Prepare For the Worst with the Best in the Business
Experience capable, consistent, and easy-to-use business continuity management software.
Despite using one of the best-known business continuity (BC) software tools, this government infrastructure project, which carries water to residents in the desert southwest, struggled to obtain a clear picture of its ability to recover from disruptions. By switching to BCMMetrics, the project gained a precise understanding of its BC position, knowledge that it leveraged to attain exceptional levels of program maturity and project resilience.
Providing a Vital Resource in a Tough Environment
The long-running government project in a southwestern state had a critical responsibility: managing a system of aqueducts and pumping plants hundreds of miles long to deliver life-giving water to the people and businesses in its service area. The desert environment was unforgiving and the impact of interruptions potentially severe.
Recognizing the need for a robust business continuity program, the project invested in one of the best-known and most expensive BC software platforms. Unfortunately, the platform did not fully meet their needs. Though fully featured and very sophisticated, it was difficult to use and did not provide a clear picture of their BC program’s strengths and weaknesses.
The platform’s limitations left the staff in the dark regarding how prepared they were to weather a disruption. It also provided little to no guidance on where they should direct their efforts toward future improvement.
A Platform Created by and for Continuity Professionals
Around the same the time the project’s leaders recognized they needed a new software solution, MHA Consulting CEO Michael Herrera began piloting his newly created BC tool suite, BCMMetrics.
Developed by continuity professionals for continuity professionals, BCMMetrics was intended to provide practitioners everything they needed to manage their programs while leaving out the unnecessary complexity that often results in other companies’ products going unused soon after purchase.
Herrera, a long-time business continuity consultant and the former regional vice president and head of continuity for Bank of America’s Southwest Region, had previously assisted water project staff in developing an emergency operations plan. The staff decided to see if BCMMetrics might provide the insight and ease of use they had been looking for.
Joining the Pilot Group for BCMMetrics
“When Michael created BCMMetrics, I was fortunate to be part of the pilot group,” says Monique H., who recently retired after eight years as the leader of the water project’s business continuity program. “That experience gave me a solid understanding of the tool’s purpose and how to use it effectively.”
Under Monique’s leadership, the project implemented two of BCMMetrics’ four modules: Customer Compliance (C2), which lets users see how their program measures up against the leading business continuity standards, and BIA On-Demand (BIA OD), which helps users identify their most critically time sensitive business processes, systems, and applications.
Following BCMMetrics’ Road Maps
One of BCMMetrics’ key features is that it helps users generate roadmaps showing the steps they should take within various time frames to achieve the earliest possible protection for their most critical business processes and operations.
Working closely with Michael Herrera, Monique and her colleagues set about implementing the roadmaps generated for them by the platform, making incremental improvements to their continuity program over several years.
BCMMetrics Delivers Clear Insight and Actionable Intelligence
BCMMetrics satisfied the project’s need for a BC program management solution that was easy to use and provided clear, actionable insight into their program’s strengths and weaknesses.
This success underscores the value of a strong continuity program in ensuring the security and reliability of critical infrastructure. With BCMMetrics as its foundation, the project is well-positioned to continue advancing its resilience and ensuring uninterrupted water delivery to its vast desert service area.
Compliance Confidence gave Monique and her colleagues visibility into where their program stood in relation to the leading BC standards. BIA On-Demand assisted in identifying the water system’s critical business processes, systems, and applications, revealing what they most needed to protect.
This information helped them accurately assess their program’s capabilities and systematically increase the organization’s resilience over time.
When discussing her favorite aspects of BCMMetrics, Monique highlights the platform’s user-friendly reporting and communication tools, which have made a significant impact on her team’s operations. “The reporting features, like the dials that show our assessment scores, are useful for senior management,” she explains. “They appreciate the high-level visuals.”
Another feature she values is BCMMetrics’ ability to streamline communication by emailing team members about their BC-related tasks and due dates. She also points to a unique enhancement she requested: linking action items to specific key performance indicators (KPIs). This addition, she says, helps team members see how their efforts directly contribute to the organization’s resilience.
Requesting One More Enhancement
Which area of BCMMetrics would Monique most like to see changed, if any?
“BCMMetrics is flexible, but we’d benefit from more built-in support for cybersecurity and operational technology,” she says.
Michael Herrera agrees. “She’s absolutely right about including cybersecurity standards,” he says. “That will be added.”
Reaching the Highest Levels of Program Maturity
By using BCMMetrics and following its road maps, the water project found that taking small steps over an extended period can yield dramatic results.
“They reached a level of maturity we rarely see in a government utility,” says Herrera. “Their program was on the level of what we see at financial institutions.”
Moreover, the strong results were not limited to one or two program areas.
“This readiness extended across all areas, from program administration and crisis management to IT disaster recovery, business recovery, and even supply chain,” Herrera recalls.
Why is it significant that the water project achieved high BC program maturity? Because experience shows that such maturity translates directly to improved recoverability, enhanced resilience, and greater security for stakeholders.
Leveraging BCMMetrics to Keep the Water Flowing
The water project’s journey to exceptional business continuity program maturity demonstrates the power of the right tools combined with a thoughtful, incremental approach. By leveraging BCMMetrics’ intuitive features and actionable insights, the organization transformed its resilience to rival that of leading financial institutions.
This success underscores the value of a strong continuity program in ensuring the security and reliability of critical infrastructure. With BCMMetrics as its foundation, the project is well-positioned to continue advancing its resilience and ensuring uninterrupted water delivery to its vast desert service area.
