1) Define RPO/RTO per system
DR cannot be one-size-fits-all. Start by classifying systems:
- Tier 0/1: revenue/mission-critical systems (strict RPO/RTO)
- Tier 2: important but tolerates longer recovery
- Tier 3: non-critical, best-effort
Then map each tier to measurable targets. Example: Tier 1 = RPO 15 minutes, RTO 2 hours. Now the DR design and drill become measurable.
2) Build a failover/failback runbook (minimum viable)
A runbook must be executable by someone who didn’t design the architecture. Minimum sections:
- Trigger criteria: when to declare DR
- Roles: incident commander, infra lead, app lead, comms
- Pre-checks: replication health, backups, DNS readiness
- Failover steps: ordered steps with validation after each step
- Data validation: confirm last transaction time / reconciliation
- Failback steps: return to primary safely
- Post-drill actions: issues, owners, deadlines
If you need HA/DR architecture + operationalization, see our High Availability & DR page.
3) Execute the drill with success criteria
A DR drill is not “we failed over once.” It’s passing measurable criteria:
- RPO proof: last consistent recovery point recorded
- RTO proof: time from declaration to service restored
- Functional validation: key business transactions work
- Observability: monitoring is live in DR site
Run the drill like an incident: single channel, timeline notes, and a comms cadence.
4) Evidence: what leadership and auditors expect
Your drill output should be evidence-driven, not a paragraph summary. Include:
- Start/end timestamps + roles assigned
- Failover and failback steps executed
- RPO/RTO achieved (with proof points)
- Issues found + risk severity
- Corrective action tracker with owners and dates
This evidence is what turns DR into a program of confidence, not a binder.
5) A sustainable DR drill schedule
Recommended cadence (adjust by criticality):
- Tier 1: quarterly drills + monthly readiness checks
- Tier 2: bi-annual drills + quarterly readiness checks
- Tier 3: annual tabletop exercise
Want us to run your DR drill end-to-end?
IOPSSOL can design the drill plan, execute failover/failback, produce evidence, and deliver a corrective action roadmap aligned to your RPO/RTO.