BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLANNING (BCP) AUDIT
Evaluating Organizational Resilience and Preparedness for Operational Disruptions
Course Schedule
| Date | Venue | Fees (Face-to-Face) |
|---|---|---|
| 26 – 30 May 2025 | London, UK | USD 3495 per delegate |
Course Introduction
In an era of increased cyber threats, pandemics, and natural disasters, ensuring business continuity is no longer optional—it’s essential. Business Continuity Planning (BCP) Audits play a critical role in evaluating an organization’s readiness to maintain or rapidly resume essential operations during disruptions.
This course equips internal auditors, risk professionals, and compliance teams with the skills and frameworks to effectively audit BCP programs. Participants will learn to assess BCP governance, recovery objectives (RTO/RPO), critical process mapping, scenario planning, and test effectiveness in alignment with ISO 22301, NIST SP 800-34, and other global standards.
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
• Audit the adequacy and effectiveness of an organization’s BCP program
• Evaluate risk assessments, business impact analyses (BIA), and recovery strategies
• Assess crisis communication, data recovery, and operational recovery procedures
• Review BCP documentation, testing, training, and maintenance processes
• Ensure compliance with ISO 22301 and other continuity and resilience standards
Key Benefits of Attending
• Strengthen your organization’s ability to survive and recover from disruptions
• Learn how to audit and evaluate all elements of a BCP and crisis management system
• Bridge the gap between compliance requirements and operational readiness
• Develop audit recommendations that add real value to continuity planning
• Prepare for ISO 22301 certification or regulatory BCP reviews
Intended Audience
This program is designed for:
• Internal and IT auditors
• Business continuity managers and officers
• Risk and compliance professionals
• Disaster recovery and crisis response teams
• Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) professionals
Individual Benefits
Key competencies that will be developed include:
• Understanding of BCP frameworks, standards, and lifecycle components
• Ability to audit risk assessments and BIAs for completeness and accuracy
• Skills in evaluating RTOs, RPOs, and continuity resource adequacy
• Capability to assess test plans, simulations, and program governance
• Expertise in reviewing documentation, plans, roles, and escalation protocols
Organization Benefits
Upon completing the training course, participants will demonstrate:
• Enhanced assurance over continuity and disaster recovery capabilities
• Improved compliance with continuity-related regulations and standards
• Early identification of gaps, inconsistencies, and resource shortfalls
• Improved cross-departmental coordination and recovery readiness
• Support for resilient, interruption-tolerant operations
Instructional Methdology
The course follows a blended learning approach combining theory with practice:
• Strategy Briefings – BCP frameworks, audit scope, ISO 22301 requirements
• Case Studies – Audit reports, real-world disruptions, and lessons learned
• Workshops – Risk assessment review, plan testing, audit checklists
• Peer Exchange – Audit techniques, tools, and continuity experiences
• Tools – BIA templates, recovery plan matrices, RTO/RPO evaluation tools
Course Outline
Training Hours: 7:30 AM – 3:30 PM
Daily Format: 3–4 Learning Modules | Coffee breaks: 09:30 & 11:15 | Lunch Buffet: 01:00 – 02:00
Day 1: Foundations of Business Continuity Auditing
Module 1: Introduction to BCP and Audit Objectives (07:30 – 09:30)
• Terminology, purpose, and audit scope
Module 2: BCP Frameworks and Standards (09:45 – 11:15)
• ISO 22301, NIST SP 800-34, FFIEC
Module 3: Risk Assessment and BIA Auditing (11:30 – 01:00)
• Impact rating, criticality, threat modeling
Module 4: Workshop – Review a Sample BIA (02:00 – 03:30)
• Assess completeness and risk alignment
Day 2: Continuity Strategy and Recovery Planning
Module 5: Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and RPOs (07:30 – 09:30)
• Prioritization, data recovery, resource mapping
Module 6: Business Process Recovery Strategies (09:45 – 11:15)
• Manual workarounds, alternate sites, backup systems
Module 7: IT Disaster Recovery and Cyber Continuity (11:30 – 01:00)
• DR plans, backup testing, cloud resilience
Module 8: Workshop – Analyze a Recovery Strategy (02:00 – 03:30)
• Compare recovery options for critical services
Day 3: Plan Testing and Crisis Management
Module 9: Testing and Simulation Audit Procedures (07:30 – 09:30)
• Types of tests, frequency, success criteria
Module 10: Crisis Communication and Command Structures (09:45 – 11:15)
• Escalation, stakeholder communication, documentation
Module 11: Incident Response and Continuity Activation (11:30 – 01:00)
• Activation triggers, coordination, after-action review
Module 12: Workshop – Audit a Test Scenario (02:00 – 03:30)
• Identify gaps in execution and planning
Day 4: Governance, Documentation, and Maintenance
Module 13: Auditing BCP Governance and Roles (07:30 – 09:30)
• Responsibilities, training, awareness programs
Module 14: Documentation Quality and Accessibility (09:45 – 11:15)
• Plan currency, document controls, review cycles
Module 15: Maintenance and Continuous Improvement (11:30 – 01:00)
• Feedback loops, audit trails, version control
Module 16: Workshop – Review a BCP Documentation Set (02:00 – 03:30)
• Assess alignment with governance and control
Day 5: End-to-End BCP Audit Execution
Module 17: Developing an Audit Program and Checklist (07:30 – 09:30)
• Planning, tools, interview guides
Module 18: Reporting Findings and Recommendations (09:45 – 11:15)
• Scoring, risk ranking, action planning
Module 19: ISO 22301 Internal Audit Preparation (11:30 – 01:00)
• Certification readiness, auditor tips
Module 20: Final Workshop – Simulate a Full BCP Audit (02:00 – 03:30)
• Execute a mock audit from scope to report
Certification
Participants will receive a Certificate of Completion in Business Continuity Planning (BCP) Audit, validating their expertise in assessing, reviewing, and enhancing business continuity frameworks, documentation, and recovery capabilities to ensure operational resilience.