Business Continuity One-Pager: A Fill-In Template
This template condenses a workable continuity plan onto one printed page. Fill it in during calm hours, keep a copy on site and a copy off site, and review it once a year — or after any incident that proves part of it wrong. It pairs with our guide to business continuity planning in this chapter.
How to use it: replace every bracketed line with your own detail. If a section does not apply, delete it — a shorter true page beats a longer aspirational one. Print two copies when done.
Business details
| Field | Fill in |
|---|---|
| Business name | [name] |
| Plan owner | [person responsible for keeping this current] |
| Last reviewed | [date] |
| Where copies live | [on-site location] / [off-site location] |
What we depend on
List the things that stop trade if they fail — aim for under fifteen.
| Dependency | If it fails, we… | Workaround |
|---|---|---|
| [internet] | [cannot process bookings or payments] | [phone hotspot in office drawer; backup payment app on owner's phone] |
| [key software] | [cannot see today's jobs] | [print tomorrow's run sheet each evening] |
| [key person] | [payroll and quoting stall] | [runbooks in shared drive; backup person named below] |
| [main supplier] | [cannot fulfil orders] | [second supplier account already opened: name + phone] |
| [premises] | [cannot open] | [work from home arrangements; customer notice template ready] |
First hour, any major disruption
- Confirm people are safe.
- Work out what is actually broken versus what merely looks broken.
- Switch to the workaround for the failed dependency (table above).
- [Spokesperson name] updates staff, then affected customers: what we know, what still works, when we will update next.
- Start a timestamped incident log — who noticed what, when, and what we changed.
Key contacts
| Who | Name | Number | After hours? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan owner | [name] | [mobile] | Yes |
| Backup decision-maker | [name] | [mobile] | Yes |
| IT support | [name/company] | [number] | [yes/no] |
| Landlord / premises | [name] | [number] | [yes/no] |
| Insurer + policy no. | [insurer, policy] | [claims line] | Yes |
| Bank | [bank] | [business line] | [yes/no] |
| Key supplier | [name] | [number] | [yes/no] |
Access in an emergency
- Password manager emergency access: [who holds it, how it works]
- Banking authority if owner unavailable: [who, what they can do]
- Building keys / alarm codes: [who holds spares]
- Runbooks live at: [location]
Storage note: this page contains sensitive detail. Store printed copies securely — with the insurance documents, not pinned to the noticeboard — and keep the digital copy inside your password-protected drive, not attached to an email.
Review triggers
- Annual review date set in the calendar: [date]
- After any incident, update within a week
- After staff changes affecting names on this page
- After changing bank, insurer, key supplier or premises
Official emergency-planning resources for Australian businesses are published at business.gov.au; cyber-incident guidance lives at the Australian Cyber Security Centre (cyber.gov.au).
Official sources
Delegating this work to an assistant? Our companion sites cover hiring a VA and working as one.