In any discussion on continuity of operations, it is reasonable to ask, “Why should my organization invest in a tabletop exercise program?”

 

While the reasons are many, some that serve as a foundation for a strategic-based approach to tabletop exercise programs include:

 

  1. Increased operational resilience: Operational resilience requires comprehensive knowledge of the organization; as such, it cannot be achieved by a single department or managed by a single individual. Best business practice calls for effective BCP’s (Business Continuity Plans), EAP’s (Emergency Action Plans), CMP’s (Crisis Management Plans) as well as other plans based on the organizations needs. These plans are only effective once they’ve been validated through an exercise program. The result is a greater opportunity to actualize operational resilience enterprise-wide.

Related: 5 Common Tabletop Exercise Mistakes

 

  1. Enhanced protection of shareholder value: Studies have shown that organizations who experience an outage without any plan in place have a more difficult time recovering; for many, lost revenue may lead to closed businesses or significant decrease in value as well as reputational damage.

 

  1. Improved operational effectiveness and efficiency: Experience has shown that the collaborative style required to conduct effective simulation exercises will invariably identify gaps in response planning and capabilities which are counterproductive to a resilient operation, and which are usually also counter to operational effectiveness. The result of mitigating the findings though comprehensive tabletop exercises and other types of exercises will usually lead to a more effective and efficient organization.

 

Free eBook Download! 5 Steps to Creating and Delivering Tabletop Exercises

Rob Burton

Rob Burton

Rob is a Principal at PreparedEx where he manages a team of crisis preparedness professionals and has over 20 years of experience preparing for and responding to crises. Part of his leadership role includes assisting PreparedEx clients in designing, implementing and evaluating crisis, emergency, security and business continuity management programs. During his career Rob has worked for the US State Department’s Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program, as a crisis management consultant in Pakistan and Afghanistan where he negotiated with the UN and Pashtun tribal warlords and he served with the United Kingdom Special Forces where he operated internationally under hazardous covert and confidential conditions. Rob was also part of a disciplined and prestigious unit The Grenadier Guards where he served Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at the Royal Palaces in London. Rob was a highly trained and experienced infantryman serving in Desert Storm and commanded covert operational teams and was a sniper. Rob has keynoted disaster recovery conferences and participated in live debates on FOX News regarding complex security requirements and terrorism. Rob has a Queen’s Commendation for Bravery.