- Management Reference Guide
- Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Strategic Management
- Establishing Goals, Objectives, and Strategies
- Aligning IT Goals with Corporate Business Goals
- Utilizing Effective Planning Techniques
- Developing Worthwhile Mission Statements
- Developing Worthwhile Vision Statements
- Instituting Practical Corporate Values
- Budgeting Considerations in an IT Environment
- Introduction to Conducting an Effective SWOT Analysis
- IT Governance and Disaster Recovery, Part One
- IT Governance and Disaster Recovery, Part Two
- Customer Management
- Identifying Key External Customers
- Identifying Key Internal Customers
- Negotiating with Customers and Suppliers—Part 1: An Introduction
- Negotiating With Customers and Suppliers—Part 2: Reaching Agreement
- Negotiating and Managing Realistic Customer Expectations
- Service Management
- Identifying Key Services for Business Users
- Service-Level Agreements That Really Work
- How IT Evolved into a Service Organization
- FAQs About Systems Management (SM)
- FAQs About Availability (AV)
- FAQs About Performance and Tuning (PT)
- FAQs About Service Desk (SD)
- FAQs About Change Management (CM)
- FAQs About Configuration Management (CF)
- FAQs About Capacity Planning (CP)
- FAQs About Network Management
- FAQs About Storage Management (SM)
- FAQs About Production Acceptance (PA)
- FAQs About Release Management (RM)
- FAQs About Disaster Recovery (DR)
- FAQs About Business Continuity (BC)
- FAQs About Security (SE)
- FAQs About Service Level Management (SL)
- FAQs About Financial Management (FN)
- FAQs About Problem Management (PM)
- FAQs About Facilities Management (FM)
- Process Management
- Developing Robust Processes
- Establishing Mutually Beneficial Process Metrics
- Change Management—Part 1
- Change Management—Part 2
- Change Management—Part 3
- Audit Reconnaissance: Releasing Resources Through the IT Audit
- Problem Management
- Problem Management–Part 2: Process Design
- Problem Management–Part 3: Process Implementation
- Business Continuity Emergency Communications Plan
- Capacity Planning – Part One: Why It is Seldom Done Well
- Capacity Planning – Part Two: Developing a Capacity Planning Process
- Capacity Planning — Part Three: Benefits and Helpful Tips
- Capacity Planning – Part Four: Hidden Upgrade Costs and
- Improving Business Process Management, Part 1
- Improving Business Process Management, Part 2
- 20 Major Elements of Facilities Management
- Major Physical Exposures Common to a Data Center
- Evaluating the Physical Environment
- Nightmare Incidents with Disaster Recovery Plans
- Developing a Robust Configuration Management Process
- Developing a Robust Configuration Management Process – Part Two
- Automating a Robust Infrastructure Process
- Improving High Availability — Part One: Definitions and Terms
- Improving High Availability — Part Two: Definitions and Terms
- Improving High Availability — Part Three: The Seven R's of High Availability
- Improving High Availability — Part Four: Assessing an Availability Process
- Methods for Brainstorming and Prioritizing Requirements
- Introduction to Disk Storage Management — Part One
- Storage Management—Part Two: Performance
- Storage Management—Part Three: Reliability
- Storage Management—Part Four: Recoverability
- Twelve Traits of World-Class Infrastructures — Part One
- Twelve Traits of World-Class Infrastructures — Part Two
- Meeting Today's Cooling Challenges of Data Centers
- Strategic Security, Part One: Assessment
- Strategic Security, Part Two: Development
- Strategic Security, Part Three: Implementation
- Strategic Security, Part Four: ITIL Implications
- Production Acceptance Part One – Definition and Benefits
- Production Acceptance Part Two – Initial Steps
- Production Acceptance Part Three – Middle Steps
- Production Acceptance Part Four – Ongoing Steps
- Case Study: Planning a Service Desk Part One – Objectives
- Case Study: Planning a Service Desk Part Two – SWOT
- Case Study: Implementing an ITIL Service Desk – Part One
- Case Study: Implementing a Service Desk Part Two – Tool Selection
- Ethics, Scandals and Legislation
- Outsourcing in Response to Legislation
- Supplier Management
- Identifying Key External Suppliers
- Identifying Key Internal Suppliers
- Integrating the Four Key Elements of Good Customer Service
- Enhancing the Customer/Supplier Matrix
- Voice Over IP, Part One — What VoIP Is, and Is Not
- Voice Over IP, Part Two — Benefits, Cost Savings and Features of VoIP
- Application Management
- Production Acceptance
- Distinguishing New Applications from New Versions of Existing Applications
- Assessing a Production Acceptance Process
- Effective Use of a Software Development Life Cycle
- The Role of Project Management in SDLC— Part 2
- Communication in Project Management – Part One: Barriers to Effective Communication
- Communication in Project Management – Part Two: Examples of Effective Communication
- Safeguarding Personal Information in the Workplace: A Case Study
- Combating the Year-end Budget Blitz—Part 1: Building a Manageable Schedule
- Combating the Year-end Budget Blitz—Part 2: Tracking and Reporting Availability
- References
- Developing an ITIL Feasibility Analysis
- Organization and Personnel Management
- Optimizing IT Organizational Structures
- Factors That Influence Restructuring Decisions
- Alternative Locations for the Help Desk
- Alternative Locations for Database Administration
- Alternative Locations for Network Operations
- Alternative Locations for Web Design
- Alternative Locations for Risk Management
- Alternative Locations for Systems Management
- Practical Tips To Retaining Key Personnel
- Benefits and Drawbacks of Using IT Consultants and Contractors
- Deciding Between the Use of Contractors versus Consultants
- Managing Employee Skill Sets and Skill Levels
- Assessing Skill Levels of Current Onboard Staff
- Recruiting Infrastructure Staff from the Outside
- Selecting the Most Qualified Candidate
- 7 Tips for Managing the Use of Mobile Devices
- Useful Websites for IT Managers
- References
- Automating Robust Processes
- Evaluating Process Documentation — Part One: Quality and Value
- Evaluating Process Documentation — Part Two: Benefits and Use of a Quality-Value Matrix
- When Should You Integrate or Segregate Service Desks?
- Five Instructive Ideas for Interviewing
- Eight Surefire Tips to Use When Being Interviewed
- 12 Helpful Hints To Make Meetings More Productive
- Eight Uncommon Tips To Improve Your Writing
- Ten Helpful Tips To Improve Fire Drills
- Sorting Out Today’s Various Training Options
- Business Ethics and Corporate Scandals – Part 1
- Business Ethics and Corporate Scandals – Part 2
- 12 Tips for More Effective Emails
- Management Communication: Back to the Basics, Part One
- Management Communication: Back to the Basics, Part Two
- Management Communication: Back to the Basics, Part Three
- Asset Management
- Managing Hardware Inventories
- Introduction to Hardware Inventories
- Processes To Manage Hardware Inventories
- Use of a Hardware Inventory Database
- References
- Managing Software Inventories
- Business Continuity Management
- Ten Lessons Learned from Real-Life Disasters
- Ten Lessons Learned From Real-Life Disasters, Part 2
- Differences Between Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity , Part 1
- Differences Between Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity , Part 2
- 15 Common Terms and Definitions of Business Continuity
- The Federal Government’s Role in Disaster Recovery
- The 12 Common Mistakes That Cause BIAs To Fail—Part 1
- The 12 Common Mistakes That Cause BIAs To Fail—Part 2
- The 12 Common Mistakes That Cause BIAs To Fail—Part 3
- The 12 Common Mistakes That Cause BIAs To Fail—Part 4
- Conducting an Effective Table Top Exercise (TTE) — Part 1
- Conducting an Effective Table Top Exercise (TTE) — Part 2
- Conducting an Effective Table Top Exercise (TTE) — Part 3
- Conducting an Effective Table Top Exercise (TTE) — Part 4
- The 13 Cardinal Steps for Implementing a Business Continuity Program — Part One
- The 13 Cardinal Steps for Implementing a Business Continuity Program — Part Two
- The 13 Cardinal Steps for Implementing a Business Continuity Program — Part Three
- The 13 Cardinal Steps for Implementing a Business Continuity Program — Part Four
- The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL)
- The Origins of ITIL
- The Foundation of ITIL: Service Management
- Five Reasons for Revising ITIL
- The Relationship of Service Delivery and Service Support to All of ITIL
- Ten Common Myths About Implementing ITIL, Part One
- Ten Common Myths About Implementing ITIL, Part Two
- Characteristics of ITIL Version 3
- Ten Benefits of itSMF and its IIL Pocket Guide
- Translating the Goals of the ITIL Service Delivery Processes
- Translating the Goals of the ITIL Service Support Processes
- Elements of ITIL Least Understood, Part One: Service Delivery Processes
- Case Study: Recovery Reactions to a Renegade Rodent
- Elements of ITIL Least Understood, Part Two: Service Support
- Case Studies
- Case Study — Preparing for Hurricane Charley
- Case Study — The Linux Decision
- Case Study — Production Acceptance at an Aerospace Firm
- Case Study — Production Acceptance at a Defense Contractor
- Case Study — Evaluating Mainframe Processes
- Case Study — Evaluating Recovery Sites, Part One: Quantitative Comparisons/Natural Disasters
- Case Study — Evaluating Recovery Sites, Part Two: Quantitative Comparisons/Man-made Disasters
- Case Study — Evaluating Recovery Sites, Part Three: Qualitative Comparisons
- Case Study — Evaluating Recovery Sites, Part Four: Take-Aways
- Disaster Recovery Test Case Study Part One: Planning
- Disaster Recovery Test Case Study Part Two: Planning and Walk-Through
- Disaster Recovery Test Case Study Part Three: Execution
- Disaster Recovery Test Case Study Part Four: Follow-Up
- Assessing the Robustness of a Vendor’s Data Center, Part One: Qualitative Measures
- Assessing the Robustness of a Vendor’s Data Center, Part Two: Quantitative Measures
- Case Study: Lessons Learned from a World-Wide Disaster Recovery Exercise, Part One: What Did the Team Do Well
- (d) Case Study: Lessons Learned from a World-Wide Disaster Recovery Exercise, Part Two
The overall purpose of this four-part series is to provide a meaningful, step-by-step approach on how to conduct an effective business continuity table top exercise (TTE). A TTE is a simulation of, and the response of participants to, a major disastrous event that would disrupt, for an extended period of time, the normal functioning of a business unit. This approach is intended to be used consistently regardless of the type of disaster being simulated, and regardless of the types of business processes or software application systems being recovered. As such, there will be no mention of the actual recovery steps themselves. Rather, the emphasis will be on the processes used to conduct such an exercise.
In this initial part, I describe the benefits of using such a methodology, and a thorough list of the various terms and definitions that I use in this series. In part two I explain the 14 key steps needs to execute an effective TTE. Part three details the specific actions to take during an actual TTE, and as well as post-exercise steps. Part four concludes this series with over 20 helpful facilitator tips.
Benefits of Conducting an Effective TTE
There are several benefits one can derive from these guidelines on how to conduct an effective TTE. Among them is that this set of procedures:
- helps ensure that the TTE adequately validates the content, accuracy, thoroughness and usefulness of a business unit's business continuity plan;
- provides a standardized methodology for conducting such an exercise;
- serves as a documented source of such a methodology;
- enables periodic updates and revisions to the Guidebook;
- functions as a training guide for entry-level business continuity analysts;
- offers background information on business continuity exercises to business users interested in such material;
- demonstrates to executive management, auditors and regulatory agencies the company's commitment to conducting thorough, professional and robust testing of its business continuity plans.
Terms and Definitions
Throughout the four parts of this series I use a number of terms and definitions that may not be familiar to all readers. I list 18 of these here at the outset as a handy reference. For some definitions, I use terms that are defined elsewhere in the list, and these are shown in italics.
Author/Consensus Negotiation – A method to merge similar items collected during the lessons learned brainstorming session. The authors of each response in question must agree, or negotiate, as to which response should stay and which should be merged.
Business Continuity Plan – A hardcopy and electronic softcopy document that prescribes how to recover the functional operations of a business unit following a disaster. The plan typically contains contact information about responders, support staff, customers and vendors; the type and quantity of hardware and software resources required for recovery; vital records information; and specific steps needed to restore critical processes.
Business Continuity Plan Administrator – The business unit individual responsible for developing and maintaining the business continuity plan.
Business Continuity Plan Owner – The business unit individual who is responsible for assisting a business continuity analyst in the initial development, and for the ongoing updating, of the business continuity plan of the respective business unit. This individual is usually the business unit manager and has overall responsibility for the plan.
Business Continuity Plan Sponsor – The first or second level manager of a business continuity plan owner and usually the person heading up the business unit for which a business continuity plan exists.
Business Continuity Plan User – An individual who is part of the recovery team or is otherwise mentioned within a business continuity plan as a contact person.
Business Continuity Analyst – An individual trained on how to develop, test, maintain and measure the effectiveness of business continuity plans.
Business Unit – A functional department within an enterprise for which a business continuity plan is developed. The size and complexity of departments for which such plans are developed will vary widely from company to company.
Common Threads Trending – The categorizing of major themes from a large number of responses collected during the lessons learned brainstorming session. The major themes can be used to identify and analyze trends in the responses.
Facilitator – An individual who prepares for, schedules, conducts and follows-up on a table top exercise. This person initiates and coordinates all activities related to a table top exercise, but does not provide advice or solutions to participants on how to recovery a given process during the exercise.
Holistic Approach – Looking at all of the prioritized responses from the lessons learned brainstorming session as a whole to analyze where the major areas of benefit and improvement truly lie.
Nominal Group Technique – A highly efficient method to prioritize large lists of items by having participants rank their top four or five choices and then applying point values to their selections.
Operational Exercise – One of three types of tests (compare to Table Top Exercise and Validation Exercise) to evaluate the effectiveness of a business continuity plan. In this case, a disastrous scenario is simulated and the critical processes of a business unit are all restored at a recovery site and tested for functional operation. Operational exercises are typically conducted about once per year.
Round Robin Brainstorming – A fast paced method to quickly identify items during a brainstorming session. Participants sitting around a table are each given a choice to briefly offer a response or to pass to the next person. Each response is recorded. Typically only 10-15 seconds are spent on each individual so short, quick responses are a necessity, usually only 5-10 words. Rounds continue until two full passes are made with no additional responses.
Scribe – An individual responsible for recording all pertinent information associated with a table top exercise. These duties include the time-lining of recovery activities, recording responses during the lessons learned round robin brainstorming, and any other relevant observations.
Table Top Exercise – One of three types of tests (compare to Operational Exercise and Validation Exercise) to evaluate the effectiveness of a business continuity plan. In this case, a disastrous scenario is simulated and the recovery of the critical processes of a business unit is walked through by participants sitting around a table. Table top exercises are typically conducted about once every six months.
Timekeeper – An individual responsible for keeping track of the time during the conducting of a table top exercise. These duties relate to the time estimates shown on the agenda, and to the accurate time-lining of recovery activities as recorded by the scribe.
Validation Exercise – One of three types of tests (compare to Operational Exercise and Table Top Exercise) to evaluate the effectiveness of a business continuity plan. In this case, all of the critical information in the plan is verified for accuracy and completeness. Appropriate new data is added; outdated information is removed; and inaccurate data is corrected. Testing call trees by telephoning actual numbers may be included in this exercise. Validation exercises are typically conducted about once every three months.
This concludes part one. Part two will describe the 14 pre-exercise steps to take in preparing for a TTE, and includes for clarity and usability several figures and templates.