How to Prepare Disaster Recovery Testing Checklist

Disaster Recovery Testing Checklist
Present a detailed DR testing plan when attempting to get approval and funding to run tests.
Clearly identify goals, objectives, procedures and what you are looking for in your post-testing analyses.
Put together a test team — including subject matter experts -- and make sure everyone is available for the planned testing date.
Determine exactly what to test — for example, backup and recovery, system and networks resumption or the employee notification system.
Carefully document and be prepared to edit your DR plan and disaster recovery testing scripts.
Review and confirm that all code in test scripts is accurate.
Include all relevant technology elements and processes being tested in the plan -- no matter how seemingly insignificant.
Ensure the test environment is ready, and available and won't affect production systems before starting. Make sure testing doesn't conflict with any other activities or tests.
Schedule a DR test, which can take hours, far in advance; notify and remind other IT managers of the coming test.
Perform a dry run -- or a practice exercise -- before the disaster recovery test goes live to uncover and fix potential problems.
Stop and review the test when issues arise. Continue if the problem can be bypassed; reschedule if necessary.
Designate a timekeeper to record start and end times and a scribe to take notes to help prepare for the test's after-action report, which describes what occurred during the test, what did and didn't work and what has been learned.
Update disaster recovery and business continuity plans BCP and other documents based on what's been learned from the DR test.