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Understand what your organisation needs to keep critical activities running through disruption. We help you assess business impacts, map dependencies and develop, exercise and review continuity arrangements within a structured ISO 22301 management system.
ISO 22301:2019 sets requirements for a Business Continuity Management System. It helps organisations understand disruption risks and impacts, establish continuity strategies and plans, exercise their arrangements and improve their response capability. Neither consultancy nor certification guarantees uninterrupted operations or recovery within a particular time.
Current standard checked 4 November 2026: ISO 22301:2019, including Amendment 1:2024 on climate action.
We begin by looking at your current business continuity arrangements, key risks, critical activities and recovery planning. This gives us a clear picture of how prepared your organisation is and what is needed to meet ISO 22301 requirements.
We help you develop a business continuity management system that supports resilience and recovery. This may include business impact analysis, continuity plans, roles, procedures and documentation designed around your real operational needs.
Once the framework is in place, we support implementation through practical guidance, plan reviews and readiness checks. The aim is to make sure your business continuity processes are understood, tested and ready for external assessment.
Critical Path can help you prepare for ISO 22301 certification, but we do not audit or certify the systems we help create. Your certification audit must be completed by an external body, and we can introduce you to appropriate UKAS or non-UKAS providers.
An effective Business Continuity Management System can improve preparedness, clarify recovery priorities and support confidence among customers and other interested parties. Benefits depend on the organisation, the disruption and how its arrangements operate in practice. Certification is not a guarantee of uninterrupted service, legal compliance or new business.
A BCMS can improve preparedness for disruption by clarifying priorities, resources, responsibilities and response arrangements. It cannot eliminate every disruption.
A BCMS can improve preparedness for disruption by clarifying priorities, resources, responsibilities and response arrangements. It cannot eliminate every disruption.
A BCMS helps identify relevant business continuity obligations and integrate them into planning. Certification does not guarantee legal or regulatory compliance.
A BCMS helps identify relevant business continuity obligations and integrate them into planning. Certification does not guarantee legal or regulatory compliance.
Independent certification can provide evidence that a defined BCMS has been assessed against the standard. It does not guarantee operational outcomes.
Independent certification can provide evidence that a defined BCMS has been assessed against the standard. It does not guarantee operational outcomes.
Business impact analysis, exercises and reviews can identify weaknesses and opportunities to improve continuity arrangements.
Business impact analysis, exercises and reviews can identify weaknesses and opportunities to improve continuity arrangements.
A structured approach can help identify disruption risks and plan proportionate responses before incidents occur.
A structured approach can help identify disruption risks and plan proportionate responses before incidents occur.
Clear, tested continuity arrangements can support stakeholder confidence; the result depends on implementation and the disruption encountered.
Clear, tested continuity arrangements can support stakeholder confidence; the result depends on implementation and the disruption encountered.
Certification may support procurement where a customer requires it. It does not guarantee a competitive advantage or a contract.
Certification may support procurement where a customer requires it. It does not guarantee a competitive advantage or a contract.
Effective continuity measures may reduce disruption costs. Financial savings depend on the event, controls and resources; no saving is guaranteed.
Effective continuity measures may reduce disruption costs. Financial savings depend on the event, controls and resources; no saving is guaranteed.
Reviewing dependencies and external-provider arrangements can help manage supply-chain disruption risk without guaranteeing uninterrupted supply.
Reviewing dependencies and external-provider arrangements can help manage supply-chain disruption risk without guaranteeing uninterrupted supply.
Organised plans and evidence can support regulatory discussions where relevant. Certification does not provide an automatic regulatory exemption or preferential treatment.
Organised plans and evidence can support regulatory discussions where relevant. Certification does not provide an automatic regulatory exemption or preferential treatment.
ISO 22301:2019, including its 2024 climate action amendment, is the current published business continuity management system (BCMS) standard. It provides a framework for preparing for disruption, responding effectively and recovering prioritised activities. A BCMS needs ongoing review and improvement; certification cannot guarantee uninterrupted operations in every incident.
A business impact analysis (BIA) examines how disruption affects the delivery of products and services over time. It helps identify prioritised activities, dependencies, resource needs and recovery requirements. Critical Path can help structure the BIA around your operations so that continuity strategies and recovery priorities are based on evidence rather than a generic plan.
Business continuity plans should reflect the risks and dependencies relevant to your organisation. Scenarios may include IT outages, cyber incidents, loss of premises, utility failures, supplier disruption or staff shortages. Plans should define responsibilities, communications and recovery arrangements, and be exercised and reviewed so that weaknesses can be addressed.
Our business continuity consultancy can include a gap analysis, BIA, continuity risk assessment, recovery strategies, plans, exercises and internal audits. We can support an existing BCMS or help prepare for independent ISO 22301 certification. The work is tailored to your operations and agreed scope, with certification decisions made separately by the certification body.
