--- title: "A Crucial Step To Disaster Recovery: Testing And Evaluating Your Plan" description: The first time you go through the steps of your business continuity plan shouldn't be during a disaster. Take time to test and evaluate your plan. image: https://www.thegibsonedge.com/hubfs/blog-files/Testing_and_Evaulating_Your_Plan.jpg --- [**](https://www.thegibsonedge.com/blog/a-crucial-step-to-disaster-recovery-testing-and-evaluating-your-plan#tmpmodule_1568675152246189) - [Client Login](https://www.thegibsonedge.com/gibson-client-login) - [Contact Us](https://www.thegibsonedge.com/contact) **** [![Gibson Logo](https://www.thegibsonedge.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Gibson%20UNISON%20Co_Horiz_Logo_Gold_White-1.png?width=2518&height=1088&name=Gibson%20UNISON%20Co_Horiz_Logo_Gold_White-1.png) ![Gibson Logo](https://www.thegibsonedge.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Gibson%20UNISON%20Co_Horiz_Logo_Gold_White-1.png?width=2518&height=1088&name=Gibson%20UNISON%20Co_Horiz_Logo_Gold_White-1.png) ](https://www.thegibsonedge.com/) [**](https://www.thegibsonedge.com/blog/a-crucial-step-to-disaster-recovery-testing-and-evaluating-your-plan#tmpmodule_1568675152246189) - [Services](https://www.thegibsonedge.com/services) - [Employee Benefits](https://www.thegibsonedge.com/services/employee-benefits) - [Business Insurance](https://www.thegibsonedge.com/services/business-insurance) - [Private Client Group](https://www.thegibsonedge.com/services/private-client-group) - [Industries](https://www.thegibsonedge.com/industries) - [Insights & News](https://www.thegibsonedge.com/blog) - [Insights & News](https://www.thegibsonedge.com/blog) - [Webinars](https://www.thegibsonedge.com/webinars) - [Podcast](https://podcast.thegibsonedge.com) - [About Us](https://www.thegibsonedge.com/about-us) - [Become a Partner](https://www.thegibsonedge.com/become-a-partner) - [Leadership](https://www.thegibsonedge.com/leadership) - [Community Impact](https://www.thegibsonedge.com/impact) - [Sightline](https://www.thegibsonedge.com/sightline) - [About URA](https://www.thegibsonedge.com/ura) - [Offices](https://www.thegibsonedge.com/offices) - [Careers](https://www.thegibsonedge.com/careers) ** ###### 3 min read # [A Crucial Step To Disaster Recovery: Testing And Evaluating Your Plan](https://www.thegibsonedge.com/blog/a-crucial-step-to-disaster-recovery-testing-and-evaluating-your-plan) Dec 7, 2015 6:30:00 AM ![Testing And Evaluating Your Disaster Plan](https://www.thegibsonedge.com/hs-fs/hubfs/blog-files/Testing_and_Evaulating_Your_Plan.jpg?width=250&height=125&name=Testing_and_Evaulating_Your_Plan.jpg "Testing And Evaluating Your Disaster Plan")You’ve taken the time and effort to put together a comprehensive business continuity plan. But is it going to work? Unfortunately, most organizations have no idea if their plan will work until it is too late. According to the [Disaster Recovery Preparedness Council](http://drbenchmark.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/ANNUAL_REPORT-DRPBenchmark_Survey_Results_2014_report.pdf), 23% of companies surveyed never test their plans. Though there is no way to prepare for every possible scenario, you can…and you should…take time to practice your plan, evaluate it after an incident, and revisit it throughout the year. The first time you go through the steps of your plan should not be in the middle of a [disaster](https://www.info.gibsonins.com/blog/disasterready-what-is-a-disaster). There will be enough uncertainty and chaos during an incident, why add even more confusion from your team if they don’t know what to do, how to do it, and if the planned response will even work? Through testing, you and your team can identify even the smallest of details that can significantly impact the effectiveness of your response. One way to test your plan is to go through mock exercises. Gather your crisis team – leadership, IT, HR, communications - whoever it may be for your organization. Pick a disaster to talk through as an example. Consider common incidents for your area or from your company’s history. Ask the group to discuss how your organization would react to that type of incident - go through and play out all the scenarios. What is everyone’s role and responsibilities? What if someone is not accessible? Go through each piece to identify gaps in your plan. With your testing, there is no pass or fail. It is most important to make sure you are testing. It is through the process that you’ll learn what speed bumps may occur. Every time you test or have to use your plan, you’ll learn something and find a way to tweak it for the better. Don’t wait until you need it all to work, to find out what actually works. Practice, practice, practice! Additionally, each time your organization experiences a disaster, you need to reevaluate your plan. Sit down, go through your original plan and your response, and reevaluate. Did your plan work, partially work, or did it fail you? Make adjustments as needed to create a more effective recovery plan. In the heat of a disaster, many organizations start to realize the shortcomings of their plan. During those moments they start thinking about the ways they need to improve and make adjustments. But as the incident dies down and they get further away from the initial chaos and pain, too often organizations fail to take action on updating their disaster plan. Don’t overlook this crucial step. Take time to evaluate your response and adjust accordingly to help things run more smoothly the next time. You should also revisit your disaster recovery plan on a regular basis. How often? The answer will vary for each company. Here at Gibson we’re committed to revisiting our plan at least every quarter. The most important question to look at is: have your critical business functions changed since the plan was created or most recently updated? If the answer is yes, then your plan needs to be adjusted to meet those changed critical functions.  If you believe your plan is done, put it on a shelf, and walk away from it – you have failed this process. Your business continuity plan is a living, breathing document. It will never be done. It should evolve as your business evolves. And that evolution is made possible through the testing of your plan, evaluation after every incident, and the commitment to revisit it throughout the year.   [![DisasterReady-ebook](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/360304/617367a3-d8c8-4239-9c9d-2b7cf9819d3a.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/360304/617367a3-d8c8-4239-9c9d-2b7cf9819d3a) ###### Topics: [Risk Management](https://www.thegibsonedge.com/blog/topic/risk-management) [#DisasterReady](https://www.thegibsonedge.com/blog/topic/disasterready) ![Gibson](https://via.placeholder.com/100x100.jpg/e0e7ee) #### Written by [Gibson](https://www.thegibsonedge.com/blog/author/gibson) Gibson is a team of risk management and employee benefits professionals with a passion for helping leaders look beyond what others see and get to the proactive side of insurance. Gibson is driven by close relationships with clients, employees, and the communities they serve. 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