I have received a lot of questions lately about certification through the Business Continuity Institute:
- What study material did I use for the Certificate of the Business Continuity Institute (CBCI) Exam?
- What Business Continuity courses would I recommend?
- How difficult is the CBCI Exam?
- Does having CBCI help with your career progression?
- Is BSI a reputable provider of the ISO22301 Lead Implementer Course?
Feedback from BCP Builder Community on LinkedIn:
CBCI Course
- You can complete the CBCI course and exam as part of a 1 week program. Being able to sit the exam as part of the course can be useful for embedding information, concepts and principles. The course is easier if you have been involved in Business Continuity beforehand and have some knowledge of the Good Practice Guidelines.
- The Good Practice Guidelines can often be ‘rigid’ and to pass the CBCI exam, you need to answer in the Business Continuity Institute Good Practice Guidelines way. You should study the key principles for each section and apply those principles and practices to a real life scenario to embed the learning. This is particularly helpful with remembering lexicons/nomenclature that may be different to your Business Continuity Management program.
- In the UK there are resilience standards for Local Resilience Forums which are published by Cabinet Office. They quote better practice as being a member of the BCI and taking appropriate exams relevant to the part you play in the Business Continuity Management System. Once you have the Good Practice Guidelines knowledge you can start and build a career. The new ISO22301 which is in development will align more closely to the Good Practice Guidelines.
- The mock exam (provided by the Business Continuity Institute) is a good rehearsal.
Job requirement
- In some organizations, new staff are required to become an Associate Member of the Business Continuity Institute on their first day at work. These workplaces will often provide the basics and enroll you on the 5 day course to gain CBCI. Employees are then monitored for continuing professional development to ensure they become MBCI after 3 years.
- CBCI can be a minimum requirement for junior Business Continuity Management roles and MBCI for senior business resiliency positions. Or the Disaster Recovery Institute (DRI) equivalent (ABCP, CBCP respectively).
Training Providers
- There are a number of good CBCI providers around and there isn’t too much difference between them. You should look for one with a very experienced tutor who can give lots of examples, depending on your learning style.
- Check out the tutor and the training provider before purchasing a course. Select licensed, approved training providers and tutors and check pass/merit rates.
- Contact the Business Continuity Institute direct or through their website for licensed providers.
Alternative Courses
- The ISO 22301 Lead Implementer/ Lead Auditor courses are useful for evaluating your current business continuity practices.
- BBA & MBA courses should have a Business Continuity module. Unfortunately not a lot of them do. Some MBA degree programs have no mention of Business Continuity or Disaster Recovery.
Getting it “right”
- ‘There is no right or wrong, just lots of different’ when it comes to implementing Business Continuity in practice. It’s not always necessary to rigidly apply the Good Practice Guidelines. It is more important that you understand the context/ business and then adapt good/ best practice to it. In many cases this replicates or aligns with the Good Practice Guidelines. However, sometimes you might find a different concept or approach that better suits the business.
Resources
- Rothstein Publications at www.Rothstein.com is a great source (probably the best) for publications on any aspects of information and training on Business Continuity Management and related professions. Phil Rothstein, the publisher, is an FBCI of the BCI, and extremely experienced and knowledgeable on the profession.
If you want to increase your Organizational Resilience, start with preparing a Business Continuity Plan and check out BCP Builder’s Business Continuity Planning Templates.
