By Natalie Sullo, Business Implementation Analyst, CLDigital
When it comes to business continuity and resilience, most organizations don’t struggle with having checklists. They struggle with only having checklists.
Disaster recovery (DR) tests, tabletop exercises, and scenario simulations too often become tick-the-box activities: “Did we run a test this year? Did we document it? Did we collect signatures?” The result is a binder full of evidence for auditors, but little confidence that the organization could actually manage a disruption.
It’s time to move past checklist overload and rethink how we approach resilience exercises.
Why Checklists Aren’t Enough
Checklists aren’t inherently bad. They help us remember critical steps under pressure and ensure consistency across teams. But when exercises are reduced to a series of boxes to tick, three problems emerge:
- No Real Learning – Teams “play the script” without exploring the messy realities of an actual disruption.
- Static Results – Findings are written down but never looped back into process improvement.
- Limited Engagement – Business units see testing as compliance theater, not as practice that makes them more confident.
A continuity plan that lives in a spreadsheet or binder isn’t resilience. Resilience is the ability to adapt in real time and exercises should prepare you for that.
A Smarter Approach: Exercises that Build Capability
So, how do we move from checklist-driven tests to exercises that strengthen readiness? Here are four shifts that make the difference:
1. From Annual “Big Bang” to Continuous Practice
Many organizations still run one large-scale DR test per year. It looks impressive on paper but often overwhelms teams and yields limited actionable insights.
- Instead: Layer exercises throughout the year. Shorter, focused tests a 30-minute communication drill, a 90-minute tabletop on a ransomware scenario keep muscle memory fresh and make lessons easier to act on.
2. From Static Scenarios to Dynamic Simulations
Too often, test scenarios are so controlled they don’t reflect reality. A server goes down at 9:00 a.m., and by 9:05, everyone knows the drill.
- Instead: Introduce uncertainty. Add a curveball mid-exercise: a supplier is unavailable, the backup site is at capacity, or a key decision-maker is out of reach. Resilience comes from adapting, not just executing.
3. From Evidence Binders to Living Data
Traditional approaches create reams of documentation that auditors love but leaders rarely read.
- Instead: Capture exercise data in a platform where outcomes are measurable; time to detect, time to escalate, time to recover. Roll up results into dashboards that boards and regulators can understand at a glance.
4. From “Owned by BC” to “Owned by Everyone”
When continuity teams run exercises in isolation, the rest of the business tunes out.
- Instead: Embed testing into everyday workflows. Involve IT, risk, HR, supplier management, and even front-line staff. When everyone has a role, resilience becomes part of the culture.
Practical Example: The DR Test That Changed Behavior
One financial services client had been running the same annual DR test for years. It looked flawless on paper; all the boxes checked, all the reports signed. But during a recent ransomware incident, recovery took days longer than expected. Why? Because the test never included vendor dependencies or simulated delayed executive approvals.
By redesigning the exercise program, they started layering in scenario simulations that tested decision-making bottlenecks and supplier resilience. Within months, they uncovered critical gaps in escalation paths and supplier SLAs. Today, their board sees real metrics about time-to-decision and recovery confidence; not just a completed checklist.
How Technology Helps
This is where CLDigital 360 comes in. Our Test & Exercise Module is built to:
- Automate Evidence Capture – No more chasing screenshots and sign-offs; results are tracked in one place.
- Scale Exercises Enterprise-Wide – From small team drills to cross-functional simulations, all with reusable templates.
- Link Tests to Business Services – So you know which assets, processes, and suppliers are truly impacted.
- Turn Lessons into Actions – Findings flow directly into remediation workflows, ensuring gaps are closed.
The result is a cycle of plan → test → learn → improve that builds capability, not clutter.
Looking Ahead: From Compliance to Confidence
Regulators worldwide, from the FCA and PRA in the UK to the EU’s DORA framework are demanding more robust testing of resilience programs. Compliance will always require evidence. But evidence alone doesn’t protect your business.
Organizations that thrive in disruption are those that see testing as practice, not paperwork. They invest in frequent, realistic, and integrated exercises that give leaders confidence, not just compliance.
If your teams are drowning in checklists, it’s time to pause and ask: are we preparing for the audit, or for the outage?
At CLDigital, we believe the answer should always be both, but the focus must be on resilience you can trust when it matters most.
