Governance, Risk, Quality & Resilience
Business Continuity and Organisational Resilience
A three-day programme built around a live scenario exercise. It covers impact analysis that identifies genuine dependencies, continuity arrangements with realistic recovery objectives, and decision-making under disruption — tested rather than described.
The business challenge
Why organisations commission this programme
Continuity plans are commonly written, approved and never exercised under realistic conditions. Dependencies are assumed rather than mapped, recovery objectives are aspirational, and the people who would have to act have not rehearsed together. The first realistic test is then the real event.
Continuity plans exist but have never been tested under realistic conditions, dependencies are not mapped, and decision-making during disruption is improvised.
Who it is for
Participants
- Audience
- Continuity and resilience leads, operations managers, risk professionals and crisis team members
- Recommended cohort
- 10 to 20 participants
- Prerequisites
- Continuity, resilience, operations or crisis team responsibility. Best delivered to a group that would actually work together during a disruption.
Outcomes
What participants will be able to do
- Conduct a business impact analysis that identifies genuine critical dependencies.
- Build continuity and recovery arrangements with realistic recovery objectives.
- Design and run a continuity exercise that tests decisions, not just documents.
- Make and communicate decisions under disruption with incomplete information.
- Maintain plans so that they remain accurate as the organisation changes.
Learning objectives
- Produce impact analysis that identifies genuine critical dependencies rather than assumed ones.
- Set recovery objectives that are achievable with the arrangements actually in place.
- Build capability to design and run exercises that test decisions rather than documents.
- Rehearse decision-making and communication under disruption with incomplete information.
Indicative content
Programme structure
Content is confirmed during design and adapted to your context.
Day 1
Resilience concepts, impact analysis, dependency mapping and recovery objectives; baseline assessment.
- Resilience and continuity concepts
- Business impact analysis
- Dependency mapping
- Recovery objectives; baseline assessment
Day 2
Continuity and recovery planning, crisis structure, roles, communication and decision authority.
- Continuity and recovery planning
- Crisis structure and roles
- Decision authority under disruption
- Communication planning
Day 3
Live scenario exercise using a client-relevant disruption, debrief, plan improvement and assessment.
- Live scenario exercise
- Structured debrief
- Plan improvement actions
- Assessment
Delivery and customisation
Configured around your organisation
- Typical duration
- Three days
- Formats
- Classroom; exercise component best delivered in person
- Language
- English by default. Other languages subject to facilitator availability and materials translation, agreed during design.
How it can be tailored
- Client continuity plans, crisis structure and recovery objectives.
- Real services and dependency landscape as the basis of analysis.
- Sector-relevant disruption scenarios, including regulatory notification requirements.
- Site-based delivery where physical arrangements form part of the exercise.
- Inclusion of third parties or shared-service providers in the exercise where appropriate.
Methods
- A full injected-event scenario exercise on day three, run in real time with the group in their actual roles.
- Impact analysis performed on the organisation's own services rather than a generic example.
- Structured debrief separating what the plan said, what the group did and what the difference reveals.
- Plan improvement actions captured in a form the client can implement directly.
Materials, assessment and completion
Materials
- Participant workbook containing session content, frameworks, exercises and space for applied work.
- Client-contextualised case material and scenario packs used during the programme.
- Job aids, checklists and templates designed for use in the role after the programme.
- Assessment instruments and the marking criteria applied to them.
- Individual action plan template and a manager briefing note.
- Impact analysis template, exercise design guide and a debrief structure.
Reinforcement
- Individual action plans agreed during the programme and shared with line managers where the client permits.
- Manager briefing material setting out what was taught and what should be reinforced in the role.
- Toolkits and templates issued in editable form for continued use.
- Follow-up session at 30, 60 or 90 days where commissioned, reviewing action-plan progress and obstacles.
- A repeat exercise at six to twelve months using a different scenario, where commissioned.
Completion
- Attendance at no less than 80 per cent of scheduled contact time, recorded daily and reconciled against the registered cohort.
- Participation in the assessed practical components of the programme.
- Submission of the assessed work product and the individual action plan.
- Achievement of the assessment threshold where the client sets one; where no threshold is set, results are reported without a pass or fail determination.
Participants who meet the completion criteria receive a Knull certificate of completion recording the programme, dates, duration, content covered and, where assessed, the assessment outcome. Knull does not award accredited or regulated qualifications and does not hold third-party training accreditation. Attendance and assessment records are retained under the engagement terms and provided to the client with the completion report.
| Component | Weighting | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Baseline and post assessment | 30% | Knowledge instrument administered before and after, reported as learning gain. |
| Impact analysis output | 25% | Rigour of dependency identification and realism of recovery objectives, marked against a rubric. |
| Exercise performance | 30% | Observed decision quality, role discipline, communication and use of the plan. |
| Plan improvement actions | 15% | Specificity, prioritisation and ownership of the improvements identified. |
Next step
Make it fit your organisation
Dates, cohort, format and fees are agreed in a proposal once scope is defined. To register interest in a closed cohort, use a corporate booking request — Knull reviews every request; it is not a confirmed reservation.
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Discuss this programme for your organisation
Tell us about your priorities, capability gaps or business challenges. We'll help identify an appropriate next step.