How do you know if the plans which you have painstakingly created are fit for purpose? Testing and exercising are a vital part of the overall process of plan creation. A BCP which has not undergone a thorough and comprehensive exercise cannot be considered fit for purpose – it is just another document sitting on your shelf.
Exercising highlights any gaps in the plans which can then be addressed to ensure that they are as effective as possible. We will help you run different types of tests dependent upon your needs:
Desktop Walkthrough
This test determines that the necessary actions to take following an incident have been detailed in the plans. Using a scenario which exercises critical factors in the BCP this test can be run with departmental coordinators to walk through their departmental plan or with the Crisis Management Team to walk through their Crisis Management Plan.
Scenario Exercise
The purpose of this exercise is to determine that your BCP will actually work during a large scale incident and that those with incident roles are familiar with what they need to do. Using a scenario this mock incident checks critical factors in the plan such as communications, prioritised relocation, staff welfare, business recovery and incident management. It will involve your crisis management team, departmental coordinators and critical partners who will play the parts they would take up during a real incident.
Glen Abbot will provide injects from people such as the media, emergency services, subject matter experts, interested parties and relatives to ensure the exercise is as realistic as possible and so that the participants get an understanding for how managing an incident would really feel.
Scenario Rehearsal
This exercise builds on the previous tests and checks the BCP in its entirety. It involves representatives from all the teams involved in an incident response and uses a scenario to set the scene. It will start from either an evacuation or the point at which an emergency is declared and participants will relocate to the locations detailed in their plans and they will test the recovery of their critical activities. The Crisis Management Team relocate to the location from which they will manage the incident and injects will be used to build the incident. This exercise will often involve the media, emergency responders, critical suppliers and other interested parties.