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Business Continuity Planning Meeting Agenda Template (90 Minutes)

Use this agenda to run a business continuity planning (BCP) meeting that ends with owners, recovery targets and a test date. It runs 90 minutes, and every item has an owner and an example entry.

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Business continuity planning meeting agenda: the template

Ten timed items that take a team from critical functions to a tested plan. Replace the examples with your own systems, targets and people.

Business continuity planning meeting agenda

Total time: 90 minutes

  • Plan or business unit: [Name]
  • Date and time: [Date, start time]
  • Location or link: [Room or video link]
  • Facilitator: [BCP coordinator]
  • Note taker: [Name]
  • Attendees: [IT, operations, HR, facilities, communications, finance]
  • Plan version under review: [Version and last review date]
  • Executive sponsor: [Name]
  1. 0:005 min
    Purpose, scope and plan version

    State which part of the business the plan covers and confirm everyone is working from the same version.

    ExampleScope: customer support and billing at the Toronto office. Plan v3.2, last reviewed in March.
    OwnerFacilitator
  2. 0:0510 min
    Critical functions and dependencies

    List the functions that must keep running and what each one depends on: systems, people, suppliers, premises.

    ExampleBilling depends on the payment gateway, the finance database and two people with approval rights.
    OwnerOperations lead
  3. 0:1510 min
    Threats and impact

    Review the likely disruptions and what each would stop. Rank them by likelihood and effect.

    ExampleLoss of the primary data centre: high effect, low likelihood. Key supplier failure: medium effect, medium likelihood.
    OwnerRisk owner
  4. 0:2510 min
    Recovery targets

    Agree a recovery time and a data loss limit for each critical function.

    ExampleBilling: recover within 4 hours, lose no more than 1 hour of data. Support phones: recover within 1 hour.
    OwnerIT lead
  5. 0:3510 min
    Recovery strategies and resources

    Decide how each target will be met: backups, alternate site, remote work, spare equipment.

    ExampleSupport moves to remote work on company laptops. Billing fails over to the secondary region.
    OwnerFacilities lead
  6. 0:4510 min
    Roles, call tree and communication

    Name who declares an incident, who leads recovery and who tells staff, customers and regulators.

    ExampleIncident lead: Operations Director. Staff alerts by text, customers by status page within 30 minutes.
    OwnerHR lead
  7. 0:5510 min
    Gaps from the last test or incident

    Go through what failed or was slow last time and whether it is fixed.

    ExampleLast test: 3 of 40 staff were missing from the call tree. Updated list due this week.
    OwnerBCP coordinator
  8. 1:0510 min
    Testing and training schedule

    Agree the next exercise, who takes part and what pass means.

    ExampleTabletop exercise on 12 October with finance and support. Pass means billing restored within 4 hours.
    OwnerBCP coordinator
  9. 1:155 min
    Decisions and approvals

    Record what the sponsor approves, funds or sends back.

    ExampleBackup site contract approved. Supplier risk review sent back for more detail.
    OwnerExecutive sponsor
  10. 1:2010 min
    Actions and next review

    Read back actions with owners and dates, then set the next review.

    ExampleNext review in six months, or after any major change to systems or premises.
    OwnerFacilitator

Action items

Task Owner Due
Update the call tree with new starters and leavers HR lead Friday
Document the billing failover steps in the run book IT lead Within 3 weeks
Schedule the 12 October tabletop exercise BCP coordinator Next Wednesday
Review the key supplier's own continuity plan Procurement lead Within 30 days
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Copy-ready agenda text

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BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLANNING MEETING AGENDA

Plan or business unit: [Name]
Date and time: [Date, start time]
Location or link: [Room or video link]
Facilitator: [BCP coordinator]
Note taker: [Name]
Attendees: [IT, operations, HR, facilities, communications, finance]
Plan version under review: [Version and last review date]
Executive sponsor: [Name]

TIMED AGENDA (90 minutes)

0:00  Purpose, scope and plan version (5 min) | Owner: Facilitator
      State which part of the business the plan covers and confirm everyone is working from the same version.
0:05  Critical functions and dependencies (10 min) | Owner: Operations lead
      List the functions that must keep running and what each one depends on: systems, people, suppliers, premises.
0:15  Threats and impact (10 min) | Owner: Risk owner
      Review the likely disruptions and what each would stop. Rank them by likelihood and effect.
0:25  Recovery targets (10 min) | Owner: IT lead
      Agree a recovery time and a data loss limit for each critical function.
0:35  Recovery strategies and resources (10 min) | Owner: Facilities lead
      Decide how each target will be met: backups, alternate site, remote work, spare equipment.
0:45  Roles, call tree and communication (10 min) | Owner: HR lead
      Name who declares an incident, who leads recovery and who tells staff, customers and regulators.
0:55  Gaps from the last test or incident (10 min) | Owner: BCP coordinator
      Go through what failed or was slow last time and whether it is fixed.
1:05  Testing and training schedule (10 min) | Owner: BCP coordinator
      Agree the next exercise, who takes part and what pass means.
1:15  Decisions and approvals (5 min) | Owner: Executive sponsor
      Record what the sponsor approves, funds or sends back.
1:20  Actions and next review (10 min) | Owner: Facilitator
      Read back actions with owners and dates, then set the next review.

ACTION ITEMS
Task | Owner | Due
[Task] | [Name] | [Date]

How to run this meeting

  1. Start from critical functions, not the document

    Teams that open the plan and read it aloud run out of time. List what the business cannot stop doing first, then check the plan against that list.

  2. Put a number on every target

    'Restore quickly' cannot be tested. Write recovery times in hours and data loss limits in minutes, then match each to a strategy that can meet it.

  3. Assign a named person to every gap

    A gap with a team name on it stays open. Name one person and a date for each, and review them at the start of the next meeting.

  4. End with a dated test

    A plan that has never been tested is a guess. Fix the date, the participants and the pass mark before the meeting ends.

Keep recovery targets and owners on record

Continuity decisions get checked after an incident, so they need to be exact. Speak AI records the meeting and pulls out targets, owners and dates.

  • Record the planning meeting on Zoom, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams, or upload the file.
  • Get a transcript with speakers labelled, so you can show who agreed which recovery target.
  • Get an automatic summary of critical functions, gaps and decisions for the plan update.
  • Get action items with owners and dates, ready for your risk or project tracker.

See how the AI meeting assistant and the AI notetaker work, or start with a free account.

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Frequently asked questions

What should a business continuity planning meeting cover?

Scope, critical functions and their dependencies, threats and impact, recovery time and data loss targets, recovery strategies, roles and communication, gaps from the last test, and a schedule for the next test.

How do I prepare a business continuity plan?

Identify critical functions, assess what could disrupt them, set recovery targets, choose strategies to meet them, assign roles and a call tree, write it down, then test it. This agenda walks a team through those steps in one meeting.

What are the objectives of a business continuity plan?

To keep critical functions running or restore them within agreed times after a disruption, to protect people and data, to limit financial and customer harm, and to give everyone clear roles when an incident happens.

How often should you hold a business continuity planning meeting?

Review the plan at least once a year and after any major change to systems, premises, suppliers or staffing. Test it with an exercise at least annually, and hold a short review after every real incident.

Who should attend a BCP meeting?

The BCP coordinator, an executive sponsor, and leads from IT, operations, HR, facilities, communications and finance. Add key supplier contacts if a function depends on them.

Related templates and tools

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