Eight Essential Steps for Successful Disaster Recovery Drills

In today’s environment where business continuity is increasingly critical, many organizations are concerned about the state of their disaster recovery (DR) drills. A 2009 international benchmark report showed that only 33% of organizations with mature business continuity plans conduct regular drills to validate their feasibility.

The secret to successful DR drills is simplicity and continuity.

Eight steps for a disaster recovery drill:

1. Define the drill scope and participants If it’s the organization’s first drill, start with one or two parts of the business continuity plan rather than the entire plan. Small, frequent drills provide more value than a single large exercise.

2. Form a drill planning team Include a small group of participants who understand the processes involved; at least one senior executive should be part of the team to lend credibility.

3. Set drill objectives Agree on 3‑5 clear, measurable objectives such as validating the DR process, updating emergency contact lists, familiarizing senior management with their roles, raising staff awareness, and testing Recovery Time Objectives (RTO).

4. Design the drill scenario Create a realistic disaster scenario—fire, severe weather, etc.—that tests specific parts of the continuity plan. Ensure the scenario is credible, understandable, and within participants’ knowledge scope.

5. Develop an evaluation checklist Prepare a checklist that records who is evaluating, which objectives are being measured, standards, and space for comments. This helps assess performance, highlight gaps, and identify improvement areas.

6. Assign roles Typical roles include participants (execute specific plan tasks), observers (provide constructive feedback), evaluators (complete the checklist), and a facilitator (manage the drill, provide information, and lead the post‑drill debrief).

7. Hold a pre‑drill briefing Explain each role, the schedule, location, and basic rules to reduce anxiety. Emphasize that the drill involves the whole organization, encourages open dialogue, respects participants, and is a learning exercise.

8. Conduct the post‑drill review Hold a summary meeting within one to two days to capture strengths, weaknesses, and improvement suggestions. Use a feedback form for participants, observers, and evaluators, then compile a drill report that outlines findings, action items, owners, and timelines.

Additional tips: keep drills under four hours, gradually increase complexity, prepare the venue, provide refreshments, record timings, allow participants to guide discussions while staying on track, and maintain a positive atmosphere.