Competence
Define the competence each continuity role needs, make sure the holder has it, act where it is missing, evaluate the action, and keep the evidence.
01What applies
Determine the competence needed by people whose work under the organization's control affects business continuity performance. Ensure they hold it on the basis of education, training or experience. Take action where competence is missing and evaluate whether the action closed the gap. Retain documented evidence of competence. The clause covers contractors and temporary staff whose work the organization controls, not only employees. It also asks for an evaluation of the action, which turns a training attendance register into a weak form of evidence.
02Why it matters
A response team is only as good as the least prepared person in the room, and the exercise is where that shows. The clause makes competence a defined property of a role rather than a general expectation. It also gives the organization a defensible answer when a customer asks who is qualified to declare a disaster. The evaluation requirement is the part most often skipped, and it is the part that shows the training worked.
03What good looks like
Write a competence profile per continuity role: the knowledge, the skill and the experience. Assess the holder against it. Where there is a gap, choose the action and record how you will know it worked, for example a practical assessment in the next exercise. Keep the evidence with the role, not only in a training system.
04Evidence an auditor asks for
Pick a response role and ask the holder to walk through their first three actions from memory. If they reach for the plan, the competence is in the document, not the person.
| Evidence | The record |
|---|---|
| Profiles | Competence requirements defined per continuity role |
| Holder evidence | Training records, qualifications or experience evidence per person |
| Gap actions | Actions taken where competence was missing, with an evaluation of effectiveness |
| Retention | Competence records retained and current |
05Where it commonly fails
- Attendance registers filed as though attendance proved competence
- Competence defined for the continuity team only, ignoring response team members and contractors
- Actions taken to build competence never evaluated for effectiveness
06What to do before the estimate
Choose the five roles that matter most in the first hour. Write the profile, assess the holder, and name one practical test for each.