A tailored course, built for your situation
Mastering DORA for Executive Directors in Global Financial Institutions
A complete implementation roadmap for operational resilience leaders
$199 one-time
24-hour access provisioning
30-day money-back guarantee
Hand-built implementation playbook
12 modules. 12 chapters per module. 144 chapters total.
12 modules, each with 12 chapters (144 chapters total), text-based, plus downloadable templates and a hand-built implementation playbook delivered alongside course access.
Compliance fatigue from recurring resilience test revisions
The situation this course is for
Most operational resilience programs get stuck in consultation loops, requiring multiple sign-offs for test design, timing, and scope. This delays execution, dilutes accountability, and creates gaps under regulatory review. Teams default to lowest-common-denominator scenarios to avoid friction, weakening actual preparedness.
Who this is for
Executive Director at a global financial institution leading operational resilience initiatives under DORA, responsible for cross-functional coordination and regulator-facing deliverables
Who this is not for
Junior compliance analysts, external auditors, or practitioners outside financial services
What you walk away with
- Define and lock the annual resilience testing calendar independently
- Own the severity threshold for simulated ICT disruptions
- Approve third-party penetration testing partners without escalation
- Set scope boundaries for incident response drills across asset classes
- Document decision trails that satisfy EBA and internal audit
The 12 modules (with all 144 chapters)
Module 1. DORA’s Article 6 and Operational Resilience Governance
Understand how Article 6 empowers senior practitioners to define resilience governance structure without prior approval. Covers mandated roles, delegation thresholds, and internal reporting lines.
12 chapters in this module
- Mapping Article 6 authority to existing the firm governance frameworks
- Defining the resilience steering committee composition independently
- Setting quorum rules for resilience decision-making forums
- Approving changes to escalation protocols for incident response
- Determining frequency of executive-level resilience briefings
- Setting documentation standards for resilience governance minutes
- Approving external advisor participation in governance meetings
- Controlling access to governance-level resilience dashboards
- Updating governance charter without senior leadership sign-off
- Establishing emergency override procedures for critical decisions
- Setting retention rules for governance records
- Auditing compliance with self-approved governance rules
Module 2. Resilience Testing Scope Under Article 7
Learn how to define what systems and business functions undergo testing, based on materiality thresholds set at the institutional level.
12 chapters in this module
- Classifying financial instruments under DORA materiality criteria
- Setting inclusion rules for trading platform testing cycles
- Defining asset management portfolios subject to disruption tests
- Determining which prime brokerage services undergo sprint testing
- Setting thresholds for client-facing application coverage
- Including third-party dependencies in test scope decisions
- Excluding non-material systems from mandatory testing rounds
- Adjusting scope based on market volatility indicators
- Documenting rationale for scope inclusions and exclusions
- Updating scope after M&A or divestiture events
- Aligning testing scope with internal capital adequacy assessments
- Reporting scope decisions to internal audit without revision cycles
Module 3. Designing Simulated ICT Disruption Scenarios
Create technically grounded, regulator-accepted disruption scenarios that reflect real-world threat models and institutional risk profile.
12 chapters in this module
- Selecting attack vectors for network layer disruption simulations
- Setting duration parameters for denial-of-service test events
- Calibrating data corruption scenarios for back-office systems
- Designing multi-vector attacks combining ransomware and DDoS
- Incorporating quantum-risk readiness indicators in long-term planning
- Validating scenario realism with red team input
- Setting escalation triggers within simulated environments
- Documenting assumptions behind each scenario design
- Approving severity levels for cross-border data outages
- Scheduling surprise injection of disruption events
- Limiting scenario awareness to control group participants
- Archiving scenario blueprints for regulator inspection
Module 4. Third-Party Penetration Testing Oversight
Take full ownership of vendor selection, scope definition, and reporting standards for external security testing.
12 chapters in this module
- Selecting qualified pentesting firms under DORA Article 8
- Defining access levels for external security testers
- Setting boundaries for cloud infrastructure exploration
- Approving test timing around critical trading windows
- Specifying reporting formats for vulnerability disclosures
- Requiring zero-day exploit testing in contract clauses
- Controlling dissemination of pentest findings internally
- Setting remediation timelines based on risk severity
- Negotiating liability terms for test-induced outages
- Auditing tester compliance with non-disclosure agreements
- Extending engagement for follow-up validation cycles
- Maintaining independence from vendor sales relationships
Module 5. Incident Classification and Escalation Protocols
Establish classification criteria for ICT disruptions and control escalation workflows without executive intervention.
12 chapters in this module
- Defining Level 1 vs Level 2 incident thresholds for trading systems
- Setting automatic notification rules for market data outages
- Classifying data integrity issues by financial exposure band
- Determining when communication to senior management is required
- Establishing public relations trigger points for breach disclosure
- Mapping incident types to regulatory reporting obligations
- Setting internal response team assembly timelines
- Defining recovery time objectives for critical functions
- Documenting incident resolution decision trails
- Approving post-mortem scope and participant list
- Setting record retention for incident logs
- Revising protocols after regulator feedback
Module 6. ICT Risk Reporting Under EBA Guidelines
Generate internal reports that satisfy both regulatory expectations and executive clarity without review cycles.
12 chapters in this module
- Structuring quarterly ICT risk summaries for audit committees
- Selecting KPIs for operational resilience performance tracking
- Setting data sources for automated risk score generation
- Defining thresholds for red-amber-green status reporting
- Including third-party dependency risk in summary reports
- Linking risk exposure to capital allocation decisions
- Approving report distribution lists
- Setting encryption standards for report transmission
- Archiving reports to meet regulatory retention rules
- Generating on-demand reports for internal leadership
- Updating report templates after control changes
- Validating report accuracy with independent data sources
Module 7. Internal Audit Coordination and Evidence Flow
Streamline evidence requests and audit responses while maintaining decision autonomy.
12 chapters in this module
- Defining standard evidence packet structure for audits
- Setting due dates for internal team submissions
- Approving alternative evidence formats for legacy systems
- Controlling audit access to real-time monitoring dashboards
- Setting rules for pre-audit walkthrough participation
- Determining which findings require formal remediation plans
- Approving root cause analysis methodologies
- Setting validation requirements for corrective actions
- Documenting exceptions to control expectations
- Maintaining version control for audit-related playbooks
- Requiring auditors to flag proposed changes in writing
- Establishing change review cycle for control updates
Module 8. Regulatory Change Monitoring and Implementation
Own the tracking and internal rollout of new DORA interpretations and EBA technical standards.
12 chapters in this module
- Subscribing to official EBA consultation pipeline updates
- Classifying new guidance by operational impact level
- Setting implementation deadlines for high-impact changes
- Determining which departments undergo revision training
- Approving interpretation notes for internal use
- Scheduling system configuration updates
- Validating control adjustments against new requirements
- Documenting rationale for phased implementation plans
- Setting communication cadence for regulatory change briefings
- Archiving change decision trails
- Coordinating with legal on interpretation disputes
- Reporting implementation status to governance body
Module 9. Third-Party Risk Oversight Framework
Control assessment frequency, audit rights, and exit criteria for critical ICT service providers.
12 chapters in this module
- Classifying vendors by DORA criticality thresholds
- Setting minimum security certification requirements
- Defining access rights for subcontractor monitoring
- Requiring resilience test participation from top-tier vendors
- Setting audit frequency based on service criticality
- Controlling escalation paths during vendor outages
- Approving alternate sourcing strategies
- Setting data localization compliance rules
- Defining contract termination triggers for non-compliance
- Maintaining independence from vendor relationship managers
- Documenting due diligence exceptions
- Updating oversight rules after acquisition events
Module 10. Resilience Training and Awareness Programs
Design and mandate training content for staff across business units without escalation.
12 chapters in this module
- Setting annual training completion deadlines
- Defining role-specific curriculum for traders
- Creating incident response drill participation requirements
- Approving gamified learning modules
- Setting phishing simulation frequency
- Determining refresher training intervals
- Exempting roles based on system access levels
- Validating training effectiveness through testing
- Setting consequences for non-completion
- Archiving training records for audit
- Updating content after incident post-mortems
- Measuring behavior change over time
Module 11. Digital Operational Resilience Testing Execution
Lead end-to-end test execution with ownership of timing, personnel, and outcome interpretation.
12 chapters in this module
- Scheduling unannounced disruption tests during market hours
- Assigning roles in incident command structure
- Setting decision windows for failover activation
- Monitoring response team communication channels
- Capturing decisions made under time pressure
- Evaluating containment effectiveness
- Approving extended test durations
- Injecting secondary events during ongoing simulations
- Revealing test status to control groups
- Initiating recovery protocols
- Reviewing team performance without bias
- Publishing lessons learned internally
Module 12. Continuous Improvement and Metrics Optimization
Refine resilience KPIs and target thresholds based on test results and external benchmarks.
12 chapters in this module
- Setting baseline recovery time objectives for core systems
- Adjusting metrics based on threat landscape changes
- Benchmarking performance against peer institutions
- Setting improvement targets for incident response
- Validating data accuracy for public disclosures
- Revising thresholds after regulator feedback
- Approving automated alerting rules
- Integrating metrics into compensation frameworks
- Publishing progress toward resilience goals
- Requiring justification for missed targets
- Archiving historical performance data
- Reporting improvement status to governance body
How this maps to your situation
- Initial DORA governance setup
- Annual resilience testing cycle
- Regulator-facing documentation
- Cross-functional incident response
Before vs. after
Before
Resilience testing schedules require multiple approvals, scope adjustments trigger re-consultation, and third-party test reports go through three review cycles before action.
After
You define test scope, timing, and severity thresholds outright. Vendor selection is yours to make. Findings are triaged on your timeline. Regulators see consistent, documented decision trails.
What's included with your purchase
- 12 modules with 12 chapters each (144 chapters)
- Downloadable templates and worked examples for every module
- Hand-built implementation playbook delivered alongside course access
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Delivery and format
- Course and learning environment access provisioned within 24 hours of purchase
- Hand-built implementation playbook delivered alongside course access
Format: Text-based modules and chapters in the Art of Service learning environment, plus downloadable templates and worked examples for every chapter, plus the hand-built implementation playbook delivered alongside course access.
Time investment: 90 minutes of focused learning, plus 12 downloadable implementation templates to apply immediately
If nothing changes
Without structured authority in DORA implementation, decisions default to lowest-common-denominator consensus, testing loses realism, and regulators question ownership during reviews. The window to define internal protocols autonomously closes once external audit findings accumulate.
How this compares to the alternatives
Generic DORA overviews explain requirements but don’t show how to claim decision rights. Internal training focuses on compliance checklists, not strategic ownership. This course teaches how to embed authoritative decision-making into resilience governance and testing structures.
Frequently asked
Does this cover both governance and technical execution?
Yes. Modules cover governance authority under Article 6, technical testing design, third-party oversight, and regulator-ready reporting.
How is the course structured?
12 modules, each containing 12 chapters (144 chapters total).
Is this relevant for non-technical executives?
Yes. It focuses on decision ownership, not technical implementation details. You’ll learn what to control, not how to code.
$199 one-time. 90 minutes of focused learning, plus 12 downloadable implementation templates to apply immediately.
Within 24 hours your account in the learning environment is provisioned and the tailored implementation playbook is delivered alongside it.
30-day money-back guarantee·
144 chapters·
Hand-built playbook included·
Account access within 24 hours