Course Introduction
Operational resilience is essential for projects that must continue delivering critical services, maintain essential functions, and recover effectively when disruptions occur. Projects can face interruptions from technology failures, supplier breakdowns, resource shortages, cyber incidents, extreme weather, infrastructure outages, regulatory changes, and unexpected operational events. This course equips participants with practical methods for testing the resilience of project operations, evaluating their ability to withstand disruption, and identifying weaknesses that could compromise delivery commitments, business continuity, or stakeholder confidence.
A resilience strategy cannot be considered effective simply because policies, contingency plans, and recovery procedures have been documented. These arrangements must be tested against realistic disruption scenarios to determine whether they work under actual operating conditions. Participants will explore the differences between resilience assessments, business continuity exercises, recovery testing, stress testing, and operational readiness reviews. They will learn how to establish clear testing objectives, define critical project functions, identify realistic disruption scenarios, and develop measurable criteria for evaluating whether essential activities can continue or recover within acceptable limits.
Operational resilience testing requires a thorough understanding of dependencies between people, processes, technology, facilities, information, suppliers, contractors, and external service providers. A disruption affecting one component can rapidly spread across interconnected project activities, particularly where alternative arrangements are limited or recovery responsibilities are unclear. The course examines methods for mapping critical dependencies, identifying single points of failure, evaluating resource constraints, and testing the ability of project teams and third parties to maintain essential operations. Participants will also consider how project complexity, delivery phase, contractual obligations, and stakeholder expectations influence the design of effective resilience tests.
The programme emphasizes practical testing methods that reveal how systems and teams perform under pressure. Participants will examine tabletop exercises, scenario-based simulations, communications tests, failover exercises, backup restoration tests, supplier continuity assessments, and controlled operational disruption exercises. They will learn how to select appropriate testing methods according to risk, criticality, technical complexity, and potential operational impact. Particular attention is given to establishing realistic test conditions, obtaining the necessary approvals, protecting live operations, documenting results, and distinguishing between a successful procedural walkthrough and demonstrated operational capability.
Effective testing must produce actionable findings rather than isolated observations. Participants will learn how to evaluate test performance against recovery time objectives, recovery point objectives where relevant, minimum service levels, maximum tolerable disruption, resource availability, and other defined resilience criteria. The course also explores how to assess response coordination, decision-making speed, escalation procedures, communication effectiveness, data integrity, and third-party support during disruptive events. Participants will develop practical approaches for classifying deficiencies, identifying root causes, assigning corrective actions, and retesting improvements to verify that resilience capabilities have genuinely strengthened.
By completing this course, participants will be better equipped to establish a structured operational resilience testing programme aligned with project risks, critical business services, and organizational continuity requirements. They will gain practical skills in scenario design, test execution, evidence collection, performance evaluation, and improvement planning. Through realistic project scenarios and applied testing techniques, participants will strengthen their ability to identify weaknesses before disruptions occur, improve recovery readiness, support informed governance decisions, and build greater confidence in the continuity of critical project operations.
Duration
5 days
Who Should Attend
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Project managers responsible for operational readiness, continuity planning, and disruption preparedness.
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Operational resilience managers developing and maintaining resilience testing programmes.
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Business continuity professionals testing continuity arrangements and recovery capabilities.
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Project risk managers assessing operational vulnerabilities and evaluating resilience controls.
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Programme directors coordinating resilience across interconnected projects and critical delivery functions.
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Project controls managers responsible for maintaining essential reporting, planning, and control activities during disruptions.
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IT service continuity managers testing system availability, recovery procedures, and technology dependencies.
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Information technology and infrastructure specialists responsible for backup restoration, failover, and system recovery testing.
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Facilities and engineering managers responsible for critical equipment, utilities, infrastructure, and site operations.
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Supply chain and procurement managers assessing supplier continuity, alternative sourcing, and third-party resilience.
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Health, safety, security, and emergency management professionals coordinating operational response arrangements.
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Compliance and governance officers evaluating resilience testing evidence and adherence to organizational requirements.
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Internal auditors and assurance professionals reviewing the effectiveness of continuity and recovery controls.
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Contract managers and service delivery managers overseeing third-party obligations and operational service commitments.
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Project sponsors, executives, and consultants responsible for resilience governance, assurance, and continuous improvement.
Course Objectives
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Explain the principles of operational resilience testing and distinguish resilience exercises from business continuity testing, disaster recovery testing, and operational readiness assessments.
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Identify critical project activities, essential services, supporting resources, and dependencies that determine the organization's ability to withstand operational disruption.
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Design realistic disruption scenarios based on project-specific threats, critical dependencies, historical incidents, risk assessments, and changing operational conditions.
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Select appropriate testing methods, including tabletop exercises, simulations, failover tests, backup restoration, communications testing, and supplier continuity assessments.
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Establish measurable resilience criteria using recovery time objectives, recovery point objectives, minimum service requirements, and maximum tolerable disruption where applicable.
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Execute resilience tests using approved procedures, defined responsibilities, appropriate safeguards, controlled test conditions, and reliable evidence collection practices.
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Evaluate the effectiveness of incident response, decision-making, escalation, communications, resource mobilization, and recovery procedures during disruptive scenarios.
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Identify resilience gaps, single points of failure, dependency weaknesses, recovery bottlenecks, and deficiencies in people, processes, technology, and third-party arrangements.
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Develop prioritized corrective action plans that address root causes, assign accountability, establish deadlines, and provide clear criteria for successful retesting.
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Establish an ongoing resilience testing framework that supports governance reporting, continuous improvement, operational readiness, and sustained project delivery capability.
Comprehensive Course Outline
Module 1: Foundations of Operational Resilience Testing
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Principles of operational resilience and its relationship with business continuity, disaster recovery, emergency management, and project delivery assurance.
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Differences between resilience testing, operational readiness reviews, control assessments, recovery exercises, and conventional compliance audits.
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Identification of critical project activities, essential services, stakeholder commitments, and disruption impacts that determine resilience priorities.
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Overview of recognized resilience principles and relevant organizational, contractual, and regulatory expectations for testing and assurance.
Module 2: Critical Operations and Dependency Mapping
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Identification of critical processes, personnel, facilities, systems, information assets, suppliers, and infrastructure supporting essential project activities.
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Mapping of interdependencies among internal teams, contractors, outsourced services, technology platforms, utilities, and external stakeholders.
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Assessment of single points of failure, limited recovery options, concentrated supplier dependencies, and constraints affecting operational continuity.
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Establishment of criticality ratings and dependency records to guide testing priorities, scenario selection, and resilience improvement decisions.
Module 3: Resilience Test Strategy and Planning
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Development of a resilience testing strategy aligned with project objectives, risk exposure, operational criticality, and organizational continuity requirements.
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Definition of test scope, objectives, assumptions, success criteria, participants, responsibilities, approval requirements, and evidence standards.
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Selection of appropriate test frequency and coverage according to service criticality, system changes, previous findings, and emerging threats.
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Preparation of test plans, resource requirements, stakeholder communications, safety controls, operational safeguards, and contingency arrangements.
Module 4: Scenario Design and Disruption Simulation
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Development of realistic scenarios involving system outages, supplier failures, staffing shortages, cyber incidents, utility interruptions, and site access restrictions.
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Use of scenario narratives, event injects, escalation triggers, decision points, and changing conditions to evaluate response capability under pressure.
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Assessment of compound disruptions in which multiple failures occur simultaneously or one incident triggers secondary operational consequences.
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Validation of scenario assumptions using risk assessments, incident histories, dependency maps, threat intelligence, and operational expertise.
Module 5: Testing Methods and Practical Execution
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Facilitation of tabletop exercises that examine response decisions, role clarity, escalation pathways, and the practical usability of continuity procedures.
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Execution of communications tests, contact-tree validation, emergency notification exercises, and coordination checks across project stakeholders.
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Planning of controlled failover, backup restoration, system recovery, and alternative operating arrangements where technically and operationally appropriate.
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Management of test observations, timestamps, participant actions, deviations, unexpected outcomes, and evidence records throughout test execution.
Module 6: Recovery Objectives and Performance Measurement
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Definition and application of recovery time objectives and recovery point objectives for relevant technology, information, and operational services.
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Establishment of minimum service levels, maximum tolerable disruption, acceptable performance degradation, and restoration priorities.
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Measurement of response times, recovery duration, resource availability, communication effectiveness, data integrity, and procedural compliance.
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Comparison of actual test results against predefined acceptance criteria to identify performance gaps and determine whether resilience capabilities are adequate.
Module 7: Technology, Data, and Third-Party Resilience Testing
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Evaluation of system availability, infrastructure redundancy, backup integrity, restoration procedures, access continuity, and recovery dependencies.
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Testing of alternative operating arrangements, manual workarounds, communications channels, and access to critical information during technology disruptions.
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Assessment of supplier business continuity arrangements, recovery commitments, subcontractor dependencies, and the availability of alternative service providers.
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Coordination of third-party tests, contractual permissions, evidence sharing, information security safeguards, and remediation responsibilities.
Module 8: Test Governance, Safety, and Incident Management
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Definition of governance responsibilities for test sponsors, exercise controllers, participants, technical teams, observers, and independent evaluators.
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Establishment of authorization requirements, risk controls, rollback procedures, stop conditions, and safeguards against unintended disruption to live operations.
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Application of incident escalation, crisis communications, decision logging, stakeholder coordination, and emergency response procedures during exercises.
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Maintenance of test records, confidentiality, evidence integrity, approvals, and reporting arrangements consistent with organizational policies and applicable requirements.
Module 9: Gap Analysis, Corrective Actions, and Retesting
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Classification of findings according to severity, operational impact, recurrence, control effectiveness, and implications for critical service continuity.
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Root cause analysis of recovery failures, unclear responsibilities, inadequate resources, ineffective procedures, and unresolved dependency weaknesses.
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Development of corrective action plans with assigned owners, target dates, resource requirements, interim safeguards, and measurable completion criteria.
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Design of retesting procedures to verify remediation effectiveness, confirm recovery capability, and prevent premature closure of unresolved resilience findings.
Module 10: Resilience Reporting and Continuous Improvement
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Preparation of management reports summarizing test scope, scenario coverage, results, recovery performance, control gaps, and residual exposure.
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Development of resilience dashboards tracking test completion, recovery objective achievement, overdue actions, recurring deficiencies, and overall capability maturity.
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Integration of testing outcomes into project risk registers, continuity plans, change management, operational readiness reviews, and governance reporting.
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Establishment of a continuous improvement cycle using lessons learned, incident reviews, organizational changes, periodic retesting, and updated resilience priorities.
Training Approach
This course will be delivered by our skilled trainers who have vast knowledge and experience as expert professionals in the fields. The course is taught in English and through a mix of theory, practical activities, group discussion and case studies. Course manuals and additional training materials will be provided to the participants upon completion of the training.
Tailor-Made Course
This course can also be tailor-made to meet organization requirement. For further inquiries, please contact us on: Email: training@upskilldevelopment.com Tel: +254 721 331 808
Training Venue
The training will be held at our Upskill Training Centre. We also offer training for a group (at a discount of 10% to 50%) at requested location all over the world. The Onsite course fee covers the course tuition, training materials, two break refreshments, buffet lunch, airport transfers, Upskill gift package, and guided tour.
Visa application, travel expenses, dinners, accommodation, insurance, and other personal expenses are catered by the participant
Certification
Participants will be issued with Upskill certificate upon completion of this course.
Airport Pickup and Accommodation
Airport pickup and accommodation is arranged upon request. For booking contact our Training Coordinator through Email: training@upskilldevelopment.com, +254 721 331 808
Terms of Payment:
Unless otherwise agreed between the two parties’ payment of the course fee should be done 3 working days before commencement of the training so as to enable us to prepare better.
