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You need a simple continuity plan for unexpected disruption.

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Schedule a tabletop review and update key contacts regularly.

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Business Continuity Plan Template

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BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLAN TEMPLATE
Document version 1.0.0


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Prompt for AI

Ask AI for a custom continuity plan.

Copy into ChatGPT, Claude, or another assistant for a fillable version.

You are an experienced operations and resilience document designer for small businesses.

Create a lightweight business continuity plan for keeping critical operations running through disruption such as an outage, weather, or key-person absence. This is a practical ops plan for a small team—not a regulated emergency-management, healthcare, or government continuity program.

Include these sections:
- Ownership ([Business name], [Plan owner], [Plan date], [Next review date])
- What must continue ([Critical functions], [Minimum staffing], [Alternate location])
- Communications ([How the team, clients, and vendors are reached], [Key contacts with non-sensitive phone or email])
- Dependencies ([Vendor dependencies], [Data backup notes], [Tech failover])
- Response ([Trigger events], [First 24 hours], [Recovery priorities], [Test schedule])

Do not include Social Security numbers, full bank or payment-card numbers, routing numbers, passwords, tax ID numbers, medical details, identity documents, or protected-class information. This is an operational template, not legal, tax, accounting, payroll, collections, or employment advice.

Output a clean fillable template I can copy into a document and adapt. Use a professional tone, clearly labeled sections, and [bracketed] placeholders for every fill-in value. Close with a short practical review checklist.

Recommended books

Books for this form

Practical books that pair with this document. Links use our Amazon Associates ID.

Clockwork

Mike Michalowicz

The point of a small-business continuity plan is that the work can continue without one person.

View Clockwork on Amazon

The Checklist Manifesto

Atul Gawande

First-24-hour actions only work if they are written as a checklist before the outage.

View The Checklist Manifesto on Amazon

The Resilient Enterprise

Yossi Sheffi

A classic on preparing for disruption in operations and supply chains.

View The Resilient Enterprise on Amazon

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    "business_name": {
      "title": "Business name",
      "type": "string"
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    "plan_owner": {
      "title": "Plan owner",
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    },
    "plan_date": {
      "title": "Plan date",
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    "review_date": {
      "title": "Next review date",
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    "critical_functions": {
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    "minimum_staffing": {
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    "alternate_location": {
      "title": "Alternate location",
      "type": "string"
    },
    "communications_plan": {
      "title": "Communications plan",
      "type": "string"
    },
    "key_contacts": {
      "title": "Key contacts",
      "type": "string"
    },
    "vendor_dependencies": {
      "title": "Vendor dependencies",
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    },
    "data_backup_notes": {
      "title": "Data backup notes",
      "type": "string"
    },
    "tech_failover": {
      "title": "Tech failover",
      "type": "string"
    },
    "trigger_events": {
      "title": "Trigger events",
      "type": "string"
    },
    "first_24_hours": {
      "title": "First 24 hours",
      "type": "string"
    },
    "recovery_priorities": {
      "title": "Recovery priorities",
      "type": "string"
    },
    "test_schedule": {
      "title": "Test schedule",
      "type": "string",
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