Public Sector Continuity Review

Lesson 1: Program Initiation

• Review the justification for continuity planning and continuity of operations (COOP), regulations and directives
• Review the four pillars of continuity management, how to establish a continuity program, COOP planning objectives, COOP program roles, the continuity planning team, and the continuity implementation process

Lesson 2: Risk Management

• Review the concepts of risk management and develop familiarity with the methodologies and models used in the COOP
• Review the process to identify, control, and minimize the impact of uncertain events

Lesson 3: Mission Function Identification and Analysis

• Review mission-essential functions, including conducting a business process analysis (BPA), conducting a business impact analysis (BIA), and developing BPA and BIA reports and leadership presentations
• Review methodologies, terms and definitions such as primary mission-essential function, mission-essential function, recovery time objective (RTO), recovery point objective (RPO), and acceptable exposure to loss

Lesson 4: Emergency Preparedness and Management

• Review potential types of emergencies and the responses required
• Identify, review, and improve existing emergency response procedures as well as how to recommend new emergency procedures

Lesson 5: Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) Development

• Review COOP plan requirements, viable COOP plan elements, types of COOP plans, and a sample plan table of contents
• Review how to design and develop continuity plans to ensure an agency and its organizations can continue to perform mission-essential functions and primary mission-essential functions during emergencies

Lesson 6: Tests, Training and Exercises (TT and E)

• Review continuity testing, training, and exercise (TT and E) program needs to identify positions requiring training or cross-training
• Revisit individual and team training, internal agency testing and exercising of continuity plans and procedures, refresher training for continuity personnel, and interagency exercises

Lesson 7: Continuity Plan Maintenance and Audit

• Review maintenance programs to keep COOP plans current and relevant
• Review audit processes, which will validate compliance with regulations and conformity with standards
• Review how to verify appropriate levels of maintenance and exercise activities in order to validate that COOP plans are correct, accurate and complete

Lesson 8: Crisis Communications

• Review crisis communications, including developing the processes and procedures to establish the programs for proactive crisis communications; exercising proper crisis communications; and implementing a crisis communication plan at the time of the disaster event

Lesson 9: Coordination Between External Agencies and the Private Sector

• Review how to establish applicable procedures and policies for coordinating the continuity and restoration activities between external agencies (federal, state, territorial, local and tribal governments) and the private sector while ensuring compliance with applicable statutes and regulations

Lesson 10: Continuity Planning

• Review COOP program metrics basics, COOP metrics requirements, and COOP metrics implementation
• Review how to develop and use metrics to measure and present COOP program performance and effectiveness