IBM OpenPages Business Continuity Management (BCM) workflows

IBM OpenPages® Business Continuity Management includes sample workflows. You can use them as-is or modify them to meet your requirements. The sample workflows can also be used as templates and learning tools for your own workflows.

The sample workflows are enabled in fresh installations.

Business Continuity Plan Review and Approval Process
This workflow guides users through the creation of a Business Continuity Plan, continual review of the BC Plan on an annual basis, and automation for versioning of a BC Plan to ensure that a Published version of the BC Plan is always available after creation.

For a new BC Plan, the workflow guides the process through the in progress, in review and approval stages. The author, reviewer, and approver are required fields to advance the workflow. Upon completion of the process, the workflow sets the next review date to 365 days and the status to published.

For a published BC Plan, the user has two options:

  • Renew the current BC Plan without making changes to the published version

    If this option is selected, a comment is required by the reviewer and the workflow sets the next review date to 365 days. The workflow advances the process to require only an approval.

  • Revise the published BC Plan

    If this option is selected, the workflow “locks” the current BC Plan, makes a copy of the plan, and sets the status of the copied plan to draft.

    The copied draft version of the plan moves through the review and approval process of the workflow. Upon completion, the workflow sets the plan status to “published”, increments the version number, and sets the next review date to 365 days. The status of the previously published plan is set to archived.

Note: The following child associations that were present on the previous (locked) BC Plan also appear on the new version of the BC Plan: BCTest Plan, Teams, and Business Impact Analysis (BIA). All parent associations, with the exception of BC Events, are preserved for the new BC Plan.
Figure 1. Business Continuity Plan Review and Approval Process workflow
The Workflow Editor shows the stages in the workflow. The workflow has two branches: 1) Renew or Rewrite, Approval, and End; or 2) In Progress, In Review, Approval, and End.
Initial Business Impact Assessment
This workflow assists users through the creation of the Business Impact Assessment.

This workflow starts when a new Business Impact Analysis (BIAs) is created.

Figure 2. Initial Business Impact Assessment workflow
The Workflow Editor shows the stages in the workflow: Start, Update Dependency Mapping, Impact Assessment, Deficiency Identification and Remediation, Final Approval, Approval Rejection Response, and End.
Recurring BIA Review
This workflow ensures that BIAs are reviewed at least on an annual basis by scheduling a recurring BIA review or permitting an ad hoc review by the owner.

This manual workflow can be started by the Owner of the BIA or when the Next Scheduled Review Date exceeds the date the weekly schedule is run.

Figure 3. Recurring BIA Review workflow
The Workflow Editor shows the stages in the workflow: Start, Assessment Review, Approval, and End.
BC Test Plan Creation
This workflow provides users with a process for creating business continuity test plans.

This auto-start workflow starts when a BC Test Plan record is created.

Figure 4. BC Test Plan Creation
The Workflow Editor shows the stages in the workflow: Start, Testing Scenario Creation, Approval, Response to Approval Rejection, and End.
BC Test Plan Execution
This workflow provides users with a process for executing a BC Test Plan and for recording observations from the testing of the BC Test Plan.

This manual workflow can be started manually by the Owner or it can be started automatically based on a schedule

Figure 5. BC Test Plan Execution
The Workflow Editor shows the stages in the workflow: Start, Confirmation of Start, Testing, and End.
BC Test Result Documentation
This workflow provides users with a process for documenting results for executed BC Test Plans and for remediating issues identified during testing.
Figure 6. BC Test Result Documentation workflow
The Workflow Editor shows the stages in the workflow: Start, Document Results, Approval, and End.
Dependency Review Workflow
Operational resilience requirements mandate that dependency mappings of Important Business Services are updated at least on an annual basis. This workflow reminds Process Owners of the need to update Process dependencies on the Process object.

This manual start workflow can be started by the Process Owner when the Process is mapped to an Important Business Service, or when the Dependency Mapping Review Date is empty or more than 365 days from the date of the execution of the schedule.

Figure 7. Dependency Review workflow
The Workflow Editor shows the stages in the workflow: Start, Dependency Mapping Review, and End.
Business Service Initial Assessment
This workflow provides users with a way to catalog all business services and document the decision-making process for classifying business services as Important Business Services. For Important Business Services, users map the business service to related Processes and Locations, map to new or existing metrics related to measuring disruption to and performance of the Important Business Service, and set impact tolerances that identify the point in time when intolerable harm would result from a disruption of service.

The workflow starts when a Business Service record is created.

Figure 8. Business Service Initial Assessment
The Workflow Editor shows the stages in the workflow. The workflow begins with a Business Service Assessment and a Business Service Assessment Review. The workflow then branches to either the End stage or to a series of stages for a mapping exercise.
Business Service Periodic Assessment
A review of the Important Business Service Classification and the Impact Tolerance setting is required at least on an annual basis. This workflow ensures that a review occurs on an annual basis.

This workflow can be started by the Owner of the Business Service for a record in Complete status or when the execution of the daily schedule matches the Next Scheduled Review Date field. The workflow branches based on whether the Business Service is classified as an Important Business Service or a Regular Business Service.

Figure 9. Business Service Periodic Assessment
The Workflow Editor shows the stages in the workflow. The workflow is complex. It begins with two branches: one for important business services and one for all other business services. Each branch contains multiple stages.
Business Service Scenario Mapping
This workflow maps Scenario Analyses to a Business Service in a Status of Complete.

The Owner of the Business Service can manually start this workflow to map Scenarios to the Business Service.

Figure 10. Business Service Scenario Mapping
The Workflow Editor shows the stages in the workflow: Start, Scenario Analysis Selection, and End.
Scenario Development and Testing
This workflow provides a process for creating scenarios for testing the Business Service impact tolerance, performing the testing, and recording the results of the testing.

This workflow starts for any Scenarios that have not already undergone testing and are categorized as Scenario Scope = Resilience.

Figure 11. Scenario Development and Testing
The Workflow Editor shows the stages in the workflow: Start, Scenario Development, Scenario Testing and Results, Testing and Remediation Approval, and End.
Business Service Scenario Testing
This workflow provides a process for the scheduled testing of Scenarios against Business Service Impact Tolerances.

This workflow starts from a schedule for Scenarios that are categorized with Scenario Scope = Resilience in a Status of Analysis Complete that have a Next Review Date greater or equal to the date the schedule is run. Alternatively, the Scenario Analysis Owner can manually start the workflow for a Scenario categorized with Scenario Scope = Resilience.

Figure 12. Business Service Scenario Mapping
The Workflow Editor shows the stages in the workflow: Start, Scenario Review, Scenario Testing and Results, Testing and Remediation Approval, and End.
Imp Bus Service – Breach Remediation
This workflow provides a process for sending notifications and for remediating breaches and near breaches to Business Service Impact Tolerances.

This workflow starts when the Business Service Impact Tolerance Breach Status is in a Red or Yellow state.

Figure 13. Imp Bus Service – Breach Remediation
The Workflow Editor shows the stages in the workflow: Start, Breach Review, and then either No Remediation Needed or Issue Created.