An organization’s successful crisis response must include superb execution of a well-thought-out and supported contingency plan. Quality contingency plans include:
• a vision of the desired end state for a variety of scenarios;
• the necessary coordination with other public and private entities;
• pre-established lines of communication between the organization’s operations center and its other entities;
• a public relations strategy (internal and external); and
• how the organization’s crisis management “team” will be organized.

Superb execution will not happen without experienced leaders/managers. When both of these elements are combined, the organization will fare far better than its peers who are exposed to the same crisis but may not have prepared as well.

We have found that the probability for successful crisis planning is enhanced if “scenario-based planning” is employed. Scenario-based planning includes several detailed and varied scenarios of future events. In terms of crises, these would be considered extremely taxing and potentially debilitating to the organization. The point is to work through the organization’s response to the scenarios. Ordering the elements of the responses and actions will yield sound approaches to crisis response.

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