Executive Summary                     

The [exercise name] was developed to test [department/organization]’s [Capability 1], [Capability 2], and [Capability 3] capabilities.  The exercise planning team was composed of a cross-functional team from [list of departmental/service areas and external agencies (if applicable) that participated in the planning process].

This report highlights [include a brief overview of the major issues encountered, discussed, and resolved during the exercise planning process. Topics to address in this section could include the length of the planning process, the reasoning behind the planning team’s choice of objectives to exercise, etc.]

The following objectives were developed for [exercise name]:

  • Objective 1: [Insert 1 sentence description of the exercise objective]
  • Objective 2: [Insert 1 sentence description of the exercise objective]
  • Objective 3: [Insert 1 sentence description of the exercise objective]

The purpose of this report is to analyze exercise results, identify strengths to be maintained and built upon, identify potential areas for further improvement, and support the development of corrective actions.

Major Strengths

The major strengths identified during this exercise are as follows:

  • [Use complete sentences to describe each major strength]
  • [Additional major strength]
  • [Additional major strength]

Areas for Improvement

Throughout the exercise, several opportunities for improvement in [department/organization name]’s ability to respond to and recover from the incident were identified. The following areas require improvement to achieve the full capability level: 

Area for Improvement 1:

  • Observation statement: [This should clearly state the problem or gap; it should not include a recommendation or corrective action, as those will be documented in the Improvement Plan.]
  • Reference: [List any relevant plans, policies, procedures, regulations, or laws.]
  • Analysis: [Provide a root cause analysis or summary of why the full capability level was not achieved.] 

Area for Improvement 2:

  • Observation statement:
  • Reference:
  • Analysis:

Recommendations

[Insert recommendations to address identified areas for improvement, based on the judgment and experience of the evaluation team.]

  1. [Complete description of recommendation]
  2. [Complete description of recommendation]

Conclusion

This section is a conclusion for the entire report. It provides an overall summary of the report. It should include the demonstrated capabilities, lessons learned, major recommendations, and a summary of what steps should be taken to ensure that the concluding results will help to further refine plans, policies, procedures, and training for this type of incident.

Appendixes

Appendix A: Exercise Overview

Exercise Name [Insert the formal name of exercise]
Exercise Date [Indicate the date and time of the exercise]
Scope This exercise is a [exercise type], planned for [exercise duration] at [exercise location]. The exercise is limited to [exercise parameters].
Objectives [List exercise objectives]
Core Capabilities [List the core capabilities being exercised]
Exercise Area(s) [Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, Response, and/or Recovery]
Threat or Hazard [List the threat or hazard (e.g. natural/man-made events, data loss, security breaches, technological failure, loss of essential utility)]
Scenario [Insert a brief overview of the exercise scenario, including scenario impacts (2-3 sentences)]
Sponsor [Insert the name of the sponsor department/organization, if applicable]
Participating

Departments/ Organizations

 [Insert names of participating departments and participation level. Consider including names of external agencies, if applicable]
Point of Contact [Insert the name and contact details of the primary exercise point of contact (e.g., plan owner, business continuity management facilitator or exercise sponsor)]

Appendix B: Outcome Evaluation

The table below shows the measurement of outcomes against pre-identified expectations of each of the objectives.

Exercise Objective Core Capability Expected Action/Outcome Actual Action/Outcome
[Insert objectives] [Insert core capability aligned to each objective] [Insert expected action/outcome] [Insert actual action/outcome]
       
       
       
       

Appendix C: Improvement Plan

The table below shows the Improvement Plan developed specifically for [department name] as a result of [exercise name] conducted on [date of exercise].

Core Capability Areas of Improvement Corrective Action Responsible Personnel Start Date Completion Date
Core Capability 1: [Capability Name] 1. [Area of Improvement] [Corrective Action 1]    
[Corrective Action 2]    
2. [Area of Improvement] [Corrective Action 1]    
[Corrective Action 2]