Company: IBM, Armonk, New York, NY
Company Description: IBM is a values-based enterprise of individuals who create & apply technology to make the world work better. Today, more than 250,000 IBM employees around the world invent and integrate hardware, software and services to help forward-thinking enterprises, institutions and people succeed on a smarter planet.
Nomination Category: Thought Leadership Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Thought Leadership Campaign of the Year - Business Services
 Nomination Title: Reshaping Business Continuity Management for an Insight-driven Intelligent Enterprise
- Which will you submit for this nomination, a video of up to five (5) minutes in length about the nominated PR campaign or program, or written answers to the questions? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the nominated video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this first question: Specify the date on which this campaign or program was launched:
March 2, 2022
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this second question: Describe the genesis of the nominated campaign or program: the reasons it was initiated, the challenges it was created to address, the problems it was developed to solve, etc. (up to 250 words):
Total 239 words used.
Business Continuity Management (BCM) is a fundamental aspect of modern business operations, especially in the face of an increasing range of potential disruptions, such as pandemics, natural disasters, cyberattacks, war, civil unrest, and financial market turbulence. A seamless and coordinated response across various disciplines of emergency response, crisis management, IT disaster recovery, and business continuity is widely recognized as crucial.
Our primary objective was to implement a resilient strategy that focused on proactiveness and sustainable plans to mitigate the impact of an event. We aimed to achieve this with the support of strong leadership and harmonized processes that encourage ongoing collaboration.
The project focused on three key areas: people, process, and technology. From a people perspective, the goal was to empower every member of the BC community by establishing an enhanced organization through management systems and ad hoc projects, clarifying roles and responsibilities to increase individual and team accountability, and expanding data insights via reporting.
From a process view, the objective was to focus on core and meaningful activities, simplifying the workflow, and adopting industry best practices and mandatory regulatory requirements. This involved centering on end-users and leaders' feedback and needs to deliver excellence.
From a technology standpoint, the goal was to optimize the overall IT expense by using a combination of IBM tools and small custom-developed efforts to provide a global repository and a unified, simplified workflow tool with real-time insights to streamline communication and risk mitigation strategies.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this third question: Describe the development of the campaign or program: the planning process, the goal setting, the subject and content development, the scheduling, etc. (up to 250 words):
Total 249 words used.
IBM is focused on transforming into an AI insight-driven intelligent enterprise, with a redesigned operating model, improved advocacy with clients, and an emphasis on speed and agility. In line with this strategic direction, our objective was to review and reshape IBMs BCM operating model using cutting-edge digital technologies and simplification. This involved enhancing our team’s ability to be even more connected, efficient, effective, and proactive, while ensuring that our BCM framework meets the requirements of both regulators and clients, supporting our overall business objectives.
During the discovery phase of the project, several Design Thinking sessions were organized to gather requirements and build a vision. An iterative process based on Lean Six Sigma (LSS) was then applied to understand users' challenges, pain points, and requirements. External benchmarks and industry approaches were analyzed to better comprehend how similar companies and functions were transforming their business continuity model (see attachment).
Among various activities we offered all employees Business Continuity Awareness Week (BCAW) with a variety of educational offerings and panel discussions with key stakeholders. During this week, attendees not only learned about risk management procedures and business continuity fundamentals, but also gained insights on lessons learned from other businesses and incidents. Insights included practical examples of risk mitigation, recovery strategies after disruptions, and effective communication during crises. Sharing experiences across different units provided a richer, more comprehensive understanding of how resilience can be embedded in various facets of the organization. This collaborative approach enhanced the overall learning experience, making it more relevant.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this fourth question: Outline the activities and concrete results of this campaign or program since the beginning of January 2022. Even if your initiative started before January 2022, limit your response to activities and results since the beginning of July 2020 only (up to 250 words):
Total 250 words used.
With the implementation of this project, the employees embraced advantages of well-defined roles and integration, accountability, value of periodic review, contributing to instilling a resilience mindset. The BC relevant processes were standardized, resulting in a seamless orchestration. The technology landscape was unified, providing real-time insights, dynamic documentation, standardized testing, effective incident communication, and proactive risk assessment.
The key outcomes of the project are as follows:
- Successfully customized and deployed OpenPages® with Watson®, a new tool for business continuity management, which has significantly enhanced our BCM capabilities and improved the organization's resilience.
- Improved IBM's ability to respond 30% faster to client and regulator inquiries.
- Increased end-user satisfaction by reducing the time needed to create and maintain business continuity documents by 50%. This has enabled our teams to focus on more important tasks and achieve better outcomes for our clients.
- Allowed for $150K annual IT expenses reduction, demonstrating our commitment to achieving cost efficiencies and optimizing our resources.
- Delivered over 2K hours of business continuity dedicated learning during the 2022, with 12K enrollments and an NPS of 73.7%. This achievement demonstrated our commitment to promoting a culture of resilience and ensuring our employees are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to address any disruption effectively.
- Actioned over 1.6K queries in the Slack support channel and conducted 20 hours of live Q&A sessions.
The project deployed a more effective resilience program, instilling confidence in the organization's recovery capabilities, creating a more robust, transparent, and efficient business continuity management framework.
- Optional: Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 171 words used.
Please see attached Discovery Phase document for more details on the activities that resulted from the sessions.
| Attachments/Videos/Links: |
|---|
|
