Module six, crisis management. With better planning, improved efficiency and increased productivity, the number of crisis you encounter should decline. However, you can't plan for everything. So in this module we'll look at what to do when a crisis does occur. When the storm hits, the key to successfully handle a crisis is to move quickly and decisively but carefully. The first thing to do when a crisis hits is to identify the point of contact and make them aware of the situation.
For this module, we'll assume that the point of contact is you. Then you want to gather and analyze the data. What happens? What were the direct causes? What were the indirect causes? What will happen next?
What could happen next? What events will this impact? Who else needs to know about this? Above all, take the time to do a thorough, proper research. You don't want to jump into action based on erroneous information and make the crisis worse. You will also want to identify the threshold time, the time that you have before this situation moves out of your control or becomes worse.
You may also find that the crisis will resolve itself after a certain point of time. Creating the plan once you have gathered the data, it's time to create a plan. The best approach is to identify the problem, decide on a solution, break it down into parts and create a timeline executing the plan As you execute the plan, make sure you continue evaluating if the plan is working in the example we just looked at, perhaps, After gathering project information, you realize you need more details on a particular item. It will then be appropriate to add that step and make sure you are still on track to meet your timeline. during execution, it is important to stay organized and on top of events to make sure that your plan is still applicable. This will also help you deliver an accurate, effective communication to others affected by the crisis.
In this example, your manager is probably pre anxious to get that report. Lessons learned after the crisis is over. Take a moment to look at why it happened and how to prevent it in the future. In the example we used, our quarter one status report was not completed on time. In fact, it sounds like we forgot to start it all together. The planning and prioritizing tools that we are discussing in this particular course, should help prevent those kinds of emergencies.
However, you will likely find that you're always adjusting and perfecting your approach. So it is important to learn from the times where these tools don't work. You even need to be prepared for disasters that can't be predicted, such as illness, fire or theft, and those cases of illness. For an example, you could prepare a short contingency plan indicating who will be responsible for your correspondence, projects and general responsibilities. In case you are ill for an extended period. Make sure you share these plans with the patient people so they can be prepared as well.