A Continuity Plan Needs Decision Boundaries

A backup plan is incomplete if nobody knows who can activate it—or what they’re authorized to change.

Imagine a critical vendor becomes unavailable. Before the disruption, agree on the trigger for switching, who owns that decision, who needs to be consulted, and what limits apply to the workaround. For example: an owner may redirect a defined workflow to an approved alternative, while changes that affect customer data or service commitments require additional review.

Then set a review point: did the fallback protect the intended outcome, and what should change before the next disruption? The plan should preserve judgment, not send every exception back to one person.

Continuity is not just a list of backups. It is an accountable path from disruption to a decision people are authorized to make.