Top football teams do more than get ready for kickoff. They prepare for the moment everything breaks down. An ejection, an injury, a blown assignment, or a disputed call can shift the entire game in seconds.
The fastest teams to recover are not making it up as they go. They already know who takes charge, how the group communicates, and what the next move is.
Businesses face disruptions the same way: suddenly, under pressure, and rarely at a good time.
An outage, cyberattack, or unexpected system failure can reveal weaknesses that are easy to overlook when operations are running normally. Often, those weaknesses come from a handful of preventable mistakes that can turn a manageable issue into a longer, costlier disruption.
Mistake #1: Assuming backups are enough
Backups are important, but they are only one piece of recovery. They help you restore data, but they do not tell you what to do next.
Your team still needs a clear order of operations: which systems come back first, who handles each task, and how long each stage should take. Without that structure, even a good backup can leave the business stuck while critical decisions are made in the middle of the outage instead of ahead of it.
Recommendation: Build a straightforward recovery plan that outlines what gets restored, in what order, and by whom.
Mistake #2: Not testing the recovery plan
A recovery plan that has never been tested is a risk. It might hold up, or it might fail the moment your team needs it most.
Testing helps uncover problems while there is still time to correct them. It can expose a backup that will not restore properly, a step that is no longer accurate, or a system that takes too long to return online.
Recommendation: Test the plan at least once a year, before a real emergency forces the issue. Treat every surprise as an opportunity to improve.
Mistake #3: Not defining roles and responsibilities
When disruption hits, decisions have to happen quickly. What gets priority? Who is notified? What happens next?
If responsibilities are unclear, the team wastes valuable time figuring out who is in charge instead of solving the problem.
Recommendation: Assign roles before an incident happens. Make sure every person knows their responsibilities, who they work with, and when to escalate.
Mistake #4: Forgetting about communication
A recovery plan should cover people as well as technology. During a disruption, employees need direction, customers need updates, and vendors may need to adjust their own processes.
If your usual communication tools are unavailable, confusion can spread fast.
Recommendation: Create a communication plan for employees, customers, and vendors. Include backup channels and assign one person to manage updates.
Mistake #5: Treating recovery planning as a one-time task
A recovery plan can become outdated quickly. Employees move on, systems change, and priorities shift. The plan will not refresh itself.
If it relies on old contacts, retired systems, or outdated steps, it can slow recovery instead of supporting it.
Recommendation: Set a recurring schedule to review and update your recovery plan. Revisit it any time your team, systems, vendors, or business priorities change.
Recovery favors the prepared
A tested plan, clear ownership, and dependable communication can keep a disruption from escalating into a crisis.
By fixing these common mistakes now, you can reduce uncertainty, limit downtime, and recover with more confidence.
Recovery planning is not just about technology. It is about strategy. We help businesses uncover gaps, strengthen recovery plans, and build preparedness strategies that keep operations moving when the unexpected happens.
If you're not sure whether your recovery plan is ready, click here or give us a call at 801-356-9333 to schedule your free 15-Minute Discovery Call.
