Exercise

International Definitions

NATO

A military manoeuvre or simulated wartime operation involving planning, preparation, and execution.

It is carried out for the purpose of training and evaluation. It may be a combined, joint, or single service exercise, depending on participating organizations.

National Definitions

Australia

Exercise is the simulation of emergency management events, through discussion or actual deployment of personnel, in order (1) to train personnel; (2) to review/test the planning process or other procedures; (3) to identify needs and/or weaknesses; (4) to demonstrate capabilities; and (5) to practice people in working together.

Canada

In emergency management, a simulated scenario in which an organization practises its response activities to test its emergency plan.

En gestion des urgences, simulation d’un scénario au cours duquel une organization met en pratique ses activités d’intervention afin d’évaluer son plan d’urgence.

Germany

Exercise encompasses the simulation of responses to emergencies and crises and the process of checking that emergency and crisis response processes are working when there is no real emergency.

Portugal

Exercício: Processo para formar, avaliar, praticar e melhorar o desempenho de uma organização.

Qatar

An interactive engagement (half-day to five days or more) that enables participants to react to a plausible scenario in a risk-free environment.

Exercises provide an effective tool for testing incident response plans; validating policies, plans, and procedures; identifying vulnerabilities and reporting requirements; assessing risk and preparedness; discovering interdependencies and response gaps; creating a shared perspective and buy-in among diverse stakeholders; and building a common understanding of roles and responsibilities. An exercise may also be referred to as a simulation, seminar, tabletop, drill, or wargame.

United Kingdom

An exercise is a simulation designed to validate organisations’ capability to manage incidents and emergencies.

Specifically exercises will seek to validate training undertaken and the procedures and systems within emergency or business continuity plans.

United States

DHS

An instrument to train for, assess, practice, and improve performance in capabilities in a risk-free environment. Exercises can be used for: testing and validating policies, plans, procedures, training, equipment, and inter-agency agreements; clarifying and training personnel in roles and responsibilities; improving inter-agency coordination and communications; identifying gaps in resources; improving individual performance; and identifying opportunities for improvement.

NFPA-1600

Activity in which the entity’s plan(s) is rehearsed in part or in whole to ensure that the plan(s) contains the appropriate information and produces the desired result when put into effect.

Center for Disease Control

Exercise: A practice event based on a scenario to test the effectiveness of planning.

Also called drill or tabletop exercise.

DoD

Exercise: A military maneuver or simulated wartime operation involving planning, preparation, and execution that is carried out for the purpose of training and evaluation.

NIST

A simulation of an emergency designed to validate the viability of one or more aspects of an IT plan. (from: NIST SP 800-84)

Standard Definitions

ISO 22300:2012(en)

Exercise: process to train for, assess, practice, and improve performance in an organization.

Notes:

• Exercises can be used for: validating policies, plans, procedures, training, equipment, and inter-organizational agreements; clarifying and training personnel in roles and responsibilities; improving inter-organizational coordination and communications; identifying gaps in resources; improving individual performance; and identifying opportunities for improvement, and controlled opportunity to practice improvisation.
• A test is a unique and particular type of exercise, which incorporates an expectation of a pass or fail element within the goal or objectives of the exercise being planned.
  

Other Definitions

Ontario (Canada)

Exercise: a simulated emergency in which players carry out actions, functions, and responsibilities that would be expected of them in a real emergency.

Exercises can be used to validate plans and procedures, and to practice prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery capabilities.

Exercice: simulation d’une situation d’urgence dans laquelle les participants agissent, remplissent les fonctions et assument les responsabilités dans la capacité qui serait attendue d’eux dans une situation d’urgence réelle.

Les exercices peuvent être utilisés pour évaluer l’efficacité des plans et procédures et pour mettre à l’épreuve les capacités de prévention, d’atténuation, de préparation, d’intervention et de rétablissement.

See also

• Scenario