Exercise management: New thoughts on an old process

Many organisations fail to grasp the significance of a well-constructed resilience exercise and do not utilise the process or findings to the best advantage. The changing operating environment, the complexity of businesses, the interaction and interconnectivity of public and private sector organisations, and the introduction of legislation mandating the conduct of exercises has changed the scope and adequacy of exercises, with increased focus on the ‘correct’ way of developing and conducting them. However, while appropriate exercise management courses have been conducted in the public sector, these have not been readily available to the private sector. Organisations unable to access these resources have had to rely on external providers or the expertise of internal staff. As a result, the types and relevance of exercises vary greatly. This paper argues that, rather than simply writing a scenario and conducting the exercise, what is actually required is a logical process to identify the organisation’s objectives and the reasons for conducting the exercise. These aims and objectives provide a clear focus for the exercise and a relevant scenario to support their achievement.