Scenario Testing

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1. Scenario Testing is to test the organisation’s ability to remain within impact tolerances in a range of severe but plausible scenarios, focusing on recovery and response arrangements rather than preventative measures.
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Scenario Testing for Operational Resilience:

Notes (1): is considered a preventative measure to enable organisations to be better prepared when disruption occurs to minimise harm to consumers and market integrity.

Notes (2): is a holistic and end-to-end testing which includes relevant third parties.

Notes (3): focuses on the impact not just on the business, its end-users, and the broader market.

Notes (4): needs to be severe enough to test the ability of the organisation to recover the important business service within impact tolerance.

Notes (5): enables organisations to gain a comprehensive understanding of the resilience of their important business services.

Notes (6): enables organisations to identify areas where action must be taken to remediate vulnerabilities and build their resilience over time.


Scenario Testing for Operational Resilience is the difference from BC-DR Testing

Notes (1): An OR end-to-end business service resilience test approach needs to be applied. It is a shift in focus to determine where the point of intolerable harm is reached in severe but plausible scenarios.

Notes (2): Most BC or DR testing centres around mitigating harm to the organisation. The change is that the regulators require organisations to consider preventing intolerable harm to consumers as part of OR testing.

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Related Term: Operational Resilience, Impact Tolerance, Severe but Plausible Scenarios, Important Business Services

BCMBoK Competency Level
BCMBoK 0: BCM Fundamentals CL 1B: Foundation (BC)


BCMBoK Competency Level
BCMBoK 0: BCM Fundamentals CL 1C: Foundation (CM)


BCMBoK Competency Level
BCMBoK 0: BCM Fundamentals CL 1CC: Foundation (CC)


BCMBoK Competency Level
BCMBoK 0: BCM Fundamentals CL 1D: Foundation (DR)


BCMBoK Competency Level
BCMBoK 6: Testing and Exercising CL 1OR: Foundation (OR)

(Source: Business Continuity Management Institute - BCM Institute)

A Manager’s Guide to Operational Resilience (eBook)