Testing your organisation s readiness Running an emergency exercise

Business Continuity Lifecycle

yo ur bu sin es s lop ve De an pl ur yo

Kn ow

Communicate

Exercise

Audit

Im pl em en t

yo ur pl an

in ta ain M an pl ur yo

Maintain

Relationships BIA BCP - Exercising

BIA

BCP

Test Plan
Review & Approval

A BIA analyses the resources required to perform a process; that is: IT Applications, people, suppliers, location, interdependencies, telephony etc All resources identified in the BIA should be assessed for necessity in business continuity mode and should be recorded in the BCP. A test plan should capture all resources and where necessary, RTOs & RPOs identified through the BIA and BC modes and test the accuracy and availability of each. Approval of test plans should be sought as a disruption to business as usual will occur. Test reports record necessary amendments and possible process improvements.

Testing
Review & Approval

Test Report
Review & Approval

Preparing a test plan

Define how and what you are going to test
Will it be a:
Desktop Scenario Partial Live Scenario Live Scenario

Test Plan

What will be included:

Set the scene Identified resources from BIA and BC mode Whose going to test the BCP? When is the test to be conducted?

Testing
Review & Approval

The BCP Test Report

Outcomes of the exercise
Confirms the type of test conducted:

Test Report
contains

Desktop Scenario

Partial Live Scenario

Live Scenario

What was included:

The scene Identified resources exercised Who tested the BCP? When was the test conducted?

The outcomes:
Alternate contingency measures Process modification / improvement Plan accuracy Identified actions / amendments

Review & Approval

Exercising
Planning and Preparedness

Education

Collaboration

Innovation

Shared knowledge

Accurate data

Process improvement

contributes to

Strong organisation resilience

Experience

Predefined decisions

Adaptability

Understanding

Anticipate

Exercising at State Water

State Water Overview

New South Wales rural bulk water delivery business. Driving economic success, sustains prosperous regional communities, and enriches the nation. Maintains and operates major infrastructure to deliver bulk water to approximately 6,300 licensed water users on the states regulated rivers. Delivers a total annual average of approximately 4,600 gigalitres. A state-owned corporation. An asset portfolio of $3.5 billion. In the process of upgrading seven dams across the state, injecting more than a quarter of a billion dollars into regional community infrastructure over the next five years.

Exercising State Water

Desktop exercises to walk through and familiarise teams with new BCPs Validate information:
key contacts key employees required resources and RTOs and RPOs loss of resource response procedures manual workarounds

Scenario building
Critical processes Use realistic scenarios
Understand the business unit Understand interdependencies Examine process weaknesses Loss of key IT applications and networks Loss of key employees Natural disasters or frequency of the process

Management approval

Participation in exercise approval of scenario

Preparing an exercise
Pre - exercise preparation: Arrange a facilitator/observer, if necessary? Allow plenty of time for the exercise Depending on the type of exercise, ensure all key employees / recipients / suppliers / dependents of the process are available for the exercise Prepare copies of the BCP and Test Plan for participant along with pens and markers What do participants need to bring with them? Is it a walk through of the plan or a pull up stumps and go type exercise? Are recovery resources available to enable a pull up stumps and go exercise? Ensure participants understand the aim of the exercise Provide guidance when needed Allow time for breaks Butchers paper, pens, markers, sticky notes

Conducting an exercise Welcome Provide background on the BC Program.

What it is? Why it is?

How will the day be conducted? Assign roles where necessary Encourage discussion Document points for review, decisions and amendments

Benefits of participation
A Resilient organisation Improved planning and preparedness Increased responsiveness Ability to maintain an acceptable level of service A new eyes approach to risk Increased understanding Knowledge exchange Acceptance of the BCM program Enhances the learning organisation philosophy Process enhancements

Other benefits

Clarification getting people on the same page Credible scenarios means a realistic, eye opening experience which enables invaluable contributions from players

Analysing results

Validates required actions in a response situation Identify process enhancement Highlight shortfalls in the process Adds value to the BCP Amendment where necessary Future guidance for management

Next

Annual review of process Incorporate results of exercise into BCP Perform live scenario with relocation