Process Modeling
Understanding How All Of The Pieces Fit Together
Process Modeling catalogues the business processes and functions. It maps the web of dependencies and interdependencies between technology, suppliers, events, geography, regulatory compliance requirements and the upstream-downstream processes that are critical to day-to-day operations. Toolkit uses modeling to capture the business-as-usual state of operations and to identify the gaps, vulnerabilities and single-points-of-failure that could adversely impact continuity of operations.
Process Modeling enables organizations to understand the risks faced by day-to-day operations, the impacts of disruptions to those operations, and their dependencies on critical assets. Toolkit's Process Modeling helps qualify brand, customer, regulatory, financial and operational impacts.
Who Owns Your Information?
In most organizations, critical data does not exist in one centralized source. The result is that, when an disruption occurs, incident managers are too often "flying blind" or missing crucial pieces of the puzzle. In most cases, the information that is strategically important to business continuity, disaster recovery and incident management is not managed by BCM teams at all. HR keeps personnel contact information, purchasing maintains vendor and supplier information and IT manages critical technology component data such as hardware, network, database and application information.
Toolkit imports information critical to business continuity management directly from each of these sources. The original database owners continue to update and manage their databases and Toolkit is periodically fed fresh data from those sources to ensure information is as current as possible.
The organization's eBRP Suite administrator controls what information is imported and how often updates occur, whether it be annually, quarterly, monthly or even daily if necessary. Access to the information in eBRP Suite is governed by its easy-to-manage, role-based security system, ensuring that information is available and visible only to those who need it and have the authorization to see it.
Identifying Your Assets
Process Modeling, the compilation of critical organizational assets and their interdependencies is at the very core of eBRP Suite, providing planners with the decision support tools needed to conduct objective analysis and create viable plans that will provide dynamic response to any interruption.
Every organization can be modeled as a collection of assets:
- Business Processes - the operations that support and produce goods and services
- People - the personnel who manage the day-to-day operations
- Locations - the facilities in which they conduct business
- Technology - the business enabler, transaction processor and decision support system
- Vendors - the supply chains that provide raw materials, goods and services
- Customers - consumers of goods and services and source of revenue
Toolkit begins by collecting information vital to these organizational assets.
More than just a typical business impact analysis, Process Modeling collects and organizes all of the critical assets upon which every business process depends for day-to-day operations including:
- Locations - where processes are performed
- Critical Teams - including managers and subject
matter experts - Critical Vendors and Suppliers
- IT Applications - including recovery time requirements
- Upstream-Downstream Processes - critical path
- Phone Numbers - toll free, fax and other incoming phone numbers
- Critical Resources - PC's, phones, equipment, supplies and
vital records - Regulatory and Compliance Rules - rules which must be met even in (or because of) a disruption
- Critical Events - cyclical or one-time events that may increase importance of the process to the organization
How It Fits Together
Toolkit uses a relational database as a data repository for all of its functions and add-ons. Once you have created your organizational model, planners can perform "what if" impact analysis to gain an understanding of the dependencies, and more importantly, vulnerabilities in your organizational assets. This enables you to understand the causality chain.
Toolkit's optional integrated Geographic Information System add-on enables you to look at the impact of an incident on any geographic region.
CommandCentre gives your organization the ability to assess the impact of any disruption and activate the plans and response teams. CommandCentre delivers intelligent decision support for effective incident response based on the modeling data collected by eBRP Suite. The critical path optimizing engine in CommandCentre divvies up the response plan procedures, assigns them to the appropriate responders, tracks the completion of the plan procedures and provides real-time status updates.
No more guess work. eBRP Suite turns your data into real information you can use to ensure your organization is
Incident Ready.