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Crisis Management Scenario Exercise
Leadership under pressure is a skill you practise.
A Crisis Management Scenario Exercise tests your senior leadership's ability to lead through a crisis. Fixinc designs strategic, multi-dimensional exercises that challenge your Crisis Management Team's decision-making, coordination, and communication before a real crisis demands it.
When the crisis hits, everyone looks to the top.
Crisis management is where leadership is tested most visibly. When an incident escalates beyond operational response, it falls to the Crisis Management Team to take control: assessing the situation, making high-stakes decisions, coordinating across the organisation, and managing communications with stakeholders, media, regulators, and the public. These are not decisions that can be rehearsed from a document alone.
Fixinc designs crisis management exercises that focus specifically on strategic leadership under pressure. We research your organisation, review your Crisis Management Plan, and build a scenario that presents the kind of complex, evolving situation your leadership team could realistically face. Scenarios are multi-dimensional by design, combining operational disruption with reputational risk, stakeholder pressure, and competing priorities that force genuine decision-making.
The exercise is delivered in two parts. The morning session is a facilitated walkthrough where the Crisis Management Team works through the scenario step by step, reinforcing their understanding of the plan, their roles, and the decision-making frameworks available to them. The afternoon session is immersive. The team leads the response to an escalating crisis with minimal guidance, facing dynamic injects that test their ability to make decisions with incomplete information, communicate clearly, and coordinate a response that spans multiple parts of the organisation.
Crisis management exercises are not about getting it right. They are about building the muscle memory and confidence that comes from working through a realistic crisis in a safe environment. A post-exercise report captures findings, observations, and recommendations, providing your organisation with a clear benchmark of crisis leadership maturity and a pathway to strengthening it.
Respond with confidence
When things go wrong, this phase activates. The Diamond’s top layers focus on structured, coordinated response, from executive decisions down to team-level action. Here’s where tools like F24, defined roles, and real-time communications bring planning to life under pressure.
A stronger return to BAU
The end goal isn’t just recovery, it’s learning. After every disruption, this phase ensures lessons are captured, plans are updated, and culture is strengthened. It’s about returning to operations quickly, but better prepared for next time.
Planning made practical
This phase includes disciplines like business continuity, crisis management, and IT disaster recovery. It’s where the bulk of the work happens, through structured validation, simulations, and repeatable testing. For those looking to lead in their sector, it can also align with ISO accreditation and industry standards.
Foundations of Crisis Management
You can’t manage a crisis if you don’t know how one works. This module gives your leadership team a clear, no-fluff understanding of what crisis management is, and what it’s not. We cut through the noise and give you a modern, usable model built on real-world frameworks and experience.
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What type of crisis scenario will be used?
Every scenario is built specifically for your organisation. Fixinc researches your threat landscape, industry risks, and past incidents to design a scenario that is realistic, multi-dimensional, and relevant. Scenarios typically combine operational disruption with elements such as reputational damage, stakeholder pressure, media attention, or regulatory scrutiny.
Who should participate in the exercise?
The exercise is designed for your Crisis Management Team and senior leaders who would be activated during a real crisis. This may include executive leadership, communications leads, legal, and other roles with strategic decision-making responsibilities.
How does this differ from an Incident Management exercise?
An incident management exercise tests the tactical, operational response at the frontline. A crisis management exercise tests the strategic leadership layer — the people making decisions that affect the entire organisation, its stakeholders, and its reputation. Both can be run independently or combined into an integrated exercise.
Can the exercise include media or stakeholder simulation?
Yes. Fixinc can introduce simulated media enquiries, stakeholder demands, or regulatory pressure as part of the dynamic injects. These elements test your team's communication capability and ability to manage external pressures while leading the internal response.
What if our Crisis Management Team has never been exercised before?
That is a common starting point. The morning walkthrough session is specifically designed to build confidence and familiarity before the afternoon's immersive exercise. The post-exercise report will provide clear recommendations regardless of the team's starting point.