Crisis Exercises That Build Confidence and Clarity
We design and deliver customized simulations that strengthen leadership,
uncover gaps, and drive real readiness across your organization.
Why Crisis Exercises Matter
In a real crisis, your team won’t have time to learn—only to act. Rehearsing complex scenarios builds confidence, agility, and alignment at the highest levels of your organization.
A well-designed exercise reveals the hidden gaps in your plans, your processes, and your people. It uncovers the silent assumptions and unspoken friction points that surface under pressure.
Organizations don’t rise to the level of their plans—they fall to the level of their training.
Our Proven Process.
Every exercise we lead follows our proven methodology that ensures strategic alignment, operational rigor, and measurable improvement.
Diagnose.
We start by assessing your current readiness. Through plan reviews, stakeholder interviews, and risk alignment, we identify the scenarios that matter most and the weak spots that need attention.
Design.
We develop custom-built scenarios grounded in your industry, risk profile, and crisis maturity. From ransomware and brand crises to physical disruption, we tailor every element to challenge your team appropriately.
Deliver.
We facilitate immersive exercises that meet your team where they are—whether it’s a strategic tabletop exercise or a high-fidelity simulation with real-time injections. Our facilitators create a safe but challenging learning, leadership, and decision-making space.
Evolve.
Exercises are only valuable if they drive action. We provide structured debriefs and after-action reporting to capture lessons learned and recommend clear next steps. We help you translate insights into meaningful improvements.
Our Crisis Exercise Services
➡️ Facilitated Tabletop Exercises
Guided, discussion-based simulations for executives, crisis teams, and business units. These exercises test leadership coordination, decision-making, and communications in a realistic but controlled environment.
Ideal for:
- Executive team engagement
- Initial crisis team exercises
- Plan validation & confidence building
- Stakeholder alignment
Available virtually or in person.
➡️ Simulation Exercises
Immersive, real-time simulations with complex injects and role players that test how your organization responds under pressure.
Scenarios range from cyberattacks and multi-day disruptions to coordinated supply chain breakdowns. Inspired by real-world engagements, including this complex cybersecurity simulation.
Designed to:
- Test cross-functional coordination
- Validate operational response
- Surface real decision bottlenecks
➡️ Cyber Crisis Exercises
We design exercises that reflect the high-stakes reality of ransomware, cyber extortion, and data breach scenarios.
These exercises integrate legal, IT, crisis communications, and leadership teams in coordinated response activities that mirror the pace and complexity of real incidents.
→ Learn more about Cyber Incident Response Planning
→ Learn more about Cyber Crisis Exercises
➡️ Reputation Management Exercises
When the court of public opinion weighs in, timing and messaging are everything.
We build exercises that test your ability to:
- Manage press conferences and media inquiries
- Align internal and external messaging
- Brief executives and boards
- Respond to social media crises and reputational risk scenarios
We often conduct these exercises with our partners at SocialSimulator, leveraging their simulation platform for a real-life, high-pressure exercise experience.
Proven Results Across Complex Organizations
“The exercise Bryghtpath designed helped us strengthen executive alignment and validated our crisis plans under pressure. The after-action insights were immediately actionable.” — Chief Operating Officer, Regional Health System
“Our crisis simulation with Bryghtpath pushed our leadership team beyond theory into real-time decision-making. We uncovered gaps we never would’ve seen in a traditional tabletop.” — Director, Risk & Compliance, Global Consumer Products Company
Practicing response & recovery through an effective crisis management tabletop exercise for a global healthcare organization
A global healthcare organization, recently spun off from its parent company, retained Bryghtpath to develop, facilitate, and evaluate a Crisis Management Tabletop Exercise.
Complex Cybersecurity Simulation Stresses Realism, Decision-Making, and Executive Integration
A multi-day immersive ransomware simulation tested real-time decision-making, executive engagement, and third-party coordination across a major U.S. healthcare technology organization.
Practicing Systemwide Response and Recovery through a Mass Casualty Incident Tabletop Exercise for a Regional Healthcare System
One of the largest healthcare systems in the United States retained Bryghtpath to conduct and evaluate a systemwide mass casualty tabletop exercise to test their strategies, capabilities, and plans at a system level.
Developing Ransomware Solutions for a leading Healthcare Technology Provider through Tabletop Exercises
A primary U.S. healthcare technology provider, seeking to develop new solutions to the challenges of ransomware and cyberextortion attacks, retained Bryghtpath to conduct tabletop exercises for their IT & technology product teams.
Business Continuity Exercise for a Major Healthcare Technology Company
Bryghtpath developed and conducted a business continuity exercise for a major U.S. healthcare organization to help them improve resilience and meet their compliance & regulatory obligations.
Business Continuity Exercise for a Major Healthcare Technology CompanyLearn More
C-Level Active Shooter Exercise for a Major Utility Company
A major U.S. electric, natural gas, and nuclear energy company, seeking to elevate executive leadership’s crisis response capabilities and engagement, turned to Bryghtpath to exercise both their crisis management framework and build enterprise familiarity with the complexities of an active shooter situation.
C-Level Active Shooter Exercise for a Major Utility CompanyLearn More
Strengthening Crisis Preparedness: A Leading Midwest Health Insurer’s First External Crisis Management Exercise
A leading Midwest health insurer partnered with Bryghtpath to conduct their first externally designed and facilitated crisis management exercise. This milestone initiative elevated their preparedness and established a stronger foundation for organizational resilience.
Ransomware Exercise for a Major Healthcare Technology Company
A major U.S. healthcare organization, seeking to practice their recently updated cybersecurity incident response plan, turned to Bryghtpath to conduct a multi-day complex crisis simulation exercise centered on a realistic ransomware incident.
Ransomware Exercise for a Major Healthcare Technology CompanyLearn More
Our Exercise Products
➡️. Exercise in a Box®️
Your ready-to-run exercise kit for repeatable internal use.
Includes:
- Scenario materials
- Facilitator guide
- Participant handouts
- Discussion questions
Perfect for:
- Departmental use
- Recurring annual testing
- Distributed teams
→ Learn more about Exercise in a Box®️
➡️ Exercise in a Day®️
Your crisis tabletop exercise, custom-designed in just one day.
With Exercise in a Day®, you’ll get a comprehensive, ready-to-execute exercise scenario created through a one-day design session with our team. We align on risk focus, stakeholders, goals, and structure—then build your tabletop.
Optionally, we can facilitate the exercise and write a full after-action report.
Why Bryghtpath?
- Trusted by the Fortune 100, global nonprofits, higher education, and the public sector
- Deep expertise across crisis comms, resilience, cyber, and executive leadership
- Proven tools: Resiliency Diagnosis®, Exercise in a Box®️, Exercise in a Day®️, Crisis Playbook®, and more
- We don’t do theory—we build capability.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose between a tabletop and a simulation?
A tabletop may be enough if you’re testing alignment or conducting an initial exercise with an immature crisis process or plan. If you’re validating full response capabilities, go simulation.
Can you facilitate our exercise remotely?
Yes. We lead both in-person and virtual exercises, including hybrid formats.
Do your exercises align with ISO, NIST, or FFIEC standards?
Absolutely. Our work aligns with ISO 22361, NIST 800-53, FFIEC guidelines, and your internal requirements.
What’s included in the after-action report?
Observations and gaps—plus actionable recommendations prioritized by impact.
How much lead time do you need?
For most engagements, 3-4 weeks is ideal. We move faster when needed. It generally takes us 6 weeks to plan a tabletop exercise and 8-12 weeks to plan a simulation.
Download our Services & Capabilities Guide
Make Your Next Crisis Exercise Count
Whether you’re preparing for a cyberattack, a reputational crisis, or a major natural disaster, we’ll help you build the muscle memory and confidence to respond decisively.