--- title: How to Write BCM Testing Objectives That Drive Action description: Write BCM testing objectives that produce usable evidence, clearer findings, and focused remediation across tabletop, functional, and recovery exercises. image: https://bcmmetrics.com/hubfs/Business%20Continuity%20Exercise%20Meeting.png --- [Skip to content](https://bcmmetrics.com/blog/bcm-testing-objectives-that-produce-better-remediation-work#main-content) SOLUTIONS [PRICING](https://bcmmetrics.com/pricing) USE CASES RESOURCES [ABOUT US](https://bcmmetrics.com/about-bcmmetrics) Flexible BCM software solutions [See all solutions →](https://bcmmetrics.com/business-continuity-solutions) [![Group 1171274363](https://bcmmetrics.com/hubfs/Group%201171274363.svg) **REGULATORY COMPLIANCE** A self-assessment tool to evaluate the level of compliance of your business continuity program](https://bcmmetrics.com/business-continuity-solutions/compliance-confidence) [![Frame 16367](https://bcmmetrics.com/hubfs/Frame%2016367.svg) **BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLANNING** A single platform where you can build and share business continuity plans (BCPS) across your entire team](https://bcmmetrics.com/business-continuity-solutions/bcm-planner) [![Frame 16365](https://bcmmetrics.com/hubfs/Frame%2016365.svg) **BUSINESS IMPACT ANALYSIS** An everyday business impact analysis (BIA) software to help you prepare and plan for anything](https://bcmmetrics.com/business-continuity-solutions/bia-on-demand) [![Group 1171274403](https://bcmmetrics.com/hubfs/Group%201171274403.svg) **FACILITIES MANAGEMENT** An intuitive icon-based mapping tool to better manage your facilities around the globe](https://bcmmetrics.com/business-continuity-solutions/bcm-one) [**INSURANCE** Identify critical systems and create streamlined response plans](https://bcmmetrics.com/industry/insurance) [**HEALTHCARE** Simplify compliance and risk assessments in one platform](https://bcmmetrics.com/industry/healthcare) [**FINANCE** Manage audits and meet standards with ease](https://bcmmetrics.com/industry/finance) [**![case-studies](https://bcmmetrics.com/hubfs/Website%20Images/Global/case-studies.svg) CASE STUDIES** Learn how others have redefined their BC management with BCMMetrics](https://bcmmetrics.com/business-continuity-case-studies) [**![case-studies](https://bcmmetrics.com/hubfs/Website%20Images/Global/resource-library.svg) RESOURCE LIBRARY** Access our collection of free downloadable resources](https://bcmmetrics.com/business-continuity-resources) [**![case-studies](https://bcmmetrics.com/hubfs/Website%20Images/Global/blog.svg) BLOG** Read along for expert BC advice from our senior consultants](https://bcmmetrics.com/blog) [LOG IN](https://app.bcmmetrics.com/Portal/login.aspx) [VIRTUAL TOUR](https://bcmmetrics.com/virtual-tour-form) [BOOK YOUR DEMO](https://bcmmetrics.com/demo) ![Mask group (7)](https://bcmmetrics.com/hubfs/Mask%20group%20(7).png) ![Mask group (6)](https://bcmmetrics.com/hubfs/Mask%20group%20(6).png) Business Continuity # BCM Testing Objectives That Produce Better Remediation Work Michael Herrera Updated on: November 04, 2026 ### Prepare For the Worst with the Best in the Business Experience capable, consistent, and easy-to-use business continuity management software. [BOOK YOUR DEMO](https://bcmmetrics.com/demo) Well-designed BCM testing objectives give evaluators a clearer basis for findings and give program owners a better starting point for remediation. They do not replace sound evaluation, ownership, or follow-through. An effective objective defines what the exercise needs to examine, what participants will do, decide, or produce, and what evidence will support the result. The objective should also fit the exercise purpose. Some exercises measure performance against a defined threshold. Others are designed to expose assumptions, dependencies, or decision gaps. **In short** - Start with a business priority, known weakness, plan change, or previous finding. - Decide whether the objective is intended to measure performance or support learning and discovery. - Define what participants will do, decide, examine, or produce. - Establish the evaluation question or performance criterion before the exercise. - Match the evidence to the exercise type and scope. - Preserve the connection between the objective, result, finding, and resulting action. ## Start With the Decision or Capability You Need to Examine The scenario should not determine the exercise objectives by itself. A cyberattack, facility outage, or supplier failure may create an engaging exercise. It does not necessarily address the continuity questions the organization most needs answered. Start by identifying the decision, capability, dependency, or recovery action that needs evidence. Useful inputs include: - unresolved findings from previous exercises - changes to plans, systems, facilities, suppliers, or operating procedures - critical processes and dependencies identified through the BIA - lessons from actual disruptions - recurring response or recovery problems - leadership concerns - contractual, regulatory, or audit requirements that apply to the organization FEMA's January 2020 [Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program guidance](https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/2020-04/Homeland-Security-Exercise-and-Evaluation-Program-Doctrine-2020-Revision-2-2-25.pdf) recommends considering leadership intent, plans, procedures, operating conditions, previous corrective actions, real incidents, and desired outcomes when developing exercise objectives. It also recommends using a reasonable number of objectives so the exercise can be designed and evaluated effectively. HSEEP is not a universal BCM requirement. It is a useful exercise-design reference that organizations can adapt to their own risks, requirements, and program maturity. [![bcmmetrics-new-logo-navy](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/46578083/interactive-226489821571.png)](https://bcmmetrics.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLJnC2W6M0JWszYICs8XXdtqoO7BrSdioKKDOXl5z8LEV63u9WM8Xk%2Bx%2FNEoTJNjQU0gbuqIgy0gVTYtMsygorOuOvnQmZjQeLiRhDYmRMjckV1ItrMNQayWdM4aO32anSWsf04x6aa4Fp%2BmKOCG95rbzYwuU9xG2IZdwKbfDnUM46N6DR198QUvnNzPkL08B%2FApiCUEXF91AMnCEUrBBmK1GpTWVhNi9Gp1AKfiGYMxccS0HvaKCCCg%2FTqm1afg2UYaupFDylQqX8e%2BwI0ckftnngyLtGMvsgFIYh1Kq0z0EmtHt609tTEHnwR48QDoKBvr0JA%2FL2LN8lblWVQLs1lLerg1gQ%3D%3D&webInteractiveContentId=226489821571&portalId=46578083) ### Separate the exercise aim from its objectives An exercise aim describes the broader result the organization wants. > Examine the organization's ability to maintain a critical customer service during an extended technology outage. An objective defines a specific part of that aim that the exercise will examine. > Within 20 minutes of outage confirmation, the incident team will identify the affected critical service, select the approved workaround, and document who has authority to activate it. The aim gives the exercise direction. The objective gives participants and evaluators a defined area of activity. The UK government's February 2025 [Exercising Best Practice Guidance](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/exercising-best-practice-guidance/exercising-best-practice-guidance-html) similarly treats agreed aims and objectives as early exercise-design decisions. It recommends that objectives be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. The guidance is explicitly non-statutory and non-mandatory. ## Choose the Right Type of Objective Not every exercise objective should be written as a pass-or-fail performance test. A functional recovery exercise may need to determine whether a defined action can meet an established threshold. A tabletop may instead need to expose an unresolved authority question or dependency. Both are legitimate, but they require different evaluation methods. | Objective type | What it is meant to establish | Example | | --- | --- | --- | | Performance objective | Whether a defined action or capability can meet an established criterion | Restore the selected application in the test environment and document elapsed time, validation results, and material deviations. | | Learning or discovery objective | How the team would respond and where assumptions, dependencies, or decision gaps remain | Examine how the crisis team would prioritize customer commitments when two critical services compete for limited recovery capacity. | A learning objective still needs boundaries and evidence. It may be evaluated through decisions, questions raised, dependencies identified, or conflicts between the plan and operating reality. It does not need an arbitrary performance threshold. ### Do not confuse training with evaluation Training prepares people to perform a role. An exercise evaluates, rehearses, or explores how people and plans work under defined conditions. If participants have not been trained on a new procedure, an exercise may reveal a training gap rather than a failure of the procedure or the participant. Establish the purpose before deciding how the result will be interpreted. An objective such as "help participants understand their roles" may be appropriate for a training session. If the purpose is evaluation, rewrite it around observable activity: > When the exercise begins, each designated lead will identify and carry out the decisions assigned to the role using the approved plan. ## Write Objectives That Evaluators Can Use A useful testing objective should answer six questions: 1. Who is expected to act? 2. What must they do, decide, examine, or produce? 3. Under what conditions? 4. What plan, procedure, system, or resource should they use? 5. What criterion or evaluation question will guide the assessment? 6. What evidence will show what happened? A practical drafting formula is: > When \[condition\] occurs, \[role or team\] will \[perform, decide, examine, or produce\] \[defined activity or output\] using \[applicable resources\], with the result assessed through \[criterion or evaluation question\] and supported by \[evidence\]. This is a drafting aid, not a formal standard. Teams should adjust it to the exercise purpose, risk, scope, and available evaluation resources. ### Replace vague verbs with observable activity Terms such as *understand*, *review*, *discuss*, *validate*, and *ensure* can produce weak objectives when used alone. They do not tell the evaluator what evidence would support the result. | Weak objective | Stronger objective | | --- | --- | | Validate the crisis plan | Given the loss of the primary facility, the crisis team will identify the declaration authority, escalation path, and first three response decisions using the current crisis plan. | | Test employee communications | Within 15 minutes of authorization, the communications team will send an exercise alert through the primary and alternate channels and record delivery and acknowledgement results. | | Review recovery procedures | The recovery team will restore the selected service in the approved test environment, record start and completion times, and document material deviations from the recovery procedure. | | Identify gaps | Evaluators will compare observed actions with the approved procedure and document each material difference, its operational effect, and the affected plan or process. | NIST SP 800-84 recommends expressing expected test results in objective, measurable terms where possible and minimizing subjective measurement. NIST published the guidance in September 2006 for IT plans and capabilities, so it should be used here as transferable testing practice rather than a current universal BCM requirement. See [NIST SP 800-84](https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/sp/800/84/final). [![bcmmetrics-logo-new-white](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/46578083/interactive-226531150354.png)](https://bcmmetrics.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLLih%2F9XrlVtIsLWrfSwnz27OnYSqZ%2BYCVw8b9zJEBRgy0sTJyiHo7nxFUAUk%2FzT%2F8xgx%2FA%2FMId8k2eX%2Fq7DZ6SLPQhwR3QvoHJuSrXrTG7ikhbTBIRWsYyUwcjoVINDgeVD1Vgllfx9iRWNPfAiSz0dJR5PvjEjPflmlYtyArX6Sx34%2Bk%2Bi7ulQYu%2FykuVQPJ70%2Bd6NcwPmj5HG2QVprD6kcFugcnmmu85wahDaICfgomqffC2guhcqtaaDpJ54siBxkTimOvWMY0CC%2B8SV&webInteractiveContentId=226531150354&portalId=46578083) ## Match the Evidence to the Exercise Type The same broad capability requires different objectives and evidence depending on whether the team is discussing a response, performing coordinated activities, or executing a recovery. A tabletop can show how people interpret authority, identify dependencies, and make decisions. It cannot, by itself, prove that a system can be restored or that an alternate process can sustain the required workload. | Exercise type | Example objective | Useful evidence | | --- | --- | --- | | Tabletop | When two critical services compete for limited recovery capacity, the crisis team will determine who has authority to set the priority and document the information required for that decision. | Decision log, evaluator notes, plans referenced, assumptions, unresolved authority questions | | Functional | Following activation, the communications team will send an approved notification through the primary and alternate channels to the designated test group within 15 minutes and record delivery and acknowledgement results. | System logs, timestamps, approvals, delivery records, acknowledgement records, evaluator observations | | Recovery | The recovery team will restore the selected application from the approved backup to the designated test environment, verify data integrity using the approved procedure, and record elapsed time and material deviations. | Recovery logs, timestamps, validation results, exception records, completed procedure steps | Safety, production impact, data handling, and change controls must be addressed before live or functional activity. A limited component test should not be presented as proof that the entire service, process, or organization can recover within its target. For a broader explanation of exercise types and progression, see [Business Continuity Testing: Types, Examples, and Checklist](https://bcmmetrics.com/blog/three-things-you-should-know-about-business-continuity-testing). ## Connect Each Objective to Its Result and Resulting Work Do not wait until the exercise ends to decide what evidence the team should have collected. Build the evaluation record when the objectives are written. | Field | Purpose | | --- | --- | | Exercise aim | Defines the broader result the exercise supports | | Objective type | Identifies whether the objective measures performance or supports learning and discovery | | Objective | States the action, decision, question, or output being evaluated | | Scope | Identifies what is and is not included | | Criterion or evaluation question | Establishes how performance or learning will be assessed | | Evidence source | Identifies the record that will support the assessment | | Evaluator | Assigns responsibility for observing and documenting the activity | | Result | Records the supported conclusion without overstating what the exercise demonstrated | | Finding | Explains the material difference between expected and observed performance or the issue exposed | | Resulting work | Identifies whether the result requires a plan update, process change, training, investment, risk decision, or retest | ### Use evaluation statuses that reflect the evidence A simple pass-or-fail label can conceal important context. Depending on the objective, useful statuses may include: - achieved - partly achieved - not achieved - not observed - not tested because of scope or exercise conditions - inconclusive because evidence was insufficient This prevents missing evidence or an out-of-scope activity from being mislabeled as a performance failure. ### Separate findings from corrective actions A finding describes what happened, the supporting evidence, and why the difference matters. > Participants used two different contact lists, which delayed escalation and created uncertainty about which record was current. A corrective action defines what will change, who owns the work, and when it is expected to be completed. > The continuity program owner will designate the approved contact source, update the escalation procedure, remove obsolete copies, and conduct a focused retest by the agreed date. Not every observation requires formal remediation. Some items may be contextual, low-impact, or outside the exercise scope. Converting every comment into an equal-priority action makes the resulting work harder to manage. For a detailed post-exercise workflow, see [BCM Exercise Follow-Through: Closing Actions Instead of Letting Them Drift](https://bcmmetrics.com/blog/exercise-follow-through-closing-actions). ## Keep Exercise Records Usable After the Session Plans, exercise notes, evidence, reports, and action trackers can each hold part of the record. The problem appears when the program owner must reconstruct how those records relate after the exercise. When evaluating BCM software, ask whether the workflow can preserve: - the exercise type and scope - the objective type and evaluation method - the applicable plan, application, location, or business unit - participant and evaluator records - supporting documents and result notes - reports by exercise, plan, business unit, or status - the affected plan changes - remediation ownership, due dates, closure evidence, and retest requirements A product does not need to perform every governance step. It should be clear which parts of the workflow it supports and which remain in another approved system. ### Questions to ask during a software demonstration 1. How is an exercise template created and reused? 2. Can objectives and expected results be documented before the exercise? 3. Can exercises be organized by business unit, application, plan, and type? 4. How are actual results recorded? 5. What reports and exports can be generated from the captured information? 6. Can the system show which plan was exercised and which plan changes followed? 7. How are remediation owners, deadlines, closure evidence, and retests handled? 8. Which of these capabilities are available today and which require another tool or manual process? Do not accept a dashboard as proof that the underlying exercise record is complete. Ask to see the path from an objective to its result and then to the work that follows. [![bcmmetrics-new-logo-navy](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/46578083/interactive-212381562191.png)](https://bcmmetrics.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLJOLuWL7IsqP%2F1222swu2gyazYYz4KDVu3HbdCk5tgP5PlI94fgSMWiA1L9g8eVV0XnzfSrAKKMxCxL8J0rg6S%2BnNihEc0oNmbHhseiVPntdJlfZuMHRYsYsKsVCiTg%2BQ9hWRvTEw7sf0Kz2sKT%2F7vGvgG2dcwWFHQS8SNQiPNWcz%2F3wiQnl9DfPs5UrxvylvWJIlPsRKCPHnhbrZXTag%3D%3D&webInteractiveContentId=212381562191&portalId=46578083) ### Reduce the work of reconstructing exercise history Once the objective and evaluation method are defined, the recurring burden is keeping exercise templates, plans, participants, supporting documents, results, and reports organized. [BCMMetrics BCM Planner](https://bcmmetrics.com/business-continuity-solutions/bcm-planner) can support that execution layer. Its current public materials describe plan creation, editing, storage, and sharing. They also state that teams can create exercise templates, select specific business units, applications, and plans, record results, generate ad hoc reports, and export exercise data to Excel. ![BCM Planner exercise record showing exercise details, participants, documents, and results](https://bcmmetrics.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Business%20impact%20analysis-Aug-09-2024-02-36-19-7014-AM.png?height=751&name=Business+impact+analysis-Aug-09-2024-02-36-19-7014-AM.png&width=1360) BCM Planner provides a structured record for exercise details, participants, supporting documents, and results. Confirm the current workflow during a demonstration. Keeping those records in the same platform may reduce the amount of history a team must reconstruct from separate files. The extent of that benefit depends on how the organization configures and maintains its workflow. BCMMetrics' public materials do not establish BCM Planner as a general corrective-action management system. During a demonstration, confirm how the current product handles findings, action ownership, closure evidence, plan changes, and retesting before treating those steps as part of the module. ## Give Remediation a Clearer Starting Point Testing objectives do not improve the program by themselves. They give evaluators and program owners a clearer basis for deciding what the exercise demonstrated and what should happen next. Start with the capability, decision, or uncertainty that needs evidence. Choose a performance or learning objective. Define the evaluation method before the exercise. Then preserve the connection from the objective to the evidence, supported result, finding, resulting action, and any required retest. To review whether your current exercise process produces usable evidence and follow-through, [download the BCM Readiness Guide](https://bcmmetrics.com/bcm-readiness-guide). --- ![](https://bcmmetrics.com/hubfs/Website%20design/Michael-Herrera-MHA-Consulting.jpg) #### Michael Herrera Michael Herrera is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MHA. In his role, Michael provides global leadership to the entire set of industry practices and horizontal capabilities within MHA. Under his leadership, MHA has become a leading provider of Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery services to organizations on a global level. He is also the founder of BCMMETRICS, a leading cloud based tool designed to assess business continuity compliance and residual risk. Michael is a well-known and sought after speaker on Business Continuity issues at local and national contingency planner chapter meetings and conferences. Prior to founding MHA, he was a Regional VP for Bank of America, where he was responsible for Business Continuity across the southwest region. ## Other resources you might enjoy ![](https://bcmmetrics.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Residual%20Risk%20Register%20Examples%20for%20BCM%20Teams.png?height=245&name=Residual%20Risk%20Register%20Examples%20for%20BCM%20Teams.png) #### [Residual Risk Register Examples for BCM Teams](https://bcmmetrics.com/blog/residual-risk-register-examples-bcm) Michael Herrera [Read More](https://bcmmetrics.com/blog/residual-risk-register-examples-bcm) ![business continuity](https://bcmmetrics.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/get-resilient.jpg?height=245&name=get-resilient.jpg) #### [When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Resilient](https://bcmmetrics.com/blog/get-resilient) Michael Herrera [Read More](https://bcmmetrics.com/blog/get-resilient) ![](https://bcmmetrics.com/hs-fs/hubfs/What%20is%20Facility%20Mapping%20in%20Business%20Continuity.jpg?height=245&name=What%20is%20Facility%20Mapping%20in%20Business%20Continuity.jpg) #### [Minding the Store: Follow These BC Document Storage Tips to Improve Your Resilience](https://bcmmetrics.com/blog/business-continuity-document-storage-tips) Richard Long [Read More](https://bcmmetrics.com/blog/business-continuity-document-storage-tips) ## Ready to start focusing on higher-level challenges? ### ![Group 1171274345](https://bcmmetrics.com/hubfs/Website%20Images/Footer/bcmmetrics-logo-new-white.svg) 3820 W Happy Valley Road Glendale, AZ 85310 USA [SOLUTIONS](https://bcmmetrics.com/business-continuity-solutions) - [Regulatory Compliance](https://bcmmetrics.com/business-continuity-solutions/compliance-confidence) - [Business Impact Analysis](https://bcmmetrics.com/business-continuity-solutions/bia-on-demand) - [Business Continuity Planning](https://bcmmetrics.com/business-continuity-solutions/bcm-planner) - [Facilities Management](https://bcmmetrics.com/business-continuity-solutions/bcm-one) PRICING - [Our Pricing Model](https://bcmmetrics.com/pricing) RESOURCES - [Case Studies](https://bcmmetrics.com/business-continuity-case-studies) - [Resource Library](https://bcmmetrics.com/business-continuity-resources) - [Blog](https://bcmmetrics.com/blog) COMPANY - [About us](https://bcmmetrics.com/about-bcmmetrics-old) - [Contact](https://bcmmetrics.com/demo) - [MHA Consulting](https://www.mha-it.com/) © 2026 BCMMetrics. 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