In today’s digital age, cyber threats are becoming increasingly prevalent, sophisticated, and potentially devastating to businesses and organizations of all sizes. As a result, it is crucial for organizations to establish a robust cybersecurity incident response plan, train their employees, and conduct regular exercises to ensure preparedness. In this blog post, we will explore the…
Crisis management exercises are an essential component of any organization’s preparedness strategy. These exercises allow teams to test their crisis response plans, identify areas for improvement, and build the skills and confidence needed to respond effectively to a crisis. One type of exercise that is particularly useful for this purpose is the functional exercise. A…
In any organization, crisis management is key to weathering unexpected storms. But what happens after the storm has passed? Is your organization prepared to quickly and effectively recover? Remediation planning is the critical next step in maintaining a strong crisis management plan. Here are 5 steps to ensure your organization is prepared for post-crisis recovery….
Once the crisis response simulation exercise has identified gaps in crisis management planning, leaders must work to create and implement a plan to remediate these findings. This can include creating additional processes or protocols, staffing up crisis teams with trained personnel, and developing technologies that will help manage and respond to crisis events. Gathering lessons-to-be-learned…
At the end of your exercise, it is the time to gather information to be included in the After Action Report (AAR). To prepare the AAR, exercise evaluators analyze data collected from the hot wash, debrief, Participant Feedback Forms, and other sources (e.g., plans, policies, procedures, criteria developed for the exercise, standards within the industry,…
A crisis can happen to any organization, no matter how big or small. When a crisis does occur, it is important that the leadership team is prepared to handle it effectively. Unfortunately, many organizations fail in crisis management due to a number of reasons. In this blog post, we will outline ten of the most…
The “hot wash,” another term borrowed from the military, is the “after-action” discussions and evaluations of an organization’s performance immediately following an exercise/war game, training session, or an actual major event. Coming right on the heels of the exercise, people’s thoughts are fresh and insightful and are therefore highly valuable to the organization’s preparedness. In…
During the course of the exercise, there will be times when an issue surfaces that cannot be resolved because of exercise time constraints. We define an “issue” as something whose resolution is important to the organization’s crisis or business continuity plan, but that cannot be resolved during the time available for the exercise. These issues…
The saying “a picture paints a thousand words” has never been as true in the world of simulation exercises. The only difference is that it’s not just pictures that can create realism and keep participants engaged. It has never been easier to create simulation videos, audio recordings, manipulated images, simulated social media and much more….
The exercise facilitator and control team will control the exercise through the Master Scenario Events List (MSEL). The MSEL is the primary document used to conduct the exercise, providing the framework for monitoring and managing the flow of exercise activities. It shows when events are expected to occur and when to insert event-implementer messages into…