The tabletop exercise is the most common kind of training exercise conducted by corporations and governments. It is a very useful training tool that has both advantages and disadvantages, as summarized here:

Advantages of Tabletop Exercises

  • Requires only a modest commitment in terms of time, cost, and resources.
  • Is an effective method for reviewing plans, procedures, and policies.
  • Is a good way to familiarize key personnel with their roles and responsibilities.
  • Is an opportunity to build trust (team building).
  • It stimulates thought processes.
  • Helps focus the team within a specific situation (scenarios such as cyber)
  • Helps identify any issues, challenges and / or assumptions.
  • Helps identify resources necessary to overcome any issues, challenges and / or assumptions.
  • Helps identify means of overcoming any identified issues, challenges and / or assumptions.
  • An opportunity leaders to practice their crisis management leadership skills.

Join the Tabletop Exercises LinkedIn Group

Related: Crisis Simulation Exercise Design & Delivery Process

Disadvantages of Tabletop Exercises  

  • Lacks realism and thus does not provide a true test of a crisis, emergency, security or business continuity management system’s capabilities.
  • Provides only a superficial exercise of plans, procedures, and team capabilities.
  • Does not provide a practical way to demonstrate system overload.
 What would you ad to these lists?

Resource: The Principles of Simulation Exercises Training Course