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5 Steps to Creating and Delivering Effective
Tabletop Exercises
Rob Burton
Agenda
1. The Tabletop Exercise 2. Advantages and Disadvantages 3. The 5 Steps to Creating and Delivering Effective
Tabletop Exercises 4. What Next? Do You Have an Exercise Strategy? 5. PreparedEx
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The Tabletop Exercise
• Informal and Stress-free Environment• Clear and Achievable Objectives (Roles &
Responsibilities, Procedures, Policies)• Guided by Facilitator(s) and Evaluator(s) • Discuss and Solve Problems as a Group• Scalable (Operations, Communications,
Leadership)
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A Missed Opportunity
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Why is it a Missed Opportunity?
1. Not Defining Clear and Achievable Objectives
2. Inviting the Wrong Audience
3. Not Creating an Engaging Storyline the Involves Everyone
4. Not Making it Visually Appealing – Get Creative
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Why is it a Missed Opportunity?
5. Not Having an Evaluation Criteria
6. Too Challenging or Not Enough – The Balance
7. Ineffective Pre-Read Material – They Never Read It
8. Forward Thinking– What’s the Exercise Strategy?
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5 Steps to Creating and Delivering Effective
Tabletop Exercises
Rob Burton
Advantages
1. Doesn’t require too much effort with regards to logistics, and can be delivered in almost any setting
2. An effective way to review plans, procedures, and company policies
5 Steps to Creating and Delivering Effective
Tabletop Exercises
Rob Burton
Advantages
3. An effective way to familiarize team members with their roles and responsibilities and start to build trust
5 Steps to Creating and Delivering Effective
Tabletop Exercises
Rob Burton
Advantages
3. An effective way to familiarize team members with their roles and responsibilities
Disadvantages
1. Not as realistic as a functional exercise where systems and processes are usually utilized during exercise play
5 Steps to Creating and Delivering Effective
Tabletop Exercises
Rob Burton
Advantages
3. An effective way to familiarize team members with their roles and responsibilities
Disadvantages
2. Provides a lower level assessment of how the organization may perform during a real event
3. Often doesn’t represent all the chaos and noise that is associated with a crisis
The 5 Step Process
• Years of experience (design, delivery and evaluation) • Processes from military, fire, police, EMS and various
other government organizations
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1 2 3 4 5
Why We Created The 5 Steps Process
1. No standardized clear process for creating tabletop exercises 2. Professionalizes a current training tool that is not formalized 3. Creates a clear path to successful tabletop exercises 4. Fills existing gaps that are evident in almost every exercise 5. Establishes you as an exercise leader within your organization or
field of expertise 6. Creates a foundation for future growth (functional and full-scale) 7. Ensures that each exercise is captivating and achieves objectives
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5 Steps to Creating and Delivering an
Effective Tabletop Exercise
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1. Initial Preparation
2. Exercise and
Scenario Design
3. Final Pre-Exercise
Preparation
4. Delivery and
Evaluation
5. Post Exercise
Step 1 - The Initial Preparation
• Set Clear Objectives (what are you evaluating? Ensure objectives are achievable)
• Select the Type of Exercise (Tabletop or other)
• Identify Exercise Participants (Players, Actors etc…)
• Identify the Control Team (includes evaluator(s))
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Step 1 - The Initial Preparation
• Define the Evaluation Criteria (Benchmark)
• Discuss Potential Scenario(s)
• Location(s) and Date(s)
• Documentation Requirements (Internal governance and/or external regulatory)
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Step 2 – Exercise Design and Scenario Development
• Draft the Scenario (a script that is the storyline)
• Break out the Storyline in the MSEL (Master Sequence of Events List)
• Injects (the event) and Delivery (actual) Time
• Recipient(s) (groups or individuals)
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Step 2 – Exercise Design and Scenario Development
• Expected Responses• Simulated Time (often several days or weeks are
compressed into the session) • Create Visuals (simulated news, social media, image
manipulation and more) This is a proven way to help keep players engaged.
• Prepare a Players Handbook (sent one week prior, has objectives, expectations, agenda, and more….)
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QUESTIONS?
Step 3 – Final Exercise Preparation
• Ensure Training Location(s) are Fully Equipped and Working
• Finalize the Players Handbook and Distribute
• Confirm all players know where to be and when
• This is also in the player handbook which sometimes isn’t reviewed by every participant
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Step 3 – Final Exercise Preparation
• Ensure breakout rooms (if applicable) are ready with whiteboards and other equipment
• Brief the Control Team (including any actors and evaluators)
• Ask yourself these final questions:1. What issues might there be during the session?2. Do we have everything in place to ensure
this will be successful?
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Step 4 – Exercise Delivery and Evaluation
• Opening Address (senior person opens, reaffirming the objectives and importance of the event)
• Exercise Director remind the participants of the agenda and describes the process (Input – Action - Output)
• Issues Board (a board used to document gaps that are raised during the session)
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Step 4 – Exercise Delivery and Evaluation
• Event Management (coaching moments shouldn’t be ignored, move teams around when possible)
• Hot Wash (debrief to gather feedback, wrap-up session) Ensure you have a Hot Wash agenda ready so you don’t waste this time
• Deliver with Energy and Enthusiasm
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Step 5 – Post Exercise
• Gather all Information (team responses, issues board, evaluator data, feedback form)
• Conduct the AAC (After Action Conference) This is a meeting is held no more than two weeks after the exercise to review issues as well as accomplishments.
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Step 5 – Post Exercise
• Finalize AAR (After Action Report)
• Implement the Recommendations
• Prepare to validate updated changes (process starts again)
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Simulated Multi-Media
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Simulated Graphics
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What Next?
Strategic Approach: How are exercises connected to training and performance objectives?
Establish the Foundation – Why do we need an exercise program?
Base of Support – Leadership, management, participants and other key stakeholders
Framework - Top management should identify policy areas and competence capabilities that need to be exercised and set the overall conceptual framework for exercises
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Needs and Gap Analysis
• The organization should perform a needs and gap analysis with the expected outcomes:
• establish the need for exercises and testing;• build the foundation including the aim for the development of
exercises and testing;• recognize the role of exercises and testing in managing the risks to the
organization; and• accept the need to manage the risks of conducting exercises and
testing.
Ref: ISO 22398 Societal Security — Guidelines for Exercises and Testing
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Summary Missed Opportunity – Don’t Let That Happen Tabletop Exercises:
o Informal and Stress-free Environmento Clear and Achievable Objectives o Guided by Facilitator(s) and Evaluator(s) o Discuss and Solve Problems as a Group (Builds Trust)o Scalable (Operations, Communications, Leadership)
Missed Opportunity – Don’t Let That Happen 5 Steps to Creating and Delivering Effective Tabletop Exercises Exercise Program – What’s Your Strategy?
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Questions and Answers
• We will answer all questions
• We will be sending you a feedback questionnaire and PDF resource in the next few days
• Copy of this Webinar
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About PreparedEx
• Trusted Crisis Management and Exercise Partner • Create Exercise Programs and Strategies • Design, Deliver and Evaluate Exercises • Part of the Design Process is to Review Plans and Processes
(Advantage)• Exercise Training Courses (eLearning) • Free Webinars, Podcasts, Newsletters and Blogs• LinkedIn Group – Tabletop Exercises
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LIKE WE RESPOND”
“WE SHOULD TRAIN
PHOTO CAPTION
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