ICANN81 - TLD-OPS Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Plan (DR BCP) Tabletop Exercise (TTX)

Welcome to the public resource hub for the TLD-OPS Tabletop Exercise (TTX) conducted during ICANN81. This exercise was designed as a capacity-building initiative to help all country code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD) operators enhance their preparedness for disaster recovery and business continuity.

This TTX builds on lessons learned from the DR/BCP workshop we held during ICANN66, the collateral for can be found here (ICANN66).

Below, you'll find an overview of the exercise structure, along with access to all supporting materials, including presentations and the card deck used during the simulation.

TTX Overview

The Tabletop Exercise (TTX) simulates a crisis scenario, allowing participants to role-play their responses in a structured and interactive environment. Here's how the exercise works:

1. Group Dynamics and Structure

• Participants are divided into small groups of 8 people or less.
• Each group is assigned a steward from the TLD-OPS team to provide guidance and logistical support throughout the exercise.

2. Action Cards

• Each group receives a deck of action cards, which are categorized into four key areas:
  • Technical Actions
  • Regulatory Actions
  • Management Actions
  • Communication Actions
• These cards represent possible actions the group can take in response to evolving incidents during the exercise.

The action cards used in this exercise are intentionally designed to ensure that no single "perfect" response path exists. This design choice encourages participants to engage in meaningful discussions, explore different perspectives, and collaborate to determine the best possible actions given the available options. The goal is to simulate the complexity and uncertainty of real-world crisis situations, where ideal solutions are rarely clear-cut. By fostering dialogue and critical thinking, the exercise helps teams develop their problem-solving and decision-making skills under pressure. 

3. Turn-Based Role-Playing

• The exercise consists of five (5) rounds:
  1. At the beginning of each round, a new piece of information about the incident is shared.
  2. Groups have a maximum of 15 minutes (sometimes less ) to evaluate the situation and select three (3) priority actions from their action deck.
  3. Groups should prioritize their actions based on the impact and urgency of the incident.

4. Debriefing and Evaluation

• After the fifth round, each group presents their decisions, explaining the rationale behind their selected actions.
• This debrief allows for collective learning and evaluation of strategies.

How to Participate

• Feel free to consult external resources, including the internet, to inform your decisions during the exercise.
• Your group's steward is available to answer any questions or provide clarifications as needed.

Supporting Materials

To enhance your understanding and engagement, we’ve made all supporting documents publicly available:

• PowerPoint Presentations: These slides were used to brief participants and guide discussions during the TTX.
• Card Deck (PDF): The complete set of action cards, categorized by type, used during the exercise.