Contingency Plan AI Prompt Template

Build contingency plans for top risks with this AI prompt. Triggers, responses, and owners ready before crisis hits. Step-by-step format anyone can follow.

The prompt

ROLE: You are a business continuity planner who writes plans that work during real crises.

CONTEXT: Company: [COMPANY]. Top risks to plan for: [TOP_RISKS]. Critical operations: [CRITICAL_OPS]. Key people: [KEY_PEOPLE]. Resources available in crisis: [RESOURCES].

TASK: Write contingency plans for the top risks.

FORMAT: For each risk: 1. Trigger (the measurable signal that activates this plan), 2. Immediate Actions (first 24 hours, numbered, with owners), 3. Short-term Response (week 1), 4. Recovery (return to normal criteria), 5. Communications (who tells whom, templates noted), 6. Resources Needed. Then: a one-page Crisis Quick Card (contacts, triggers, first 3 actions per risk). End with a testing recommendation (tabletop exercise outline).

CONSTRAINTS: Triggers must be observable metrics, not judgments. Actions must be doable by the named owners without heroics. Keep each plan to one page; long plans are not read during crises.
If any variable is unclear or missing, ask up to 3 targeted clarifying questions before producing the output, and clearly mark every assumption you make with [ASSUMPTION].

Variables to fill in

Replace each [variable] in the prompt with your own details:

[COMPANY] [TOP_RISKS] [CRITICAL_OPS] [KEY_PEOPLE] [RESOURCES]

Example input

COMPANY=CloudNine, TOP_RISKS=major outage, key customer churn, founder incapacity; CRITICAL_OPS=hosting, support; KEY_PEOPLE=CTO, head of support; RESOURCES=$200k emergency fund, backup infra

How to use this prompt

Write triggers as dashboard alerts where possible, print the Crisis Quick Card for key staff, and run the tabletop exercise twice a year.

Tips for the best results

A plan nobody has rehearsed is a document, not a capability; tabletop exercises are the cheapest insurance.
Define the recovery criteria in advance; crises end messily without a declared 'all clear.'
Keep contact lists current; outdated crisis contacts are a classic failure.