Identify which business activities must recover first after a disruption
Choose recovery priorities by looking at what happens when each activity stops, how soon the consequences become serious and what must be restored first to support it. Compare the smallest useful service you could deliver. A high-selling activity may have to wait for a less visible dependency, such as access to approved job instructions.
Choose recovery priorities by looking at what happens when each activity stops, how soon the consequences become serious and what must be restored first to support it. Compare the smallest useful service you could deliver. A high-selling activity may have to wait for a less visible dependency, such as access to approved job instructions.
Compare consequences at different times
Use this worksheet to put recovery tasks in order before writing your continuity plan. Ask the people doing the work what becomes difficult after two hours, one working day and three days. These are example discussion windows, not legally permitted outage periods.
Record a consequence, not just a score. "Customers cannot collect finished repairs" is more useful than "impact: high" because it tells the coordinator whom to contact. Add deadlines and duties that need confirmation from the responsible adviser; do not assume lost revenue captures every consequence.
Business.gov.au: develop an emergency management plan asks businesses to identify important products, services and backup arrangements. The comparison below is our own planning exercise for a fictional repair business.
| Activity | After two hours / one day / three days | Dependency and commitment | Restoration order |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customer updates | Calls accumulate / missed collections / repeated enquiries | Current booking list; updates promised before collection | 1: restore a controlled contact list |
| Finished-job collection | Short delay / storage fills / workshop space lost | Correct job status and authorised handover record | 2: restart verified collections |
| New quotations | Enquiries wait / new work delayed / future pipeline falls | Staff time and current supplier prices | 3: resume after existing commitments |
Read the example as a list
- Activity: Customer updates. After two hours / one day / three days: Calls accumulate / missed collections / repeated enquiries. Dependency and commitment: Current booking list; updates promised before collection. Restoration order: 1: restore a controlled contact list
- Activity: Finished-job collection. After two hours / one day / three days: Short delay / storage fills / workshop space lost. Dependency and commitment: Correct job status and authorised handover record. Restoration order: 2: restart verified collections
- Activity: New quotations. After two hours / one day / three days: Enquiries wait / new work delayed / future pipeline falls. Dependency and commitment: Staff time and current supplier prices. Restoration order: 3: resume after existing commitments
Original ASBG example, checked 27 September 2026. Adapt the decisions to your business; this is not a certified safety plan.
Work backwards from a usable service
In this example, bringing the collection desk back first would achieve little if nobody could tell which repairs were ready. Access to the contact and job-status record therefore precedes collections. New quotations might produce tomorrow's revenue, but they do not resolve today's collection commitments.
Write the minimum acceptable output beside each activity. "Call today's collection customers from the approved list" is testable. "Restore customer service" is too broad. Identify whether the task depends on a person, permission, supplier, place, record or device. Two activities that depend on the same unavailable person are not independent recovery options.
Test the assumptions before buying a solution
Give a colleague the proposed first task and its approved information. Can they locate the record and explain what is current? Time a small rehearsal without interrupting live work. Note missing access, outdated telephone numbers and decisions that only the owner can make.
Business Queensland: business recovery planning includes recovery timeframes and the resources needed to resume operations. Your target is an estimate to test, not a customer promise. If an essential dependency cannot be restored in the proposed period, reduce the planned service or change the target and tell the people relying on it.
Keep the priority list short
Finish with an ordered list, one responsible person per activity and a reason for each position. Record the date and scenario: a premises closure may need a different order from a cloud outage. Review the list when a major customer, supplier or system changes.
Use the result in your one-page interruption plan. Keep insurance questions separate from the operational order: possible cover does not restore an unavailable system.
Identify which business activities must recover first after a disruption: response card
Copy the template, save a text file for offline use, or print this page with its examples and sources. Fill in your own copy and check it before relying on it.
Identify which business activities must recover first after a disruption ASBG source check: 27 September 2026 Guide: https://australiansmallbusiness.com.au/legal/business-impact-analysis-small-business Planning example. Follow your assessed emergency procedures and current official directions. Choose recovery priorities by looking at what happens when each activity stops, how soon the consequences become serious and what must be restored first to support it. Compare the smallest useful service you could deliver. A high-selling activity may have to wait for a less visible dependency, such as access to approved job instructions. Business: [name] Plan owner: [name and contact] Backup: [name and contact] Local emergency/technical advice: [verified contact] Last local test: [date] Next review: [date] List each activity, customer impact after 2 hours / 1 day / 3 days, dependencies and owner. Record any duty needing specialist confirmation. Restore order: [activity and reason]. Minimum useful service: [scope]. Test the assumed recovery time and record gaps. Sources checked 27 September 2026: Business.gov.au: develop an emergency management plan: https://business.gov.au/planning/business-plans/develop-an-emergency-management-plan Business Queensland: business recovery planning: https://www.business.qld.gov.au/running-business/risk/recovery-plan Check current warnings separately. Store completed cards securely and replace outdated copies.
Sources and next steps
- Business.gov.au: develop an emergency management plan
- Business Queensland: business recovery planning
Return to business risk and continuity to choose the next planning task.
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Where to go from here
- Next action
Write the one-page plan
Turn the recovery order into named actions, contacts and checkpoints.
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