--- title: "Business Continuity Exercise Records: What to Keep" description: Learn what a business continuity exercise record should contain, where to store the evidence, and how to use it for findings, actions, and retesting. image: https://bcmmetrics.com/hubfs/Business%20Continuity%20Exercise%20Records.png --- [Skip to content](https://bcmmetrics.com/blog/business-continuity-exercise-records#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 # Business Continuity Exercise Records: What to Keep and Where to Store Them Theron Long Published on: October 07, 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) A business continuity exercise record should preserve enough evidence to explain what was tested, what happened, how the organization reached its conclusions, and what happened next. Keeping every file creates noise and unnecessary exposure. Keeping only the final report removes the evidence needed to understand or support its findings. The goal is a controlled record that connects the exercise objectives, observations, results, decisions, and approved follow-up. It should be easy for authorized users to retrieve and clear enough to support plan updates, reporting, audits, and future exercises. **In short** - Retain the records that explain the exercise scope, performance, conclusions, approval, and follow-through. - Separate governed exercise records from temporary working files and unnecessary sensitive data. - Choose storage based on the purpose of each record, not convenience alone. - Connect validated findings to approved actions, plan changes, and retest evidence. - Evaluate BCM software by the workflow it can demonstrate, not by the number of files it can accept. ## Build a Record That Explains the Exercise Exercise records are created before, during, and after a tabletop, walkthrough, functional test, or other continuity exercise. Together, they should answer five questions: 1. What was the exercise designed to test? 2. What conditions, assumptions, and boundaries shaped the test? 3. What did participants do or decide? 4. How did the evidence become an approved result or finding? 5. What changed, or still needs to change, afterward? FEMA's [Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program](https://preptoolkit.fema.gov/web/hseep-resources) connects exercise design, conduct, evaluation, data collection, reporting, and improvement planning. HSEEP is guidance, not a universal private-sector recordkeeping requirement, but its lifecycle helps show why a final report alone is not a complete record. The Monetary Authority of Singapore provides a regulated-sector example in its 2022 [Business Continuity Management Guidelines](https://www.mas.gov.sg/-/media/mas/regulations-and-financial-stability/regulatory-and-supervisory-framework/risk-management/bcm-guidelines/bcm-guidelines-june-2022.pdf). The guidance says financial institutions should document test objectives, scope, scenario design, participants, results, and follow-up. Organizations outside that sector should apply their own governing requirements. ## Keep the Evidence That Supports the Result The exact record should reflect the exercise's objectives, complexity, risk, and governing obligations. A practical starting point is: | Exercise phase | Records commonly worth retaining | What they establish | Main caution | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **Planning** | Approved objectives, scope, scenario summary, assumptions, participants, evaluation criteria, schedule, and exercise plan | What the organization intended to test and the limits of the result | Avoid retaining every draft merely because it exists | | **Conduct** | Attendance, time-stamped decisions, key communications, evaluator observations, selected screenshots or system outputs, deviations, and actual results | What occurred and the evidence behind later conclusions | Raw chats, recordings, and screenshots may contain sensitive information | | **Evaluation** | Validated observations, strengths, gaps, objective-level results, supporting evidence, participant feedback, and approval comments | How evidence became an approved result or finding | Do not present unvalidated participant comments as conclusions | | **Follow-through** | Approved after-action report, accepted actions, owners, due dates, plan or procedure changes, closure evidence, and retest results | What the organization decided to change and whether the change was verified | A closed status without evidence does not establish effectiveness | Collect evidence against the objectives instead of recording everything. An evaluator note is stronger when it identifies the time, observed action, relevant objective, and source. A screenshot is stronger when its context is recorded. A decision log is stronger when it shows who made the decision, what information was available, and what followed. The after-action report summarizes the outcome. It should not become the only surviving record when its conclusions depend on evidence that reviewers can no longer retrieve. [![bcmmetrics-logo-new-white](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/46578083/interactive-223844471700.png)](https://bcmmetrics.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLKlZdpnqM58LDNn%2Bm8T13zRtVxFT3JWXorKhGauw6EVvI3nqnZlo%2F7Ok%2FVZdQqBYi7jgU0NuFIcVcwrFDeJta8DS53YMPj%2BXPGVGIWzvP7QJoK2i7hHU1ZPlpv8vxVqutKMtL06RD4GrJVMHSsYD7w1LvWNt3FwHR7rY8QWhpnTjPlGuvvaCuLYiZVoF9XknESuDJCdmaKUf0e42EUpAOS%2Bg7%2BSCRB464sPfpwA8u2nqSTahCcG9FhRnu4Imp4qBlkWhIMODkNGiQyqTStznFT6QPUX6vABc91JZqmH4hAic%2FfjoqAdiRGsBqI6KsQ7HBuMEgGqrUX7RRqUfyfJjuWSs7imRIRziwy6vCvJSFQ%3D&webInteractiveContentId=223844471700&portalId=46578083) ## Separate Retained Records From Working Material A practical way to make retention decisions is to separate exercise material into three groups: | Record class | Examples | Default approach | | --- | --- | --- | | **Governed exercise record** | Approved exercise plan, objective results, validated evidence, after-action report, approved actions, closure evidence, and retest results | Retain under the organization's applicable records schedule | | **Temporary working material** | Duplicate notes, convenience copies, superseded drafts, scratch calculations, and unneeded exports | Dispose of under an approved working-file rule after results are validated | | **Sensitive or unnecessary material** | Unredacted personal data, live credentials, unnecessary customer data, or full recordings without a defined purpose | Avoid collecting where possible; otherwise restrict, redact, or dispose of it under applicable requirements | This is a decision aid, not a legal retention schedule. There is no universal retention period for exercise records. The organization should consider regulatory and contractual obligations, audit cycles, litigation holds, privacy and security rules, internal records schedules, and the useful life of the plan, system, or action being tested. ## Choose the Right Home for Each Record “One place” does not always mean one application. A program may use a BCM platform for structured exercise results, a records system for governed documents, and a task system for approved remediation. What matters is that the locations and relationships are defined. | Storage approach | Best suited to | Main limitation to test | | --- | --- | --- | | **BCM platform** | Exercise templates, structured results, reporting, and connections to plans, applications, or business units | Verify how the selected product handles supporting files, approvals, access, actions, retention, and retesting | | **Document or records system** | Controlled documents, formal retention, disposition, and legal holds | Exercise evidence may become separated from results, findings, and actions | | **Shared drive** | Small programs with limited exercise volume and simple reporting needs | Naming, version control, access, evidence linkage, and retrieval may depend on manual discipline | | **Task or GRC system** | Corrective-action ownership, due dates, status, and escalation | Remediation may become detached from the source exercise and supporting evidence | Whichever combination is used, define consistent metadata, approved versions, access rules, record ownership, evidence links, retention responsibility, and a reliable retrieval path. Test whether an alternate authorized user can locate the complete exercise record without coaching. [![bcmmetrics-new-logo-navy](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/46578083/interactive-212381562191.png)](https://bcmmetrics.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLLzYs%2BfG0E%2FCWs13QF3JciWVgQZPhxbth6qjXB5%2B%2F6dU%2FZ5pTecT5hExIj8x8gbYl25B3WYr5b8y2154tPr%2FBaFubfEm6SP1uQIjVmJh3gJ6H8imtQ43s%2BVE%2FyBPZ7rUhVc9TS9WB4rkG5nsVEeJzdIQPrJ7AumR9069CLTCVIzDJSPOoEwYL0HOuz4oaHHYo8ANxU9SnHAsbpb%2FyrpvA%3D%3D&webInteractiveContentId=212381562191&portalId=46578083) ## Use the Record to Drive the Next Action Exercise documentation becomes useful when it supports analysis, an approved decision, a plan change, a management report, or a future test. Keep finding triage separate from remediation management. Triage determines what the observation means and whether action is warranted. Remediation begins after the organization approves an action and assigns an owner. ### A Worked Example Suppose a tabletop exercise tests whether a business unit can continue priority customer transactions during a four-hour application outage. The team locates the manual procedure but discovers that the required form is available only through the unavailable application. The useful record includes the approved objective, scenario assumption, applicable plan version, evaluator's time-stamped observation, evidence showing the form's location, validated finding, approved action, owner, due date, plan change, and retest result. The record does not need every chat message or duplicate screenshot. It needs enough evidence to show the tested condition, the cause of the failure, the approved response, and whether the change worked when tested again. ### What to Evaluate in BCM Software Ask a vendor to demonstrate one realistic exercise workflow. Determine whether the system can: - Create or reuse an exercise template - Connect the exercise to relevant business units, applications, and plans - Record objectives and results consistently - Generate reports that can be reviewed and analyzed - Export usable data when needed - Make the completed exercise easy to identify and retrieve [BCM Planner](https://bcmmetrics.com/business-continuity-solutions/bcm-planner) supports exercise templates by business unit and type, selection of relevant business units, applications, and plans, result recording, ad hoc reporting, and Excel export. For requirements not documented on the public product page, ask the BCMMetrics team to demonstrate how the intended configuration would handle supporting evidence, approvals, permissions, action ownership, retention, and retest records. Do not assume those capabilities from a general feature statement. ## Make One Recent Exercise the Test Review one recent exercise and ask whether an authorized person who did not facilitate it can identify the objectives, applicable plan, approved results, supporting evidence, accepted actions, plan changes, and retest status. If that person must search multiple folders or ask the facilitator what happened, the record is not yet dependable. Use the [BCM Readiness Guide](https://bcmmetrics.com/bcm-readiness-guide) to assess the evidence and follow-through produced by your testing process. If you are evaluating software, bring the same exercise to a [BCMMetrics demo](https://bcmmetrics.com/demo) and ask to see the documented BCM Planner workflow in practice. --- ![](https://bcmmetrics.com/hubfs/Theron%20Long.jpg) #### Theron Long Theron Long is responsible for supporting BCMMetrics' development and operations. Prior to taking on this role, Theron worked as a Consultant under one of MHA’s Senior Advisory Consultants where he had hands on experience in business continuity. He now uses that experience to further innovate BCMMetrics for our internal functions and subscribers alike. Theron has a bachelor’s degree in Technical Communication with a concentration in User Experience from Arizona State University. ## Other resources you might enjoy ![](https://bcmmetrics.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Disaster%20Recovery%20Software%20vs.%20Business%20Continuity%20Software.png?height=245&name=Disaster%20Recovery%20Software%20vs.%20Business%20Continuity%20Software.png) #### [Disaster Recovery Software vs. Business Continuity Software: What Each One Covers](https://bcmmetrics.com/blog/disaster-recovery-software-vs-business-continuity-software) Michael Herrera [Read More](https://bcmmetrics.com/blog/disaster-recovery-software-vs-business-continuity-software) ![APIE](https://bcmmetrics.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog%20images/November%20-%20December%202024/apie.webp?height=245&name=apie.webp) #### [As Easy as APIE: This Simple Disaster-Response Model Is Highly Effective](https://bcmmetrics.com/blog/apie) Michael Herrera [Read More](https://bcmmetrics.com/blog/apie) ![](https://bcmmetrics.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Facility%20Mapping%20for%20Business%20Continuity.png?height=245&name=Facility%20Mapping%20for%20Business%20Continuity.png) #### [Facility Mapping for Business Continuity: What to Track by Site](https://bcmmetrics.com/blog/site-level-continuity-records-facility-mapping) Michael Herrera [Read More](https://bcmmetrics.com/blog/site-level-continuity-records-facility-mapping) ## 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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