How well do your incident response scenarios align with your goals?

1 Define your goals and metrics

Before you start planning your scenarios, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and how you will measure it. What are the specific skills, processes, tools, and outcomes you want to test and improve? How will you define success and failure? How will you collect and analyze data and feedback? Having well-defined goals and metrics will help you design scenarios that are relevant, realistic, and meaningful for your organization.

2 Choose your scenario types and formats

There are different types of incident response scenarios, such as tabletop exercises, drills, functional exercises, and full-scale exercises. Each type has its own advantages and disadvantages, depending on the level of complexity, realism, involvement, and resources required. You also need to decide on the format of your scenarios, such as live, simulated, or hybrid. The format will affect the degree of control, interaction, and unpredictability you have over the scenario. You should choose the types and formats that best suit your goals and capabilities, and vary them to avoid repetition and boredom.

3 Develop your scenario content and scripts

The content and scripts of your scenarios are the core elements that will determine their effectiveness and impact. You need to create scenarios that are realistic, challenging, and relevant for your organization, based on your threat landscape, risk assessment, and incident response plan. You also need to write scripts that guide the scenario execution, such as the scenario description, objectives, timeline, roles, tasks, injects, and expected actions. Your scripts should be clear, concise, and consistent, and allow some flexibility and creativity for the participants.

4 Prepare your scenario environment and resources

The environment and resources of your scenarios are the supporting elements that will enable their smooth and safe execution. You need to prepare the environment where the scenarios will take place, such as the physical location, the network infrastructure, the systems and devices, and the security controls. You also need to allocate the resources that the scenarios will require, such as the staff, the budget, the time, the tools, and the documentation. Your environment and resources should be realistic, reliable, and secure, and minimize any disruption or damage to your normal operations.

5 Conduct your scenario exercises and debriefs

The exercises and debriefs of your scenarios are the final elements that will deliver their results and lessons. You need to conduct the exercises according to your scripts, while monitoring, recording, and evaluating the participants' performance, behavior, and feedback. You also need to conduct debriefs after the exercises, where you review, analyze, and discuss the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of your incident response capabilities. Your exercises and debriefs should be engaging, constructive, and transparent, and foster a culture of learning and improvement.

6 Implement your scenario recommendations and improvements

The recommendations and improvements of your scenarios are the follow-up elements that will ensure their sustainability and value. You need to implement the recommendations that emerge from your debriefs, such as updating your incident response plan, policies, and procedures, training your staff, acquiring new tools, and addressing any gaps or issues. You also need to improve your scenarios based on your experience, feedback, and best practices, and plan for future exercises. Your recommendations and improvements should be actionable, prioritized, and documented, and align with your goals and metrics.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?