Activity 5.2 – Putting your analysis together
Now that you have an idea of what the analysis part of this process looks like it is time for you to start putting it into practice. This rather lengthy activity will help you to gain a deeper understanding of these issues. At the same time you will also begin to work through the analysis section of your second assignment. At this stage I would suggest that you start to put together a draft set of information relevant to your own exercise development and that you will include within the exercise development section of Assignment 2.

Authority

1.	What is the difference between a Plan and a SOP and how will these differences impact on obtaining authority to conduct the Exercise? Take a few minutes to consider this question and write down your thoughts before reading on.

Consider your own plan and SOP and see if you can determine who might give you the authority to conduct your exercise.

2.	Who might give you the authority to conduct your exercise?

3.	In what ways can you obtain authority for your exercise?

Aim and objectives

Consider your own identified needs and see if you can encapsulate some of them in an exercise aim.

4.	What is the aim of your exercise?

The aim of exercise xxxxxxxx is to 	

5.	Consider the aim of your own proposed exercise and see if you can prepare no more than four related, unambiguous, specific, and achievable objectives.

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You will probably have noticed that some of the objectives you identified above are the same as some of the needs you listed previously. This is as it should be, for after all, you are trying to satisfy the needs you identified earlier with a suitable exercise.

Agencies Involved

6.	For the time being, consider who you might like to see participate in your own exercise. Depending on your Aim and objectives, your participants may include external agencies or they may be from within one agency only. Make a list of these participants.

Resources and Budget

7.	Make a list of the resources and budget that you will require to conduct your exercise. This list will not be definitive at this stage and as you work through later sections you will be able to refine and add to this list as you go. For now a Resources/ Budget heading with a couple of possible general resources is likely all that you can envisage. 

Exercise Type

In the following reading pay particular attention to which exercises best meet certain needs or aims and objectives.

Reading 14:	Extracts from Australian emergency manual: Training management, Chapter 9, paragraphs 9.03–9.07.

8.	See if you can determine which type of exercise would be the most appropriate in the following circumstances and why:

a.	Resources are limited and you need to test a knowledge of SOP?

b.	Some restriction on resources and you want to test individuals understanding of their and other agencies’ roles and responsibilities under a specific plan?

c.	You want to test personnel in problem-solving and decision-making but cannot ‘afford’ to deploy major resources?

d.	You want to test EOC staff work, problem-solving and decision-making, but cannot ‘afford’ to deploy resources?

e.	Resources are ‘unlimited’ and you want to validate the staff work in an EOC, communications, decision-making and the reaction time and co-ordination of agencies at an incident site?

9.	Consider your own aim and objectives and see if you can identify an appropriate type of exercise to achieve them. Explain the type of exercise that you are choosing to undertake and your reasons for that choice. 

Exercise writing team

10.	What are some of the factors you might consider in deciding who should be on your writing team? 

11.	List who you would like to have on the exercise writing team for your own exercise and explain why you have included them and what their role on the writing team might be. 

Exercise Proposal

Examples of a letter sent to the authorising officer and a draft letter for his signature to agencies in relation to an exercise are contained in the following reading.

Reading 17:	Draft exercise proposal letters.

You will note that the draft letter to agencies was sent after the exercise writing team had been formed. You might decide to write your letter earlier if you are seeking a nomination for your writing team.

Writing your own letter

12.	Consider how you might start to frame your own letter. Do not try and draft your letter at this point - this is part of the work specified in the Assignment Guide. But consider drawing up a tentative plan or ‘map’ for your proposed letter in which you begin to record the major points that should be made. You can add to, or modify, your letter plan as you progress through the rest of the topic. Thinking about the letter in this way will make the actual drafting of the letter later on that much easier, and more likely to meet all your required needs. Save your thoughts for future reference and review.