attention. The case report will be graded on sound Business Continuity rationale, logic, and coherence. Limit the narrative to no more than 10-12 pages not counting the title. Business Continuity Case Analysis Suggested Format Guidelines The following provides a suggested macro-outline for a case analysis involving a Business Continuity issue or situation. While there are several models in the literature that address a case analysis format, this outline is tailored specifically to our needs and to the topic of Continuity. Elements in Case Analysis I. Overview of company and geographical setting; if a setting is not established, feel free to establish one. The Spreycote Case identifies the setting for you. Watch out for “case noise.” You may be given information that simply pertains to the environment or to the character as developed; read into the case only that which can be practically explained. For example, if you are told that a character lives in an apartment with their mother, it is case noise unless you can find a logical reason to connect that fact with something that has occurred in the case timeline. 2. Here is the outline that should be followed in developing your case;; you have been provided a profile of the organization; now you add the case details and resolution. “Case Scenario Outline – Your Turn to present “the rest of the story” Introduction – persons, places and time frames Description of What Happened – include personnel in all phases of the outline as needed Results of the Event a. Losses encountered b. Key personnel involved 4. Recovery efforts – who, what, where and when? 5. Immediate results of recovery efforts 6. Six month setting – the clock moves ahead a. State of the industry; what’s going on now? b. Short term and predicted long term implications with rationale 7. What were three of the lessons that were learned from the incident? 1. 2. 3. 3. After reading the case scenario, begin your narrative as if you were telling a story. However, punctuate your narrative by using the numbered bullets in the case scenario. Make the narrative believable.