Last verified: 9 September 2026. Child: tabletop design. Parent: emergency preparedness.
Direct Answer (9 September 2026): A tabletop exercise is a discussion-based session: roles, injects, a hypothetical — no resource deployment. A functional exercise runs a cell and real tools. A full-scale exercise deploys people and kit. The activity that validates whether recovery plans work is a test plus an after-action that changes the plan. U.S. public-sector method: FEMA HSEEP.
| Type | What moves | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Tabletop | Talk and injects. No field deploy. | Policy, roles, first gaps |
| Functional | A cell and real tools; field often simulated | EOC, comms, a department |
| Full-scale | People and kit in the space | Prove the system when the risk earns it |
A utility-shutdown procedure that must be revised is usually found in a functional or full-scale, not a seminar. How to write and run the discussion: tabletop design.
FAQ
What is a tabletop exercise?
Discussion-based review of roles on a hypothetical. It is not a full-scale deployment and not an enhanced tabletop by another name.
Which type of exercise is discussion-based?
Tabletop.
What is HSEEP?
FEMA’s exercise design and evaluation cycle: objectives, scenario, control, evaluate, improvement plan.