Book Review: The Definitive Handbook of Business Continuity Management

As I said in my post yesterday, Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) has many similarities with Business Continuity Management (BCM), which is why SCRM can and should draw upon BCM for advice. One of many good references for further reading on this subject is the The Definitive Handbook of Business Continuity Management by Andrew Hiles. I haven’t read enough books on BCM to say that this is “the definitive” handbook; it certainly is “a comprehensive” handbook. This 600-something pages heavy brick of a book is probably not something you read from cover to cover. I did. Well, most of it, that’s how my weekend went by in a fly…

Businesss Continuity Management explained

The book has 25 chapters, each written by different contributors and basically self-contained, which means that even if you read only one chapter, you will still have gained valuable insight into what BCM entails. Inevitably there is some replication from author to author; that is because they are discussing the same concept, but from their own experience and their own perspective. This makes up the first 400 pages of the book. Not all contributions are really good, but some are outstanding and clearly coney the message of BCM.

Businesss Continuity Management Case Studies

The next 100 or so pages contain 26 case studies, with lessons learned and not learned, what to and what not to do, pitfalls, challenges and sucesses. The book also has space for pages on current US/UK/AU/NZ legislation, in particular the UK Civil Contingencies Act and its implication for businesses. Add to that a section on business continuity planning in Asia, indeed necessary in this age of globalization and outsorcing.

Businesss Continuity Management Glossary

The book also comes with a glossary of the most used terms in BCM. The Definitive Handbook of Business Continuity Management, a very comprehensive, but maybe not definitive handbook. What impresses me most is the 42-page keyword index, leaving practically nothing uncovered. With a book like that you need an index like that…

Reference

Hiles, A. (Ed.). (2008). The Definitive Handbook of Business Continuity Management. Chicester: John Wiley & Sons.

Publisher link

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