Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is responsible for the overall strategic direction of an organization. Within an operations lens they need to make sure the organization is delivering on time.

• Approve the COOP mandate – Boards formally adopt a continuity policy that defines the organization’s commitment to maintaining essential functions during disruptions.
• Align COOP with corporate strategy – Ensures that continuity objectives (e.g., protecting critical revenue streams, safeguarding brand reputation) support long‑term business goals.
• Monitor COOP effectiveness – Receives regular reports (quarterly or semi‑annual) on the status of continuity planning, testing outcomes, and any incidents that triggered the plan.

Executive

• Appoint a Continuity of Operations Manager or Lead
• Allocate the appropriate funds for the development and maintenance of the plan

Manager/Lead

• Lead the work to develop a living, testable Continuity‑of‑Operations (COOP) program.
• Acts as the single point of accountability for COOP.
• Plans and runs tabletop, functional, and full‑scale exercises on a regular cadence (at least annually).
• Monitors alerts (IT security, facilities, weather) and determines when the COOP trigger threshold is met. Executes the activation protocol, assembles the crisis‑management team, and communicates status to senior leadership and the board.
• Leads post‑incident reviews, extracts lessons learned, and updates the BIA, essential‑function list, and recovery procedures accordingly

Staff

• Supports the Manager/Lead in identifying the activities within their role that need to be identified in the business impact analysis.
• Reviews their section in the plan