Independent review and facilitation turned a Commonwealth regulator’s draft continuity scenario into a realistic business continuity exercise that tested its Business Continuity Plan and clarified leadership roles.
THE CHALLENGE
A Commonwealth regulator relies on uninterrupted operations to carry out approvals, compliance monitoring and risk assessment for the organisations it oversees. Disruption from system failures, cyber incidents or external crises could delay decisions and affect those who depend on its oversight. The agency had developed a business continuity scenario, approved by its executive leadership team, but wanted independent validation and expert refinement before testing it. It needed assurance that the exercise was realistic, well structured and capable of exposing weaknesses. The aim was to move from theoretical planning to practical validation, confirming that its Business Continuity Plan could protect sensitive information and maintain regulatory functions under pressure.
OUR APPROACH
Agilient was engaged to review, refine and facilitate the exercise. The team began with a detailed review of the agency’s draft scenario, providing feedback to align the exercise with good practice under ISO 22301:2019 and AS/NZS 5050. Agilient refined the exercise structure and helped design real-time injects that introduced the unpredictability of a live incident, so participants had to respond as events developed rather than follow a fixed script. During the facilitated session, Agilient guided key participants through the scenario, managed discussion and supported decision-making in line with the agency’s Business Continuity Plan. A hot debrief at the close of the session captured immediate observations while they were fresh. Agilient then prepared a post-exercise report setting out key insights and recommendations for maturing the agency’s resilience arrangements.
THE OUTCOME
The exercise gave the agency an evidence-based assessment of its current response capability and the effectiveness of its plan, with a clear path for improvement.
- A refined, realistic exercise scenario with real-time injects, built on the agency’s own draft
- Identification of specific gaps in continuity arrangements and clearer leadership roles and responsibilities in a crisis
- A post-exercise report with actionable recommendations for improving the agency’s business continuity approach and protecting its regulatory operations
Related services: business continuity consulting, crisis management consultants, exercising and testing. Sector experience: government security consultant. To discuss a similar project, contact Agilient.