We already wrote about Sandy and its impact on operations immediately after the storm here. Several stories began to emerge on how firms managed to handle the storm. Recently, the NY Times had an article on how Eileen Fisher managed the pre-storm preparation and the recovery (“Retailer Shakes Off the Storm“).
Recovery was both an urgent and a daunting task. A broad insurance policy helped a lot. So did some planning and a good amount of luck. As did an almost out-of-body detachment on executives’ parts to see past the emotion of sewage-soaked shirts and stained rolls of fabric to the prize of reopening a ravaged business.
When we talk about Disruption Risk Management, we discuss the three levels that need to be managed well: strategic, tactical and execution. The strategic level requires creating a resilient operations network (internal and external) and instituting effective risk-management process. The tactical level requires identifying and mitigating vulnerabilities in the current operations network, including threat identification and outlining an action plans. The execution level includes monitoring evolving risks and activating pre-planned contingencies. The article provides an excellent example of the interplay between the tactical level and the execution one.
