It doesn’t take a large business continuity team to make a meaningful difference to an organization’s resilience. In today’s blog, we’ll lay out seven tips that can help small BC teams improve their companies’ ability to sustain their operations and recover quickly from disruptions.

The Reality of Small BC Teams

Are you a member of a one- or two-person business continuity office? Do you have additional responsibilities in addition to being your company’s only BC practitioner? If you answered yes to either of these questions, you should know you’re not alone. For the most part, the fully staffed, well-funded BC department is something found only at the biggest corporations and in the most heavily regulated industries. Most BC offices are small operations working with limited budgets. 

Fortunately, this situation does not amount to an insurmountable handicap. I’ve encountered large BC teams with weak programs and tiny ones that have brought their organizations to the highest levels of readiness. In some respects smaller teams enjoy advantages—they’re often nimbler and more adaptive. 

That said, creating and maintaining a quality BC program is a major undertaking, and doing it with one or two people is challenging to say the least. Members of small teams sometimes struggle with burnout, a sense of helplessness, and a tendency to get lost in the weeds.

Being knowledgeable about BC is a necessary but not sufficient skill to be effective as a member of a small BC team. It also takes personal resilience, initiative, time-management skills, the ability to build alliances, and the capacity to function well under pressure.

The good news is, with the right approach, even a lean team can drive meaningful resilience.

7 Tips to Help Small BC Teams Make a Big Impact

Here are seven tips to help members of small BC teams make a big difference for their organization’s resilience:

1. Focus on What Matters

When you can’t do everything, it’s critical that you do the right things. Small BC teams cannot make the mistake of trying to boil the ocean. They have to be disciplined. They need to focus on protecting the 20 percent of the business that drives 80 percent of the value. Small teams need to be ruthless in identifying what truly matters, focusing on those things and letting the other things go. Small teams have one priority: prioritization. If you’re a member of a small BC team, you can’t do something just because it would be nice. You need to focus on doing things that provide the highest bang for the buck in terms of advancing your organization’s resilience.

2. Make Peace with Imperfection

Perfection is great. But as a member of a small BC team, you need to make peace with the fact that you are unlikely to get anywhere near it, at least in your professional life. For a member of a small BC team, doing a good job is all about rough cuts, taking the best deal you can get, and getting stuff done. A good-enough plan that works is better than a perfect plan that never gets finished.

3. Know Your Strengths (and Gaps)

A small team can’t be experts in everything. Recognize where your strengths lie and where you need outside help. Be honest about what you can handle and where you need to lean on others. Knowing your limitations helps you make smarter decisions and seek support where it matters.

4. Make Friends and Build Alliances

As a member of a one- or two-person BC team, you might feel like you’re all alone. You might even feel like it’s you against the world. What you need to do is make friends. Try to find a sponsor in upper management. Seek to build connections with the department heads whose help you’ll need to conduct your BIAs. Make common cause with the IT folks; you’ll need their cooperation in closing gaps between the needs of the business and your organization’s IT recovery capabilities. Establish solid working relationships with critical vendors and outside experts. You might be the only BC practitioner at your organization, but you’re probably not the only one who recognizes the need for recovery planning. Your official BC team might be small, but your effective BC team can be quite large if you build bridges to others.

5. Be Resilient to Build Resilience

Doing BC is inherently tough. The job is cumbersome, people in other departments drag their feet, you have limited to no authority, and management often sends mixed signals. When you’re a member of a small BC team, the inertia of the organization and the pressure on you can be overwhelming. If you’re going to help your company become resilient, you yourself need to be resilient. Approach the job like an endurance athlete. Anticipate obstacles and setbacks. Don’t be thrown when things don’t come easy. Keep a level head, pace yourself, and cultivate a problem-solving mindset. 

6. Be Bigger Than Your Budget

Chances are if you are a member of a small BC team you are operating on a tight budget. You could throw your hands up and say, They won’t give me any money, there’s nothing I can do. You could do that, but you shouldn’t. A small budget doesn’t mean you can’t make progress. Resilience isn’t just about money—it’s about mindset, preparation, and coordination. Don’t let the size of your budget define you as a BC professional. Creativity and prioritization can often make up for a lack of funding.

7. Choose the Right Tools

BC software can go a long way toward making up for a lack of manpower. The right tools can help you in doing BIAs, aggregating data, writing and updating recovery plans, conducting exercises, and running reports. However, for small BC teams, it’s critical that you choose wisely in acquiring business continuity software. Some platforms that work well for organizations with large teams will eat a small team alive. Look for tools that are easy to master and maintain. BC planning tools should make your job easier, not harder. Look for solutions that fit your needs without adding unnecessary complexity.

Even the smallest BC teams can have a significant impact by staying focused, building strong alliances, and leveraging the right tools.

Small Teams, Big Impact

Running a successful BC program with a small team is no easy task, but by focusing on the most critical areas, accepting the reality of imperfection, and working strategically, small teams can drive real resilience. Prioritization, adaptability, and strong partnerships are key to making a big impact despite limited resources.

With the right mindset and tools, even a one- or two-person BC team can safeguard their organization’s ability to withstand and recover from disruptions. By following the tips outlined above, you can help your small team drive large gains in your company’s resilience.

BCMMetrics: Helping Small BC Teams Achieve Big Results

For small BC teams, efficiency is everything. The BCMMetrics software suite was built to be lean, functional, and easy to use—giving you everything you need and nothing you don’t. 

BCMMetrics provides targeted solutions for every aspect of business continuity, from impact analysis to compliance tracking and plan management. Our consultants use these same tools in their engagements, ensuring they’re practical, effective, and built for real-world use. If you’re looking for a smarter way to manage BC without the complexity, BCMMetrics is your answer.

Further Reading

• Top 10 Resources to Help You Become a BCM Ninja
• 10 Benefits Of Business Continuity Planning
• A Business Impact Analysis Checklist For Continuity Managers
• Navigating the World of BC Software: Insights from a CEO and Platform Creator
• Tools of the Trade: Finding the Right Software to Manage Your BCM Program