T8: Overall Test and Exercise Schedule

Testing Business Continuity Exercises

This is a series of useful templates that you can use to develop the Testing and Exercising program.

Overall Test and Exercise Schedule

Explanation

In order to constantly upgrade the readiness of the plan, a series of corporate-wide progressive testing with increasing extent and scope is needed. This template is a sample of this continuous and progressive testing.

Note that for those who are attending the crisis management, crisis communication and IT disaster recovery certification courses, the type of courses or "Categories of Test" will defer and you are expected to refer to the specific course assignment templates.

Frequency

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Category of Test

Quarter

1. Component Tests:

Each component be tested once during a 12-month period

a. Confirm availability/ version of plan

b. Retrieve vital hard records from offsite locations

c. Contact staff, suppliers & other contacts

d. Check lead times for critical equipment

e. Check currency of the lists in the plan

f. Confirm alternate (recovery) site readiness

g. Test BU Coordinators’ knowledge of BU’s BC plan

h. Spot check of vital records

i. Recall offsite storage

2. Telephone Notification Call Tree

4 times per year

3. Walk-through

On Plan completion, whenever actions change for more than one team member

4. Integrated

Once per 18 months

5. Incident Simulation

Once per 18 months

6. Partial Simulation

Once per 24 months from commencement of plan implementation

7. Full Simulation/ Live Test

Once per year from last partial re-location then alternate tests 6 and 7

Reference

Goh, M. H. (2006). Testing and Exercising Your Business Continuity Plan. Business Continuity Management Series (2nd ed.). Singapore: GMH Pte Ltd.

Extracted from "Chapter 30: T8: Overall Test and Exercise Schedule"

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