Create the slack that lets the business absorb a shock, so a bad event bends the business rather than breaking it.
For each kind of buffer, name what it protects against and set a target or plan. The tension here is efficiency against resilience: maximally efficient businesses run with no slack and shatter under shock, so buffers are a deliberate, worthwhile cost.
| Buffer or redundancy | What it protects against | Target or plan |
|---|---|---|
| Financial reserve (see the financial pathway) | A revenue shock or cost spike | |
| Operational redundancy | A single function failing | |
| Capacity or time slack | Cascading overload |
The financial reserve draws directly on the cash reserve and runway work in the financial pathway; reference it rather than rebuilding it. Protect the buffers as an ongoing discipline, because under pressure to grow, slack is the first thing businesses cut and the thing they most regret cutting.
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