Conducting the Perfect Table Top Exercise. Agenda. I. Objectives of Session

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Conducting the Perfect Table Top Exercise. Agenda. I. Objectives of Session"

Lucas Buck Mathews
8 years ago
Views:

1 Conducting the Perfect Table Top Exercise Rich Schiesser RWS Enterprises, Inc. Agenda I. Objectives of Session II. Benefits of a TTE III. Pre-Exercise Steps IV. Execution Steps V. Post-Exercise Steps VI. Summary of Take-Aways I. Objectives of Session 1. Describe How to Plan, Execute and Debrief the Perfect TTE 2. Share Real World Situations from Conducting Numerous TTEs 3. Encourage Audience Interaction Concerning TTE Experiences 4. Offer Several Practical Take-Aways to Optimize Your Next TTE 1

Objectives of Session 1. Describe How to Plan, Execute and Debrief the Perfect TTE 2.

2 II. Benefits of TTE 1. Validates the contents, accuracy, usefulness and thoroughness of a business continuity recovery plan 2. Identifies areas for improvement 3. Confirms proper sequence of recovery tasks 4. Determines likely measures of recovery times and recovery points 5. Compares RTO & RPO to likely actual values III. Pre-Exercise Steps (Summary) 1. Select appropriate business unit 2. Identify BCP sponsor 3. Contact sponsor to set up meeting 4. Schedule sponsor meeting 5. Prepare exercise material 6. Discuss key items with sponsor 7. Verify availability of resources III. Pre-Exercise Steps (Summary) 8. Send out invitations 9. Schedule meeting 10. Request room materials 11. Print copies of exercise documents 12. Collate and staple forms 13. Develop and use attendance sheet 14. Prepare and retain key documents 2

Select appropriate business unit 2. Identify BCP sponsor 3. Contact sponsor to set up meeting 4. Schedule sponsor meeting 5. Prepare exercise material 6. Discuss key items with sponsor 7.

3 III. Pre-Exercise Steps (Detail) 1. Select appropriate business unit use appropriate criteria such as priority, maturity, support 2. Identify BCP sponsor consider first or second level managers of the business unit and plan 3. Contact sponsor to set up meeting give sponsor a head s up as to purpose of meeting 4. Schedule sponsor meeting select time and place most conducive to a productive meeting III. Pre-Exercise Steps (Detail) 5. Prepare exercise material, including: - Agenda - Objectives - Assumptions - Scenario - Unplanned Events - Lessons Learned Techniques - Session Evaluation - Copy of the business continuity plan III. Pre-Exercise Steps (Detail) 6. Discuss key items with sponsor: - objectives of the exercise - identification participants - optimal date and time of exercise - number and addresses of specific locations - appropriateness of scenario - number and type of unplanned events - assumptions - agenda for the exercise 3

Schedule sponsor meeting select time and place most conducive to a productive meeting III. Pre-Exercise Steps (Detail) 5.

4 III. Pre-Exercise Steps (Detail) 7. Verify availability of resources such as participants, rooms and video teleconferencing 8. Send out invitation s send out at least two weeks prior and confirm two days prior 9. Schedule meeting ensure all participants and sponsor agree with time and location 10. Request room materials provide sufficient white boards, flip charts, easels, pens III. Pre-Exercise Steps (Detail) 11. Print copies of exercise documents presume most will not bring their own copies 12. Collate and staple forms combine agenda, objectives, assumptions, voting form, evaluation 13. Develop and use attendance sheet suggest printing of name, extension and department 14. Prepare and retain key documents hold scenario and unplanned events until appropriate IV. Exercise Steps (Summary) 1. Pass out initial material 2. Circulate attendance sheet 3. Review agenda, objectives, assumptions 4. Discuss ground rules, roles, time-lining 5. Distribute scenario 6. Ensure participants understand scenario 4

Request room materials provide sufficient white boards, flip charts, easels, pens III. Pre-Exercise Steps (Detail) 11.

5 IV. Exercise Steps (Summary) 7. Timekeeper to initiate time-lining 8. Scribe to initiate note-taking 9. Randomly pass out unplanned events 10. Advise when 10 minutes remain 11. End exercise exactly on time IV. Exercise Steps (Detail) 1. Pass out initial material, including: - Agenda - Objectives - Assumptions - Lessons learned voting forms - Session evaluation - Have copies of BCPs available if needed IV. Exercise Steps (Detail) 2. Circulate attendance sheet periodically check that everyone has filled out sheet completely 3. Review agenda, objectives, assumptions briefly review and clarify any issues about these docs 4. Discuss ground rules, roles, time-lining discuss ground rules, select role players and roles 5. Distribute scenario ensure each participant receives their own copy of the scenario 6. Ensure participants understand scenario - answer any questions that may arise but keep discussions to a minimum 5

Pass out initial material, including: - Agenda - Objectives - Assumptions - Lessons learned voting forms - Session evaluation - Have copies of BCPs available if needed IV. Exercise Steps (Detail) 2.

6 IV. Exercise Steps (Detail) 7. Timekeeper to initiate time-lining ensure timelines have been previously set up 8. Scribe to initiate note-taking scribe to record all pertinent actions and decisions 9. Randomly pass out unplanned events use judiciously based on pace of exercise 10. Advise when 10 minutes remain revise recovery sequence if needed to get to key tasks 11. End exercise exactly on time this enables adequate time to conduct lessons learned V. Post-Exercise Steps (Summary) 1. Conduct lessons learned 2. Request voting forms 3. Request session evaluations 4. Collaborate on follow-up logistics 5. Compile session results 6. Schedule follow-up meeting 7. Conduct follow-up meeting 8. Document action items 9. Track action items to completion V. Post Exercise Steps (Detail) 1. Conduct lessons learned use round robin brainstorming, author consensus merging and nominal group technique for prioritizing 2. Request voting forms instruct participants how to fill out voting forms 3. Request session evaluations remind all participants to complete their forms before leaving 4. Collaborate on follow-up logistics have participants agree on time of follow-up session 6

End exercise exactly on time this enables adequate time to conduct lessons learned V. Post-Exercise Steps (Summary) 1. Conduct lessons learned 2. Request voting forms 3. Request session evaluations 4.

7 V. Post Exercise Steps (Detail) 5. Compile session results summarize and analyze prioritized results of participants 6. Schedule follow-up meeting gain agreement as to time of follow-up meeting 7. Conduct follow-up meeting - present summary of lessens learned and analyze of results 8. Document action items record date, assignment and description of each action item 9. Track action items to completion track all action items to ensure they are completed on time VII. Summary of Take-Aways 1. Use appropriate criteria to select business unit to test 2. Secure involvement from business unit sponsor 3. Ensure attendance by all key participants 4. Arrange for role players ahead of time 5. Select scenarios that are challenging and realistic 6. Utilize unplanned events judiciously 7. Conduct lessons learned effectively 8. Follow-up on all improvement suggestions Questions? Rich Schiesser RWS Enterprises, Inc. Real World Solutions

Track action items to completion track all action items to ensure they are completed on time VII. Summary of Take-Aways 1. Use appropriate criteria to select business unit to test 2.

8 Thank You! 8

BUSINESS CONTINUITY TABLETOP EXERCISE (TTEX) GUIDE

BUSINESS CONTINUITY TABLETOP EXERCISE (TTEX) GUIDE 1 Table of Contents What is a Business Continuity Exercise?... 3 Why Exercise?... 3 Why use a Tabletop Exercise?... 3 Business Continuity Exercise Tips...