Could you please send a global view of what a Y2K contingency plan could be and what should contain as thinking and methods?

NB. I am responsible to prepare such a plan for an IT company that provides technical services to customers.

-- Fadi B. SEMAAN (fadibs@hotmail.com), August 18, 1999

Answers

Fadi,

This forum really isn't the appropriate place for a discussin of contingency planning ... it's focused more on post-Y2K recovery. But here's a list of references for you:

GOOD SITES: http://www.mitre.org/research/y2k/docs/CONTINGENCY_PLAN.html Mitre page leading to their contingency planning guides. The guidelines portion is especially useful: http://www.mitre.org/research/y2k/docs/ CONTINGENCY_GUIDELINES.html

http://www.y2kjournal.com/ Year 2000 journal site containing links to three articles on contingency planning by clicking hot topics then "Y2K Contingency Planning Articles":

The article "Contingency Planning: It's The Real Thing (Issue #5)"by Warren S. Reid is especially good. It lists numerous questions that anyone created a contingency plan must ask. The article "Contingency Planning: Establishing a Year/2000 Fallback Position (Issue #1)" by William M. Ulrich provides examples of three types of contingency plan strategies and lists several alternative strategies companies can employ.

http://www.state.mn.us/ebranch/admin/ipo/2000/sec4cont.html State of Minnesota Year 2000 Best Practices Handbook chapter "Contingency Planning Best Practices" provides issues, recommended approaches and tips. http://www.state.mn.us/ebranch/admin/ipo/2000/contintr.html from the State of Minnesota provides links to the states contingency planning guide : http://www.state.mn.us/ebranch/admin/ipo/2000/ contbest.html This discusses types of plans, elements of the plan and additional resources.

http://www.dir.state.tx.us/oops/ctgyplan/index.html#contents from the State of Texas"Guidelines for Contingency Planning Information Resources Services Resumption. Department of Information Resources" presents detailed steps for developing a contingency plan, although not Y2000 specific.

http://www.ffiec.gov/y2k/contplan.htm from the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council contains information on what to look at and what kinds of back-up information should be kept, implementation and risk assessment issues regarding contingency plans

http://www.wa.gov/dis/2000/riskmgmt/contplan.htm from the State of Washington. Lists the questions that contingency planning must address.

http://www.erols.com/steve451/Capers.htm This Capers Jones 1997 article "CONTINGENCY PLANNING FOR THE YEAR 2000 SOFTWARE PROBLEM" that includes types of companies to contact and include in contingency plans, plans for the year 2000, and personal contingency planning.

http://www.cio.com/archive/060198_y2k.html This article "War Games" by Scott Kirsner in CIO Magazine discusses contingency activities 12 , 9, 6 and 3 months prior to 1-1-2000.

http://www.survive.com/feat0001.htm "Maintaining Business Continuity through the Year 2000" by Peter Barnes provides some good guidelines on contingency planning from SurviveUK.

http://www.fws.gov/pullenl/security/contpln.html "Guidelines for Contingency Plan Development" from the US. Fish & Wildlife Service provide very good guidance for contingency planning, though not specifically Y2000.

OTHER SITES:

http://home.natca.org/natca/publicsafety/faay2k.html --This is the FAA document which is interesting in discussing the FAAs failures in contingency planning. It lists sources of information which I have checked.

http://www.gao.gov/special.pubs/bcpguide.pdf pp.12-13 outline contingency planning processGAO document: "Year 2000, Business Continuity and Contingency Planning Guide"

http://www.gao.gov/y2kr.htm list of GAO Y2K reports

http://www.frbsf.org/fiservices/cdc/smallbus.pdf SBA booklet: "Are you ready to do business in the year 2000?" good document, but only one paragraph on the need to do contingency planning.

http://www.gsa.gov/gsacio/bpimpph.htm#contin from the GSA publication "Federal Best Practices Guide for Y2K" prepared by the Federal CIO Subcommittee on Y2K, discusses planning, when to invoke contingency plans and mentions building a firewall to keep out information beyond agencys control

http://www.year2000.com/archive/NFtudor.html article on implementing a site review program

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/roleigh_martin/ news9808.htm#BM980816B This doesnt really fit with the others, but is an article on Roleigh Martins website noting that the NRC is encouraging states to stockpile potassium iodide used for thyroid cancer

http://www.datamation.com/PlugIn/workbench/yr2000/stories/att.htm This article "When Y2K failure isn't an option" in the June, 1998 Datamation magazine ends with some suggestions relevant to contingency planning.

http://www.ownworld.demon.co.uk/conting.htm Outlines benefits and provides simple outline of the contingency planners job.

http://www.whistlepig.com/wpinternet/y2kFAQ.htm This is some information on and an order form for "Year 2000 Contingency Planning Guide" by W.P. Internet, Inc. It retails for $395 for one copy on CD- ROM and diskette.

-- Ed Yourdon (HumptyDumptyY2K@yourdon.com), August 21, 1999.

You might want to look at the Department of Navy CIO Y2K site www.doncio.navy,mil/y2k/year2000.htm. Check documents under Consequence Management (fancy name for contingency planning). Keep in mind that the military has been doing contingency planning for a long time...

Good luck with your plan.

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), August 19, 1999.