Barbados: Strengthening disaster resilience of MSMEs through business continuity planning: Guidance and sectoral templates

This document provides guidance for Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) in Barbados to develop a basic Business Continuity Plan (BCP), eventually aligning with the highest international standards, in particular ISO 22301:2019 – Business continuity management systems (ISO 22301). While many resources exist to guide organizations on developing BCPs, this document offers a structured approach and three templates, with varying levels of detail to address differences in organizational maturity, needs and resource availability. Adapted for and by businesses in Barbados, its corresponding BCP templates are tailored for Financial Services, Manufacturing, Professional Services, Retail and Commerce, and Tourism (see download links).

While ISO 22301 focuses strictly on avoiding operational disruption, these templates also include disaster response and recovery, reflecting the responsibility of MSMEs during and after emergencies to protect the lives of employees, their families, customers, and other key stakeholders. The goal is to build a useful risk-informed plan, specifically for disaster prone contexts, that serves MSME needs and is not too complicated or overwhelming to complete. The assumption is that over time even a basic BCP would be reviewed and updated as needed to include more elements and thus contribute to strengthening the organization’s overall resilience. Explanatory notes and helpful tips and tools are offered along the way to help users with little to no prior knowledge or experience in business continuity planning.