Business continuity planning, implementation and performance in Safaricom limited

Abstract

Business Continuity Planning (BCP) is a program which primarily assesses existing operations, risks to these operations and the organizational preparedness incase this operations are disrupted. It develops an integrated approach to ensure that critical operations and processes continue to function after interruption e.g. due to an incident or disaster. The purpose of this study was to evaluate Safaricom’s BCP process and its performance and how it is related to the overall performance of its key services i.e. M-PESA and M-Shwari, establish the challenges of implementing BCP at Safaricom and establish the benefits of Safaricom's BCP process.The research design employed in this study is descriptive case study of Safaricom the biggest telecommunications company in Kenya. The study used both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. The study targeted a total of 37 employees in the company. Primary data was collected using self administering questionnaires and one on one indepth interviews. Data collected from this study was analysed with aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The study found ou that BCP had been successfully implemented at Safaricom for all key services which include M-PESA and M-Shwari. Safaricom had benefited much from the implementation of BCP. The study concluded that the steps for BCP process were followed at Safaricom. The findings of this study could benefit not only Safaricom, but also other mobile service providers. BCP process is found to be a critical function that involves many different personnel and departments over multiple phases. Therefore the study recommends that for entire BCP process to succeed the organization should include participation from all levels of an organization, including an organization’s board of directors, senior management, business and technology managers, and staff. Further research is also recommended in the implementation of BCP for the other products especially on Voice and data services. There is also need for further research extended to the other mobile service providers.