Day 1: Designing Scenarios and Exercise Objectives

Defining Exercise Objectives

• Scope covering participants and processes
• Observable criteria for successful performance
• Expected outputs from exercise activity
• Objectives measuring specific organizational capabilities

Planning Crisis Scenarios

• Critical decisions embedded within scenario
• Ending clarifies likely response outcome
• Plausible opening condition for scenario
• Developments change level of threat

Designing Readiness Exercises

• Safety plan maintained throughout delivery
• Exercise scope managed effectively
• Scenario avoids revealing expected answers
• Inject timing aligned with responses

Day 2: Running Simulations and Controlling Injects

Facilitating Crisis Simulations

• Pacing that simulates real pressure
• Information released by scenario timing
• Limited intervention from facilitators
• Documenting decisions during simulation

Managing Scenario Injects

• Injects testing specific capabilities
• Timing linked to scenario progression
• Alternatives based on participant response
• Log controlling event sequence

Observing and Evaluating Exercises

• Predefined criteria for exercise observation
• Objective evidence of performance
• Separating facts from impressions
• Gaps linked to specific capabilities

Day 3: Leadership and Decisions Under Pressure

Leadership Decisions During Crises

• Review of likely option consequences
• Time available before decision deadline
• Risks of delay versus haste
• Information sufficient for sound decisions

Leadership During Crisis Situations

• Crisis management team authority levels
• Decision cadence under operational pressure
• Leading teams through uncertainty
• Maintaining organizational trust during crisis

Managing Escalation and Decision Points

• Decision authority at escalation level
• Situations requiring senior leadership intervention
• Documenting reasons for escalation decisions
• Escalation thresholds by event severity

Day 4: Operating the EOC and Coordinating Resources

EOC Operations and Common Operating Picture

• Log of decisions and actions
• Regular cadence for short briefings
• Operations center responsibility structure
• Unified operational picture across teams

Coordinating a Joint Response

• Resolving conflicts across response agencies
• Clear roles for participating organizations
• Unified channels across response teams
• Unified objectives during joint response

Managing Crisis Communication

• Essential information for target audiences
• Channel suited to event speed
• Language maintains trust and clarity
• Updates when material developments occur

Day 5: Reviewing Exercises and Capturing Lessons

Conducting After-Action Reviews

• Performance achieved against objectives
• Main causes behind performance outcomes
• Corrective actions with clear closure
• Owners and dates for improvements

Reviewing Simulation Outcomes

• Practices worth institutionalizing for future
• Lessons transferred into plans systematically
• Facts documented before interpretation begins
• Main causes behind performance gaps

Simulation Performance Improvement Plan

• Escalation when closure is delayed
• Logically prioritized list of actions
• Clear owner for every action
• Success criterion before implementation begins

• Tabletop exercise using controllers and evaluators
• Evaluation forms separating observed facts from impressions
• After-action review and corrective-action planning exercise
• Workshop defining observable exercise objectives and success criteria