1. Project and Program Management
Lesson Two
After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
• Define exercise program management.
• Describe the Multiyear Training and Exercise Plan.
• Describe how exercises build capabilities.
• Identify the key components of exercise project
management.
• Describe the critical aspects of an exercise planning
team.
• Name the different types of exercise planning
conferences.

2. Project and Program Management
• Exercise Program Management:
– The coordination of multiple exercises over a
multiyear calendar.
• Exercise Project Management:
– The coordination of an individual exercise.

3. Exercise Program Management
• Concept:
– Exercise Program Management involves the
development and implementation of an exercise
program that include:
• Multiyear training and exercise program planning.
• Managing the programs budget and obtaining new funding
from multiple sources i.e., grants.
• Developing and implementing individual exercises.
• Continually track improvements.
– Exercise Program Management can vary in its size and
shape, with personnel being responsible for part or all
of these types of duties.

4. Exercise Program Management Cont.
• Multiyear Training and Exercise Plan
– Concept:
• Having a Multiyear Training and Exercise plan is essential
when managing a exercise program.
• A MT&E Plan is a document that outlines a program’s long-
term strategy for building capabilities through exercises and
training.
– Functions:
• Takes stock of current program plans and capabilities.
• Outlines long-term program goals and objectives.
• Builds a mixture of exercises to help complete goals and
objectives.
• Establishes what training is needed as a prerequisite to
planned exercises.
• Develops the agencies multiyear training and event schedule.

5. Exercise Program Management Cont.
• Typically, the Multiyear Training and Exercise Plan is
designed at a Training and Exercise Plan Workshop.
Depending on the size and scope of the agency’(s)
goals and objectives, some workshops may be
relatively smaller than others.
• Program managers use Multiyear Training and Exercise
Schedules to:
– Avoid duplicating efforts.
– Combine exercises and ensure the exercises don’t conflict.
– Combine training and ensure training does not conflict.
– Optimize and combine funding if possible.
– Mitigate the likelihood of “over” training and exercising.

6. Exercise Program Management Cont.
• Capability Building
– Program managers use a wide-
range of tools, such as exercises,
to build and improve upon an
organization’s capabilities.
Validating training, plans, and
equipment is one of the most
crucial aspects of exercise
program management.
– In addition to validating training,
equipment, and program plans,
program managers should be
evaluating exercise lessons to:
• Prepare for future training, plans and
equipment.
• Identify other resources needed to
fill in capability gaps.

7. Exercise Project Management
• Concept:
– The next step after exercise program management
comes exercise project management. This step
consists of the design, development, and execution of a
specific exercise, followed by exercise evaluation and
improvement planning.
• Successful project management includes:
– Developing a project management timeline.
– Establishing project objectives.
– Identifying the exercise planning team.
– Create a timetable for planning conferences.

8. Exercise Project Management Cont.
• Scheduling and Timelines:
– Exercise program management:
• Consists of a multiyear exercise schedule outlining
multiple exercises.
– Exercise project management:
• In project management, the exercise timeline identifies
key conferences and tasks for an individual exercise.
NOTE: In larger agencies, it is not uncommon to have several
projects being developed at the same time by different exercise
planning teams.

9. Exercise Project Management Cont.
• Reasons project managers build timelines:
– Schedule key conferences and milestones.
– Develop a Master Task List.
– Plan team task assignments.
NOTE: Typically, timelines for discussion-based exercises are
shorter and have fewer tasks than timelines for operations-
based exercises. This is due to the increase of elements in
operations-based planning, such as role players and physical
preparation for deployment of equipment.

10. Exercise Project Management Cont.
Exercise Planning Team:
• Concept:
– Having an exercise planning team is required for every exercise. These
teams are responsible for the design, development, conduct, and
evaluation of an exercise.
• Construction:
– An exercise planning team consists of Lead Planner and planning team.
• Functions:
– Determine exercise objectives.
– Create the exercise scenario.
– Develop exercise documentation.
– Conduct pre-exercise briefing and training sessions.
• Exercise Planning Teams should include key participating agencies,
organizations and jurisdictions. The scope and type of exercise or
scenario should also help determine the team’s membership.

11. Exercise Project Management Cont.
Planning Team Organization:
• Members of the Planning Team are often given
assignments based on tasks. These tasks include:
– Command
– Logistics
– Operations
– Administration/Finance
– Planning.
• The organization of tasks forms the core of the
Incident Command System (ICS) – a standardized
method for managing emergencies.

12. Exercise Project Management Cont.
Planning Conferences:
• Concept:
– Planning Conferences are official meetings where the planning
team members develop and coordinate an exercise.
– Conferences create an environment for the team to :
• Define the exercise purpose and objectives.
• Develop scenarios.
• Coordinate logistics.
• Track design and development progress.
• Troubleshoot design or development problems.
• The scope, type, size, and complexity of the exercise
determine the type and number of conferences the planning
team decides to conduct. For example, an agency that is
NOT planning a multi-agency exercise may have several
meetings that could be considered conferences but only the
members of the planning team for that agency would attend.

13. Exercise Project Management Cont.
The five types of Planning Conferences:
1. Concept and Objectives (C&O) Meeting.
– Optional – may be rolled into the initial planning conference.
– Exercise type, scope, scenario, and objectives are recognized.
– Official Exercise Planning Team selection occurs.
– Sponsoring agency and senior officials attend.
2. Initial Planning Conference (IPC).
– If there is no C&O meeting, the IPC has the same
characteristics, as well as the following.
– Refine the exercise scope, scenario, and objectives.
– Solidify exercise timeline and task list.
– Situate task assignments for planning team members.
3. Mid-Term Planning Conference (IPC).
– Solves outstanding logistical and/or logistical issues.
– Site walkthrough is conducted.
– Usually only held for operations-based exercises.

14. Exercise Project Management Cont.
The five types of Planning Conferences:
4. Master Scenario Events List (MSEL) Conference.
– Develops (or continues developing) scenario injects for
exercise conduct.
– Usually only held for operations-based exercises.
5. Final Planning Conference (FPC).
– Final drafts or exercise materials are completed.
– Logistics and procedures for exercise conduct are
finalized.
– Last opportunity to settle outstanding issues.