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It’s one thing to know your continuity program is working. It’s another thing to know your software is helping you manage it effectively.
Many continuity teams track readiness metrics for their BCM plans, such as RTO performance, plan coverage, and test outcomes. Those are essential. But to evaluate whether your software is doing its job, you need to look at a different set of indicators.
These eight metrics focus on how well your platform supports your team’s work, reduces manual effort, improves visibility, and helps you stay ready.
1. System Uptime and Reliability
Your software can only support your continuity program if it’s available when you need it, especially during an incident.
What to track:
- Platform uptime over the past 12 months,
- Unscheduled outages or performance slowdowns,
- Load time or access delays during tests or real events.
2. Automation and Workflow Efficiency
One of the biggest reasons teams move off spreadsheets is to reduce manual overhead. Your software should help with that.
What to track:
- Time savings since implementation (e.g., faster plan updates or report generation),
- Number of automated workflows in use (e.g., approval routing, alerts, escalations),
- Use of built-in testing or training templates.
3. User Adoption and Engagement
If your software isn’t being used across departments, it’s not adding value. Strong adoption signals trust in the platform.
What to track:
- Percentage of business units using the platform for BIAs, updates, or exercises,
- Number of active users vs. total users,
- Completion rates for platform-specific training.
4. Data Quality and Plan Currency
Your plans are only useful if they’re up to date. The software should help ensure they’re being updated consistently.
What to track:
- Frequency of plan and BIA updates inside the system,
- Percentage of critical processes with active, up-to-date plans,
- Alerts or reminders are triggered when plans go stale.
5. Incident Response and Recovery Metrics
When something goes wrong, your software should help you respond quickly and effectively, not just store documentation.
What to track:
- Mean time to detect, escalate, and respond to incidents (with platform tools),
- Activation speed and plan execution time during tests,
- % of recovery exercises completed successfully through the platform.
6. Reporting and Analytics
Leadership needs answers. Your software should make it easy to provide them, without needing extra spreadsheets or manual cleanup.
What to track:
- Time to generate audit, compliance, or executive reports,
- Use of real-time dashboards by leadership or program owners,
- Availability of customizable views for different stakeholders.
7. User Feedback and Support Issues
User experience matters. Frustration with usability, access, or support can drag the program down.
What to track:
- User satisfaction scores or regular feedback from stakeholders,
- Number of support tickets opened per month/quarter,
- Time to resolve software issues.
The Difference Between Platform Metrics and Program KPIs
It’s worth distinguishing software metrics from broader program metrics. Here's the difference:
- Plan metrics answer: How ready is our organization?
- Software metrics answer: How well is this platform helping us stay ready?
Both are important. But when you're evaluating your tools, the question isn’t just "Are we covered?"
It’s “Is our system helping us stay covered, faster, more reliably, and with less overhead?”
Measure the Impact of Your Continuity Program with BCMMetrics
Business continuity software should make your job easier, not harder. These metrics help you assess whether it’s doing that by tracking usability, automation, integration, and support for the outcomes that matter.
BCMMetrics is a business continuity software suite built by seasoned consultants at MHA Consulting for real-world professionals. It helps teams build effective, audit-ready programs without the need for expensive integrations or complex tools.
Do a virtual tour to discover how it works.
