The Business Continuity Exercise Program Lead Manager course is designed for professionals who need to design, structure, plan, coordinate and govern the execution of Business Continuity exercise and testing programmes in a systematic, governed way aligned with international best practices.
Quick Access: Introduction· Why this course exists· What this course enables· Frameworks and standards· Value· Objectives· Target audience· Prerequisites· Programme· Exam & Certification· Other information· Benefits· Logistics· Registration
Upcoming dates
Confirmed dates.
Synchronous, live training. Interaction with the trainer and the group.
Live Online • next edition
Live Online • base price
Language: available in Portuguese or English
Training: practical and case-study based
Exam: 2h
SPECIALIST LEVEL — advanced competences to address critical challenges in the field.
Why this course exists
To bridge the gap between isolated exercises and a structured, governed and defensible Exercise Program.
In many organisations, business continuity exercises and tests are carried out as isolated and poorly integrated activities, without a programmatic view that enables critical capabilities to be validated and consistent evidence to be generated.
The lack of a structured and governed Exercise Program often leads to exercises that do not test what is truly relevant to the business and do not contribute to sustained improvement in organisational resilience.
The Business Continuity Exercise Program Lead Manager course exists to enable professionals to design, govern and coordinate continuity exercise and testing programmes aligned with organisational objectives, maturity level and governance and evidence requirements.
What this course enables you to do
Frame
Frame and apply the role of exercises within the Business Continuity Management lifecycle, clarifying boundaries and responsibilities.
Design
Design, define and structure an Exercise Program aligned with organisational objectives and maturity.
Coordinate
Plan, coordinate and govern the execution of exercises in a controlled and safe manner, with verifiable success criteria.
Assess and evolve
Assess results, conduct an After-Action Review (AAR), define improvement plans and govern the evolution of the programme over time.
Frameworks, standards and best practices addressed throughout the course
NIST SP 800-84 — Test, Training and Exercise (TT&E) Programs
ISO 22301 / ISO 22313 — exercises within the BCMS framework
Behaviour best practices for the design, governance and evolution of Exercise Programs
Value for the organisation
- Improves the quality, consistency and relevance of exercises, through a programmatic rather than isolated approach.
- Strengthens governance and structured evidence for audit, reporting and management decisions.
- Enables critical capabilities to be validated and strategic assumptions to be tested with verifiable criteria.
- Supports continuous improvement of organisational resilience through AAR → improvement plan → programme evolution cycles.
Introduction
The Business Continuity Exercise Program Lead Manager course is a Behaviour specialisation course focused on the programmatic management of Business Continuity exercises and tests, aligned with international references and recognised best practices.
The course focuses on the Exercise Program as a governed system, enabling objectives, exercise types, planning, controlled execution, assessment and continuous improvement to be structured.
The course materials are protected by Copyright and registered as a literary work with IGAC.
General Objectives
At the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Frame the role of exercises within the Business Continuity Management lifecycle.
- Design and structure an Exercise Program aligned with organisational objectives.
- Select exercise types suited to capabilities and maturity levels.
- Plan, coordinate and govern exercises with verifiable success criteria.
- Assess results, conduct AAR and define actionable improvement plans.
- Govern and evolve the exercise programme over time, including governance, reporting and evidence.
- Prepare in a structured way for the Behaviour certification assessment associated with the course.
Target Audience
- Business Continuity professionals with responsibilities in the definition, governance and coordination of exercises and tests.
- Organisational Resilience, Risk, GRC or Operational Resilience professionals with responsibilities for capability validation and evidence generation.
- Consultants and functional managers involved in the design, assessment and evolution of Business Continuity exercise programmes.
- Senior professionals who need to coordinate and govern the execution of exercises, ensuring consistency, control and continuous improvement.
Prerequisites
There are no mandatory formal prerequisites. Previous knowledge of Business Continuity and Organisational Resilience is recommended, as well as familiarity with continuity plans, capability validation and governance concepts, and professional experience in continuity, risk, resilience or governance functions.
However, other specific requirements may apply, where relevant, depending on the quotation or proposal presented.
Programme
Introduction to the course
Exercise Program framework in Business Continuity
Exercise types and test objectives
Structure and lifecycle of an Exercise Program
Exercise planning and success criteria
Sub-scenario design and metrics selection
Exercise preparation, conduct and control
Assessment, AAR and improvement plans
Governance, reporting and evolution of the Exercise Program
Exam(s) and Certification
Exam “Certified Business Continuity Exercise Program Lead Manager”
The exam covers the following competence domains:
- Domain 1: Fundamentals of Business Continuity Exercises and BCMS framework
- Domain 2: Exercise Program — objectives, scope, types and programmatic planning
- Domain 3: Exercise design — scenarios, sub-scenarios, success criteria and metrics
- Domain 4: Controlled exercise preparation and conduct, including roles, rules, safety and control
- Domain 5: Assessment — After-Action Review (AAR), lessons learned and improvement plans
- Domain 6: Governance, roles, responsibilities, reporting, metrics and evidence
- Domain 7: Exercise Program integration and evolution, including maturity, coherence and continuous improvement
Language(s): Portuguese and English (please consult BEHAVIOUR for availability in other languages).
Duration: 2 hours (120 minutes).
Format: Multiple-choice questions, scenario-based and related to the competence domains.
Number of questions: 90 questions.
Pass mark: 700/1000 points.
Results: Pass or Fail.
Issuing entity: Behaviour (legal entity), through its certification service Behaviour Certification Services.
Retake: 1 free retake within a maximum period of 2 months after the release date of the exam result.
Certification
After passing the exam and signing the agreement / Code of Ethics, the candidate may apply for one of the three levels, according to experience:
- Certified Business Continuity Exercise Associate (CBEA): no previous experience required.
- Certified Business Continuity Exercise Program Manager (CBEPM): 2 years of professional experience in areas such as Business Continuity, Operational Resilience, Risk Management, Operations, Information Security, GRC and/or exercise and testing planning, coordination and governance functions.
- Certified Business Continuity Exercise Program Lead Manager (CBEP-LM): 5 years of professional experience, including effective responsibility in design, governance and functional/technical leadership of continuity exercise programmes, critical capability validation and continuous improvement coordination.
A Certificate and a Digital Certification Badge will be issued to participants who successfully complete the certification exam and satisfy all requirements of the certification for which they are applying. Certification is issued by Behaviour (legal entity), through its certification service Behaviour Certification Services.
Behaviour® professional certification is a proprietary certification scheme, with international recognition in the market. The scheme is designed and operated based on best practices in personal certification, principles of impartiality and exam quality, and applicable international references, including the principles of ISO/IEC 17024.
Certification programmes are valid only for individuals, not companies, and the award and maintenance of certification depend on the exam result, professional experience and compliance with the applicable agreement / Code of Ethics.
If the professional does not comply with the agreement / Code of Ethics, certification is not granted or is revoked.
Other Information
General Information
- Training available in Portuguese or English.
- Online training materials available in Portuguese or English, with online access, in accordance with the awarded conditions.
- Practical step-by-step implementation methodology.
- Behaviour digital Training Attendance Certificate with 24 CPD/CPE credits.
- Online Certification Exam, in Portuguese or English. The exam may be taken up to 2 months from the course start date.
- If the candidate does not pass the exam, they are entitled to one free retake within a maximum period of 2 months from the release date of the initial exam result.
- Digital Certification Diploma and Digital Certification Badge after passing the exam and completing the application process. This process has no associated cost.
Trainer(s)
Benefits
View benefits
- Distinctive specialisation in the programmatic management of Business Continuity exercises and tests.
- Capability to design, govern and coordinate exercise programmes aligned with organisational objectives and maturity.
- Improvement in the quality, consistency and relevance of exercises carried out by organisations.
- Generation of structured evidence for governance, audit and reporting.
Logistics
Useful information
- Live Online (synchronous time): 09h30–17h30 (Lisbon time), with lunch break and short breaks
- Classroom (synchronous time): 09h30–17h30 (Lisbon time), with lunch break and short breaks
- 21 hours of synchronous training, distributed across 3 consecutive days
- Estimated 3 hours of guided autonomous work, intended for content consolidation and exam preparation, carried out flexibly outside synchronous sessions
- Requirements: computer with stable internet, browser, PDF reader and audio/video
Hotels in Lisbon
Frequently Asked Questions
Objective answers to common questions about the Business Continuity Exercise Program Lead Manager course:
In which professional contexts is this course most useful?
Is this course about running exercises operationally or managing a programme from a governance perspective?
Do I need to have an ISO 22301 BCMS implemented to benefit from this course?
What practical outcomes should I be able to achieve after the course?
Is there an associated exam and certification?
For general questions about registration, delivery modes, exams, certification and recertification, please consult the BEHAVIOUR® FAQs.
Registration
Complete the form to request your registration for the preferred edition. Check the upcoming dates.
Request more information
If you would like help to frame the course within your professional or organisational context, contact us and we will indicate the most suitable path.
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Companies: request a proposal
For team registrations, we provide volume conditions and a proposal tailored to the organisational need.
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This course may be attended by individual professionals. It may also be integrated into capability-building paths for teams responsible for the design, governance, conduct and assessment of continuity and crisis exercise, testing and simulation programmes.