Writing a Crisis Management Manual – The Essentials

Closure of a site, cyberattack, health crisis, sudden drop in activity… Crises inevitably punctuate the life of any company. To anticipate these delicate situations and minimize their impact, many actions can be taken, such as writing a crisis management manual.

We take stock of the main steps to follow to write a proper crisis management manual.

 

What is a crisis management manual?

A crisis management manual, or crisis management plan, is a document that aims to formalise, in writing, the best practices to be followed in the event of a crisis. It is used to prevent the different types of crises that may occur and to define a detailed action plan to deal with each scenario when the time comes.

It is therefore a key tool for anticipating and managing a crisis, whatever its nature.

This crisis management system is a collaborative document intended to be consulted at any time by the members of the Society. It must be updated regularly, at least annually.

 

Why write a crisis management manual?

Writing a crisis management manual is a very wise approach regardless of the size and sector of activity of the company.

Anticipation is essential: the drafting of this document must be carried out during a stable and serene period, and not wait for a crisis to arise before tackling this task.

Carrying out a crisis management plan has many advantages for the company. This makes it possible to :

• Be responsive and operational immediately in the event of a crisis;
• Implement corrective solutions to anticipate crises;
• Minimize the financial, logistical, human and commercial consequences of the crisis;
• Enable teams to have a roadmap to refer to, which will help them demonstrate pragmatism, organization, and operational efficiency in the face of an emergency or stress situation;
• Optimize risk management;
• Reduce crisis management costs;
• Facilitate sensitive decision-making throughout the crisis process and avoid hasty and rash decisions;
• …

 

How to write a crisis management manual? The essential steps

The crisis management manual should answer several key questions:

• What are the different types of crises that the company can face?
• What actions will be taken to react in the event of a crisis?
• Who will be the key employees responsible for deploying these actions?

Here are the main steps to follow when writing a crisis management manual :

1- List the types of seizures likely to occur

The first step is to identify potential threats that could arise, whether they are internal or external to the company.

• Examples of crises caused by internal factors include:

• • Sharp drop in activity or, on the contrary, unexpected spike in activity
  • Cash flow problem
  • Employee disengagement and multiple resignations
  • Loss of key accounts
  • Absence of the director
  • …

• Examples of crises caused by external factors include:

• • Natural disaster
  • Cyberattack
  • Health crisis
  • Media crisis
  • …

They will then have to be ranked in order of probability. Indeed, depending on the sector of activity, the geographical location and the other specificities of the company, some scenarios will be more likely than others.

To draw up this list, it will be relevant to draw inspiration from any past crises and situations frequently encountered by market players.

2- Exchange with the different departments of the company

In order to write a comprehensive crisis management manual , it will be very wise to involve the managers of the company’s various departments (legal, financial, sales, HR, IT, etc.) and the main decision-makers.

This collaborative reflection will allow everyone to identify potential crisis situations specific to their department and to propose a relevant action plan.

3- Carry out a risk analysis

After defining the various potential risks, it will be necessary to take the time to analyze the probability of each of the scenarios, as well as its possible impacts on the company, at the logistical, commercial, financial, human and organizational levels (damage to the company’s reputation, drop in turnover, employee disengagement, drop in customer satisfaction, etc.).

4- Implement a crisis management protocol

It will then be necessary to establish a detailed activation protocol which includes:

• the major actions to be carried out;
• the resources and human, logistical and financial means available to deal with this crisis;
• response times;
• the internal and external communication plan to be put in place;
• the post-crisis assessment and the continuity plan to be considered.

Each scenario considered will have to be accompanied by a clear, precise response, with actions defined over time.

5- Identify the people in charge and their roles

It will also be essential to include a list of people in charge of crisis management in the manual. In particular, the roles, responsibilities and contact information of each member of this crisis cell will have to be specified.

The management plan must also specify the instructions for mobilization, the response plan and response procedures, to allow everyone to know when and how to intervene. In particular, it will be necessary to appoint a spokesperson, responsible for manage relations with stakeholders (customers, associates, partners, suppliers, etc.) and inform these various stakeholders of the evolution of the situation and the measures envisaged.

6- Find a reliable EMT to outsource crisis management

When writing the crisis management manual, it can be very beneficial to find reliable partners to outsource crisis management to, such as an interim manager.

True experts in crisis management, interim managers are high-flying leaders. They put their expertise, their fresh perspective, their leadership, their pragmatism and their adaptability at the service of the company to manage the crisis with the greatest operational excellence.

Our Wayden interim management company brings together nearly 8,000 experienced managers and executives, experienced in managing delicate projects in complex environments. Immediately operational as soon as they arrive in the company, they will be able to activate the necessary levers to overcome the crisis, minimize its impact and draw the best lessons to ensure the sustainability of the business.