Exercises · Businesses
Test your plan before reality does
An untested continuity plan is a hypothesis. Four drills of half a day at most, needing neither budget nor consultants.
Cythin — crisis-cell exercises
Open-source platform to design, run and debrief a full exercise: simulated e-mail, chat, press and phone, timed injects, running log and after-action report.
Open Cythin ↗Four drills at SME scale
Warn management, cap the duration, and record the debrief: that is what improves the plan.
💡A short, regular drill beats a big, rare one: aim for at least one exercise a year, and a written debrief after each.
The crisis-directory test
Goal. Check that you can reach the right people without corporate e-mail.
How it runs
- Pick a quiet hour and warn management, not the participants.
- Trigger the call chain set out in the continuity plan, starting from the first link.
- Record who answers, how fast, and through which channel.
Debrief — the questions to ask
- How many people were unreachable, and why?
- Were personal contact details up to date and available outside the IT system?
- Does the chain hold if the first link is away?
The backup restore
Goal. Prove a backup can actually be restored — the only evidence that counts.
How it runs
- Pick a critical file or database, and a backup at least a week old.
- Restore it to a test environment, leaving production untouched.
- Time it and check the integrity of the restored data.
Debrief — the questions to ask
- Did the restore complete, and how long did it take?
- Is that delay compatible with what the business can absorb?
- Was the offline copy usable without the network?
The tabletop: loss of premises
Goal. Run the plan cold, around a table, with no equipment or staging.
How it runs
- Gather the crisis team for two hours around one scenario: the premises are unusable this morning.
- Work through the plan step by step; a facilitator adds a complication every twenty minutes.
- Keep a log of decisions and their timing.
Debrief — the questions to ask
- Which essential activities could not restart?
- Which decisions lacked a clearly designated owner?
- What must be fixed in the plan before the next exercise?
The evacuation
Goal. Check the premises empty fast and that nobody is left behind — the most classic drill, and often a legal requirement.
How it runs
- Announce the scenario at the agreed time: a fire on the second floor, for instance.
- Evacuate to the meeting point, with wardens at their posts.
- Do the roll-call and headcount, then debrief on the spot.
Debrief — the questions to ask
- How long did it take to empty the premises?
- Was anyone forgotten, or did anyone stay at their desk?
- Did the wardens know their role?
- Which route was blocked, and why?