Three tailored tabletop exercises, each run at a different office, tested a community services organisation’s business continuity plans for cyber, natural disaster and people-related crises.
THE CHALLENGE
A community services organisation delivers essential support from a corporate office and a network of regional offices, so it needs to be ready for disruption at any location. It had developed three business continuity plans, each addressing a different type of threat: cyber incidents, natural disasters, and complex people-related crises such as a hostage situation or bomb threat. The organisation wanted to test each plan in full and assess how well teams in different locations would respond. It needed a specialist to design and facilitate practical simulation exercises that would show whether the plans worked in practice. It also wanted any gaps documented so that its business continuity framework could continue to improve.
OUR APPROACH
Agilient planned, developed and delivered three separate business continuity simulation exercises, each tailored to one threat scenario and held at a different office. Work began with a review of the organisation’s existing business continuity documentation, including all three plans, to understand its operating context, critical services and response protocols. The method aligned with ISO 22301:2019 and used scenario-based testing. Agilient then worked with the organisation’s stakeholders to develop realistic test cases for each scenario, designed to challenge decision-making, communication and coordination. Each 90-minute tabletop exercise involved the relevant personnel and tested specific elements of the corresponding plan. Throughout, Agilient recorded observations on team responses, plan activation, resource allocation and coordination between sites. A structured debrief followed each exercise to capture reflections and lessons while they were fresh. Results from all three exercises were then consolidated into a single report.
THE OUTCOME
The organisation received consolidated, evidence-based findings on how its business continuity arrangements performed across all three scenarios.
- Three facilitated tabletop exercises, held at different offices, covering cyber, natural disaster and people-related crisis scenarios
- Structured debriefs capturing lessons learned immediately after each exercise
- A Key Findings Report documenting gaps and practical, prioritised recommendations for continuous improvement
Related services: business continuity consulting, business resilience programs, exercising and testing. To discuss a similar project, contact Agilient.