The Olson Group, Ltd. (OGL) developed, conducted, and evaluated a tabletop exercise for Harvard Business School management staff addressing the loss of the school’s primary classroom and office building for an extended time. The exercise was designed to challenge the school’s existing COOP plan, forcing participants to identify and secure alternative facilities for the delivery of classes and other services, office space for faculty, a continuation of programming for students, and the management of public and internal concerns and operational issues.
The exercise addressed not only media relations but also social media, using various sophisticated presentations and models to provide a heightened realism for the players. The resulting after-action report provided a basis for a significant revision to the Harvard Business School emergency operations and COOP plans.