AKRAV / 02
Crisis simulations: test the decision, not the script
An exercise should test the people and the decisions, not merely walk through a document. Introduce uncertainty, record decisions and assign owners to the gaps it reveals.
AKRAV Strategic Solutions
Test decisions, not a prepared script
A crisis simulation should show how leaders respond when information is incomplete and circumstances change. If participants know every development in advance, the exercise may confirm a procedure without testing judgement.
Agree on the question the exercise must answer. You might need to test escalation, continuity priorities, the handover between teams or how leadership receives a reliable situation picture. Keep the scenario close enough to actual operations to make decisions credible.
Give people their real responsibilities
Invite the people who would take part in an actual response, including decision-makers and those who provide operational information. Let them work in their usual roles. Keep observers separate, so participants do not mistake advice during an exercise for a process they could rely on in a real event.
Introduce new information in stages. Ask participants what they know, what remains uncertain, which decisions they can take now and what would cause them to change course. Record decisions and the reasons behind them.
Turn findings into changes
A useful debrief identifies specific gaps: a delayed escalation, an unclear authority, conflicting information or an assumption that a critical system would remain available. Avoid treating the exercise as a pass-or-fail performance.
Assign an owner and deadline to each improvement. Update procedures and repeat a focused exercise to check whether the change works. The value of a simulation lies in what the organisation changes before a real disruption.