Sensitive information: use roles and instructions for finding approved records, never passwords, recovery codes, account numbers, or medical details. Answers stay in this tab unless you explicitly save on this device for seven days. They are not uploaded, emailed, or sent to AI.
Memory only. Reloading closes this unsaved plan.
Prepare the handoff, one section at a time
0 of 6 sections reviewed. Deferred sections remain gaps.
A complete copy includes your private answers. A sealed copy leaves those answers blank and keeps only your share-safe location note.
1. Access
Where does the backup find approved access and recovery instructions? Keep this short; point to the detailed procedure instead of reproducing it.
See an example for access
Office manager opens the company vault using their own account; recovery procedure is in the restricted operations folder.
0/180 characters
Choose a conservative limit, not a wish. If no agents run, document that fact and the person who verified it. A missing role or instruction counts as zero days.
Example: ask the plan custodian. Do not include a secret address, access code, or private sharing link. This is the only answer kept in a sealed copy.
Vacation test: 0 days of reported coverage
Provisional: finish or defer each section. Limited by: Access, Money, Systems, People, Automations and agents, Emergencies.
The estimate is the lowest number across six areas, capped at 14 days. Missing or deferred sections count as zero. This is self-reported planning, not a guarantee; prove each handoff with a tabletop test.
Free resourceTake the plan with you
Download your continuity plan
Email unlocks the complete and sealed PDF/DOCX downloads, tabletop kit, and calendar reminders in this tab. Private plans are never uploaded or emailed. Calendar reminders require importing the file; this does not enroll you in an email reminder service.
Complete and sealed plan copies
Tabletop exercise kit
Review calendar
Preview the result or example included in this kit
Business continuity: one-page plan: Self-reported coverage: 0 days (maximum 14). 0/6 sections reviewed.
Business continuity: one-page plan
Business / team: ____________________
2026-09-12 | business-continuity-plan-v1
Self-reported coverage: 0 days (maximum 14). 0/6 sections reviewed.
Access Not assessed
Backup: [Backup role missing]
[Instructions missing]
Money Not assessed
Backup: [Backup role missing]
[Instructions missing]
Systems Not assessed
Backup: [Backup role missing]
[Instructions missing]
People Not assessed
Backup: [Backup role missing]
[Instructions missing]
Automations and agents Not assessed
Backup: [Backup role missing]
[Instructions missing]
Emergencies Not assessed
Backup: [Backup role missing]
[Instructions missing]
Controlled copy location: Ask the nominated plan custodian.
Planning aid, not a guarantee or substitute for emergency procedures. Test every handoff. Private browser export; store securely. No passwords or recovery codes. Nerd Out | nerdout.com
Prefer a blank template? Download it without email. The PDF is one page; the DOCX is editable in Word or can be imported into Google Docs.
Test it in 30 minutes
The owner stays silent. Use fictional records and demonstrations only. No live payments, messages, access changes, or system shutdowns.
0-5 minutes: set the rules
Invite the backup lead, finance backup, and systems owner. The owner observes silently. Use fictional records; never transfer money, disable a live system, or contact customers during this exercise.
5-12 minutes: owner unreachable
Can the backup retrieve the controlled plan and access procedure without asking the owner? Find the contact directory and name an alternate. Score: 0 blocked, 1 found but untested, 2 demonstrated safely. Record the gap, owner, and due date.
12-19 minutes: key vendor down
Locate the vendor support route, offline work queue, and recovery steps. Demonstrate the fallback using sample records. Who can pause an affected agent, and who approves restart? Score 0-2; record the gap, owner, and due date.
19-26 minutes: payroll day
Find the payroll deadline and the already-authorized backup signer. Read the approval limits and escalation route. Do not run payroll or create new authority in this exercise. Score 0-2; record the gap, owner, and due date.
26-30 minutes: assign and retest
Total the three scenario scores (0-6). Any zero blocks a vacation-ready claim, regardless of total. Assign each gap to a role and date, then repeat the failed scenario. This exercise score does not increase the days estimate automatically.
Who should hold a copy
Give the approved complete copy to the primary backup and one alternate through controlled access. Tell finance and IT owners where their procedures live. Share the sealed copy more widely only after checking its location note. Review access when roles change; remove obsolete copies.
Test all three scenarios to see the exercise score. Exercise scores stay in this tab only.
Planning guidance, not legal advice, insurance advice, or a certified recovery plan. Review signing authority and emergency procedures with the appropriate professionals. Sources: Ready.gov emergency plans and Canadian Centre for Cyber Security continuity guidance. Reviewed August 30, 2026. The rubric and six-section arrangement are Nerd Out planning choices.
How this tool works
If you were unreachable for two weeks, could your backup find the right access, payment authority, systems, people, and emergency steps? Put the handoffs on one page.
Document six handoffs or flag the gaps
Review the plan and test owner coverage
Download the private plan and reminder kit
What to include
Start with the decisions only you can make today.
A useful small-business continuity plan identifies who takes over, what they can already approve, and where the detailed procedures live. This one-page template is an index to those procedures, not a replacement for an emergency plan, legal authority, or a tested systems recovery runbook.
The six areas are access, money, systems, people, automations and agents, and emergencies. Choose a backup role and write a short instruction for each. The fictional service-company example shows payroll limited to three days while other areas report fourteen: the overall vacation estimate stays at three.
The score uses the lowest self-reported coverage across all six areas. A missing or deferred section counts as zero; fourteen is the cap, not an assurance. Run the owner-unreachable, vendor-down, and payroll-day tabletop before relying on the plan.
For a business continuity plan IT template, name essential systems, the approved recovery procedure, the offline fallback, and the person who can restore service. Keep passwords and recovery codes in your approved vault. A sealed copy blanks sensitive fields and keeps only your share-safe location note.
Questions owners ask
Business continuity plan questions
Is the blank business continuity plan template free?
Yes. The six-section generator, complete preview, vacation test, tabletop checklist, and blank PDF/DOCX are available without email. Email unlocks personalized downloads and the reminder kit, and subscribes you to Nerd Out notes.
Will you email or store my continuity plan?
No. Personalized documents download from this tab and are never uploaded or emailed. Answers stay in memory by default. Optional device saving is unencrypted, expires seven days after the latest edit, and is removed on the next visit after expiry. You can restore or delete that copy explicitly.
Can I edit the plan in Google Docs?
Download the DOCX and import it into Google Docs, or open it in Word. This page does not create a Google Doc or a make-a-copy link. Uploading the file there is your separate choice; edits do not sync back. The PDF is one page; editing a DOCX may add pages.
Does the vacation score prove the business can run without me?
No. It is a conservative self-reported planning limit, using the lowest coverage across six areas and a fourteen-day cap. Gaps count as zero. A tabletop exercise helps test the assumptions, but neither score certifies safety or operational readiness.
How do the twice-yearly reminders work?
Import the generic calendar file to add four all-day reviews six months apart. No private answers enter it, and no email reminder service is created. Calendar alert settings may override the requested 9am reminder. Delete the four events to stop them.
What does the sealed-envelope version hide?
It blanks the business name, backup roles, handoff instructions, and coverage scores. Only the explicitly labeled share-safe copy location remains, so review that note before sharing. Keep the full copy in a controlled location.