[BL-WSQ] 330 [TE] Executing Tests and Exercises

Overview

This is the final course and implementation stage whereby you are about to attend the third one-day WSQ BCM workshop organised in-house. This one day session can be conducted to learn on how testing and exercising is conducted.

This article is the seventh and last installment of the "WSQ Funded BCM Project" series.  This is the reading for participants embarking on a BCM implementation using a combination of training with funding from the Singapore government and consulting to develop, implement and finalize its BCM program for an organisation.

When the business continuity plan is complete, the logical next step would be to ensure that the plan works the way it was intended, and if there are errors, omissions or unforeseen side-effects, these are identified and addressed.

This module aims to equip participants with the know-how of planning and executing a test or exercise. Participants should apply this knowledge with their respective business units and complete one cycle of testing with them.

The process of conducting the "Testing and Exercising" module or "TE" in the WSQ-based BCM Project is as follows:

1. Supplementary Readings

Participants will receive emails containing bite-size information on business continuity strategies. The purpose of doing so is to introduce them to the key concepts ahead of the coming workshop. This helps participants optimize their time at the workshop.

What participants should do:

Participants are encouraged to read through the supplementary material and jot down any questions they may have.

2. Workshop

A workshop is conducted to guide business unit BCM coordinators to use the findings from the earlier phases to:

1. Design and plan for a test or exercise
2. Execute the test or exercise
3. Report the findings and follow-ups of the test or exercise 

    

The first part of the workshop focuses on teaching participants about the principles and theories of testing and exercising. The second part will allow participants to learn by having them design an exercise and executing it with their course-mates.

Templates are used to facilitate the above testing and exercising processes. 

What participants should do "Before" the workshop.

Participants are encouraged to read the email supplementary materials before the workshop and review BC plan that has been developed in the previous module.

What participants should do "During" the workshop.

Participants will use the templates to design and conduct a mini-exercise in class. All templates are to be completed and submitted to the facilitator at the end of the workshop.

The soft copy of the TE templates will be sent to participants before the workshop; participants should load the templates into their laptops and have them available during the workshop.

Participants should also bring to the workshop the templates from the earlier phases.

It is useful to note that because the workshop is a 1-time group event, it is important that participants lock this event in their calendars. No repeat workshop will be conducted for absent participants and there is a possibility that SSG will not approve the course subsidy if the participant is absent for more than 75% of the module.

3. Demonstration

The workshop facilitator will conduct a short demonstration of how a simple tabletop exercise could be conducted. This demonstration is carried out before participants attempt to design and execute their own tabletop exercise.

4. Assessment

What participants should do:

1. Review the course notes on testing and exercising
2. Be prepared to answer oral questions during the assessment session.

This module completes the cycle of business continuity planning based on WSQ modules.

5.  Public WSQ Course

If you have a new business unit BCM coordinator and is in need of the knowledge for "Testing and exercising", this colleague of yours can attend a similar public WSQ course.  This course is WSQ-BCM-330 (Course code) and it is titled as "Testing and Exercising Business Continuity Plans"

Once this session is completed, you are now ready to conduct tabletop exercises for your own department.

6.  Future Readings on TE

If you are interested in having a deeper insight on testing and exercising processes and techniques, this BCM Planning Series book "Testing & Exercising Your Business Continuity Plan" may be an useful resource for your future learning journey.