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CANADIAN INDUSTRY ONLINE - JUNE 2014
WHY THIS PLAN IS THE BEST PLAN
Map out alternatives to showcase the best crisis reaction plan.
Sometimes, in order to show that the best plan is the one at hand, it’s im-
portant for coworkers to see predicted outcomes of alternative crisis plan op-
tions. The crisis management team can brainstorm other options and map out
charts, just as they did to show the risk versus benefit.
When they’re mapped out, the graphics (and numbers) should show that
the original plan offers the most reward with the least amount of risk, as that’s
what makes it the best plan. It’s also important for crisis management teams to
highlight both the cost of the plan and predicted cost of each of the outcomes, as
well as worst-case scenarios. Often, when a company needs convincing, the best
arguments are in the money. For an extra boost, the team can use realworld ex-
amples of ineffective crisis plans, when one of the alternative options was cho-
sen by other companies.
HOW TO AVOID CONFUSION THE FIRST TIME AROUND
Planning ahead avoids confusion.
The best way to avoid confusion, chaos and last-minute convincing and
decision making is to have a crisis plan agreed upon before a crisis ever even
arises. To do this, the management team can devise the top 10 worst scenarios
that are most likely to happen and create, using data, graphs and real-world ex-
amples, how the team would prefer to handle each situation. A section on how
to avoid the crisis in the first place should also be included in each of these 10
mini-plans. Mapping out a timeline is an excellent way to make sure that all of
the crisis reaction (or even crisis prevention) steps are taken to reduce potential
damage and increase effectiveness of each plan. The key to avoiding a crisis is
preparation.
CRISIS PLANNING
