Crisis management plan

Crisis management plan

Q: How do you write a crisis management plan?

The best way to start writing a crisis management plan is to use a template. This will provide you with the basic outline of a crisis management plan, and you can then quickly fill out your team’s strategy to prepare for a potential crisis. Do this by using a collaborative work management tool so that every team member on your crisis response tiger team can collaborate in real time.

Does your team have a plan of action in place for a major emergency? Use a crisis management plan template to ensure you’ll never be caught unprepared.

Create your template

INTEGRATED FEATURES

Tasks Messaging Desktop and mobile apps

Recommended apps

Microsoft Teams

Slack

Google Workspace

Vimeo

A server goes down, a data breach hits the news, or a safety incident disrupts the workday. In moments like these, teams do not have time to figure things out. Crisis management planning treats disruption as inevitable and prepares teams to act quickly. A detailed crisis management plan template enables faster decision-making, defines an appropriate response, and reinforces preparedness across organizations. Asana’s crisis plan template provides response teams with strategic planning they can rely on when emergency response matters most.

What is a crisis management plan template?

A crisis management plan template is a reusable framework that helps teams document how they will respond to unexpected events that disrupt normal operations, from natural disasters to major business incidents. Instead of reacting under pressure, teams use the template to outline responsibilities, actions, and communication steps in advance so everyone knows what to do when stress runs high. A well-structured crisis management template is also flexible. Teams can adapt a single sample crisis management plan for broad use or apply a base crisis plan template to create targeted plans for specific scenarios, depending on the level of risk and complexity.

Create a crisis management plan template

What are the benefits of using a crisis management plan template?

Using a crisis management plan template in Asana helps teams prepare for disruption without starting from zero each time. By centralizing plans in a shared workspace, first responders can coordinate more quickly, assign ownership, and follow a documented recovery plan during a crisis. This template also promotes consistency across teams and crisis scenarios while being flexible enough to adapt as risks, staffing, or priorities change.

Key benefits of Asana’s Key benefits of Asana’s free crisis plan template include:

Faster response through defined roles and designated owners.
Better coordination among teams using a shared workspace.
A repeatable crisis management framework that teams can adapt over time.
Ongoing visibility into tasks, progress, and responsibilities during disruptions.

What to include in your crisis management plan template

A crisis management plan is not intended to cover every detail, but rather serves as a blueprint that can be updated when necessary. Here are a few things that a crisis management plan template should have, regardless of the type of crisis you’re managing.

Activation protocol: The set of factors that must occur before the team decides to initiate the crisis response plan. Think of the activation protocols as a set of dependencies that need to occur before your response plan begins.
Risk analysis: This is research that outlines any potential risks your company may encounter. Depending on the potential crisis that you’re planning for, a risk analysis can help you determine the likelihood of this event occurring. A good example of this type of research is a risk management plan or a risk register.
Emergency contact list: This includes relevant contact information and phone numbers for both members of your organization's crisis management team and local emergency responders, such as the fire department, poison control, or other relevant authorities.
Response procedures: The steps your team takes during a crisis once the activation protocol is met.
Communication strategy: This is the crisis communication plan your team develops to solidify how you’ll communicate during an emergency. This plan includes both internal communication and external communication to external stakeholders.

Create a crisis management plan template

Integrated features

Dependencies. Show when one task depends on another so teams understand what to work on next. Asana notifies assignees when a blocking task is completed or when a timeline changes.
Proofing. Add comments directly to images and PDFs so feedback is specific and easy to act on. Track follow-ups as subtasks to keep reviews moving.
MessagingShare non-actionable updates within Asana without adding unnecessary tasks. Messages reach individuals, teams, or projects and link back to related work for context.
Mobile. Access tasks, inbox updates, notifications, and messages from iOS or Android so work is visible wherever you are.

Recommended apps

Microsoft Teams. Connect conversations to tasks and manage work during meetings without switching tools.
Slack. Turn messages and requests into trackable tasks with assignees and due dates.
Google Workplace. Attach Drive files directly to tasks using the built-in file picker.
Vimeo. Record short videos inside Asana to share updates, feedback, or context without scheduling a meeting.

Create a crisis management plan template

FAQs about crisis management planning

What is crisis management planning?

Crisis management is the practice of preparing for, responding to, and recovering from events that disrupt normal operations or threaten people, reputation, or assets. It requires teams to anticipate serious crisis scenarios and plan effective responses when issues arise. Crisis management planning addresses practical questions such as emergency staffing, employee well-being, and workspace hazards, and involves human resources and legal counsel when risks extend beyond on-site operations. Crisis communication teams prepare available resources, designate a spokesperson, and outline disaster recovery steps to stabilize the situation and restore normal operations.

What’s the difference between incident management and crisis management?

Incident management and crisis management are both forms of risk mitigation, but they function on different scales and timelines. Incident management addresses immediate, short-term issues that teams can quickly resolve, such as misleading claims spreading on social media. Crisis management planning handles larger, high-impact events that threaten long-term business operations, reputation, or safety. Events like a global pandemic or a natural disaster during business hours require a coordinated response documented in a crisis management plan, often guided by a crisis response plan template that addresses ongoing disruption rather than a single incident.

What are the 5 P’s of crisis management?

The 5 P’s of crisis management offer a practical approach to emergency planning that prepares first responders and teams to handle disruptions, respond under pressure, and recover effectively. While there are variations, the five commonly used principles are:

Prevent: Identify potential risks early and take steps to reduce the likelihood of a crisis.
Prepare: Use a crisis management plan template to define roles, communication paths, and a documented action plan before a crisis occurs.
Practice: Test the plan through simulations so teams understand their responsibilities during a crisis situation.
Perform: Follow the crisis response plan during a real event, adhering to predefined steps instead of improvising.
Post-crisis: Review outcomes, capture Review results, gather lessons learned, and revise the crisis management plan to improve future recovery strategies.

Together, these five principles form a crisis management framework that teams can reliably apply across various scenarios.

How do you write a crisis management plan?

How do you use a crisis management plan template?

You use a crisis management plan template by customizing it to your organization’s risks, roles, and response requirements before a crisis happens. Teams begin by outlining responsibilities, communication channels, and a clear action plan, then assign owners so everyone knows what to do during a crisis. As conditions change, teams revise the template to address new risks, staffing adjustments, or lessons learned, which keeps the crisis management plan relevant and ready to use when normal operations are interrupted.

Crisis management plan

INTEGRATED FEATURES

Recommended apps

What is a crisis management plan template?

What are the benefits of using a crisis management plan template?

What to include in your crisis management plan template

Integrated features

Recommended apps

FAQs about crisis management planning

What is crisis management planning?.css-i4fobf{-webkit-transition:-webkit-transform 200ms ease-in-out;transition:transform 200ms ease-in-out;-webkit-transform:rotateZ(0);-moz-transform:rotateZ(0);-ms-transform:rotateZ(0);transform:rotateZ(0);}

What’s the difference between incident management and crisis management?

What are the 5 P’s of crisis management?

How do you write a crisis management plan?

How do you use a crisis management plan template?

Related templates

Strategic planning

Business plan

Business model canvas

Create a crisis management template with Asana

What is crisis management planning?