Why are you writing a Business Continuity Plan (BCP)?

In our case, a client auditor reviewing our quality systems for cGMP compliance noted that while we had SOPs in place on Disaster Recovery, Backup Power Generation, Preservation of Raw Data, Safety and others to deal with adverse events that can disrupt the business of the laboratory, we did not have a formal BCP. It was to meet our client’s expectations, not to comply with the cGMPs, GLPs or ISO standards, that we wrote the BCP.

In the process, we learned that the BCP, to be more than a document, has to be part of a Businesvs Continuity Management (BCM) system. The BCM system supports the plan and fosters its continual improvement.

‍