The worst thing to experience at times has to deal with unexpected events, such as floods, disasters and sudden catastrophes. While these are totally unforeseen, the effects they have not only falls on the personal safety, but hampering business operations as well. Limited accessibility, being made to operate on borrowed time and critical resources. This is of course something that most people would avoid, especially for companies that need to pick up on their sales tracks and start racking in profits for better overall operations. 
Such events cannot be avoided. They are naturally bound to bother any organization during a fiscal year. That is why proper budgeting and planning for the year should include such probabilities of fortuitous events. No one can really have a clear picture of things to come, and only through proper forecasting techniques will they be able to do so. Leaving room for such contingencies would never hurt, although this should not be used as an excuse for poor performance measures. Allowance for conflicts and problems should never be taken for granted and businesses alike should do the same.
The proper budgeting and pressure that management enforces on the different departments even during the peak seasons of the year is only normal. It is better to be a step ahead rather than cramming at the last minute to keep their heads above water. No one would want to see their company operate in the red, and this is something most businessmen are quite delicate about. The figures shown to management at periodic reports speak louder than actual operations, hence it is better for the people behind the operational tasks to be ready for good and worst things to come.
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Originally posted on July 25, 2006 @ 9:55 am