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Creating Scenarios

Content Creators can design custom crisis scenarios tailored to their organization’s training needs.

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What is a Scenario?

A scenario is a complete crisis simulation that includes:
  • Narrative: The crisis situation and background
  • Timeline: Sequence of events that unfold
  • Decision Points: Choices participants must make
  • Resources: Documents, images, videos for context
  • Assessment: Scoring criteria and feedback

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Scenario Types

Group Scenarios

Multi-participant simulations with team collaboration

Solo Scenarios

Individual training exercises with AI mentor

Branching Scenarios

Different paths based on decisions

Linear Scenarios

Fixed sequence of events

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Creating Your First Scenario

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Using the Scenario Wizard

1

Navigate to Scenarios

Click Scenarios in the sidebar menu
2

Click 'Create Scenario'

Button located in top-right corner
3

Choose Scenario Type

  • Group Simulation: For teams
  • Solo Training: For individuals
  • Blank Template: Start from scratch
  • Duplicate Existing: Copy and modify
4

Complete Basic Information

  • Scenario title
  • Description
  • Category (e.g., Natural Disaster, Cyberattack, Health Crisis)
  • Difficulty level (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
  • Estimated duration
5

Add Cover Image

Upload an image representing the scenario
6

Create

Click Create Scenario to proceed to the editor

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Scenario Editor

Once created, you’ll enter the Scenario Editor with these tabs:

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Overview Tab

Configure basic scenario settings:
  • Title: Scenario name
  • Description: Brief summary (shown to participants)
  • Full Briefing: Detailed background information
  • Category: Classification for library organization
  • Tags: Keywords for searchability
Define what participants should learn:
  • Objectives: List of learning goals
  • Skills Developed: Crisis management skills addressed
  • Competencies: Competencies being trained
  • Difficulty: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
  • Duration: Estimated completion time
  • Language: Primary language (DE/EN)
  • Visibility: Private, Organization, Public
Define participant roles:
  • Role Name: e.g., “Crisis Manager”, “Communications Lead”
  • Description: Role responsibilities
  • Required: Minimum and maximum participants per role

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Timeline Tab

Build the sequence of events (see Timeline Builder for details).

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Decisions Tab

Create decision points where participants must choose actions:
1

Add Decision Point

Click + Add Decision
2

Configure Decision

  • Title: Decision name
  • Description: Context and information
  • Trigger Time: When it appears (minutes from start, or after event)
  • Time Limit: How long to decide (optional)
3

Add Options

Create 2-5 possible choices:
  • Option Text: What participants see
  • Impact Score: Points awarded (positive or negative)
  • Feedback: Explanation of consequences
  • Branching: Triggers different events (optional)
4

Set Scoring

  • Best Option: Mark optimal choice
  • Weight: Importance of this decision
  • Pass Threshold: Minimum score to pass

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Resources Tab

Upload supporting materials:
  • PDFs: Emergency plans, procedures, reports
  • Word/Text: Memos, briefings, instructions
  • Spreadsheets: Data, statistics, budgets
Upload Process:
  1. Click Upload Resource
  2. Select file or drag-and-drop
  3. Add title and description
  4. Tag for searchability
  5. Set visibility (available to all participants or specific roles)
Maximum file size: 50MB per file. Supported formats: PDF, JPG, PNG, MP4, MP3, DOCX, XLSX

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Scenario Settings

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Assessment & Scoring

Configure how participants are evaluated:

Scoring Method

  • Point-based (sum of decision scores)
  • Weighted average
  • Pass/Fail only
  • Custom rubric

Passing Criteria

  • Minimum score required
  • Required decisions (must answer certain decisions correctly)
  • Time penalties

Feedback

  • Immediate (after each decision)
  • End of simulation
  • AI-generated insights

Certificate

  • Auto-generate upon passing
  • Require manual approval
  • Custom certificate template

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Simulation Behavior

Control how the simulation runs:
  • Auto-Advance: Automatically move through phases
  • Pause Allowed: Can participants pause?
  • Restart Allowed: Can they restart if failed?
  • Show Timer: Display countdown for decisions
  • AI Mentor: Enable AI assistance during simulation

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Participant Features

Enable/disable features:
Communication: Allow participant chat
Timeline View: Show event timeline
Resource Access: Can view documents during simulation
Notes: Allow taking notes
Collaboration: Team decision-making (group scenarios)

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Content Best Practices

Base scenarios on real-world crises or plausible situations. Use authentic language, terminology, and constraints.
Define specific, measurable learning objectives. What should participants be able to do after completing this scenario?
Start with simpler decisions, increase complexity. Don’t overwhelm participants early.
Each decision option should be plausible. Avoid obviously wrong “trap” answers unless pedagogically justified.
Provide enough information for informed decisions, but not so much it’s overwhelming. Use documents and media effectively.
Explain why decisions were good or poor. Help participants learn from mistakes.
  • Solo scenarios: 15-45 minutes
  • Group scenarios: 30-90 minutes
  • Match duration to complexity

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Previewing Your Scenario

Test your scenario before publishing:
1

Click 'Preview'

Button in top-right of scenario editor
2

Experience as Participant

Run through the simulation as participants will see it
3

Test All Paths

Try different decision combinations to ensure branching works
4

Check Timing

Verify events trigger at correct times
5

Review Scoring

Confirm scores calculate correctly
6

Exit Preview

Return to editor to make adjustments
Invite a colleague to preview and provide feedback before rolling out to participants.

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Publishing Your Scenario

When ready to use your scenario:
1

Final Review

Check all content for accuracy, typos, broken links
2

Set Status to 'Published'

In Overview tab, change status from Draft to Published
3

Set Visibility

  • Private: Only you can see it
  • Organization: All company users can access
  • Public: Available to all crisisIQ users (if enabled)
4

Save

Click Save & Publish
5

Share or Assign

Scenario now appears in library and can be assigned to participants

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Managing Scenarios

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Scenario Library

View all your scenarios:
  1. Navigate to Scenarios
  2. See list of all scenarios you created or have access to
  3. Filter by:
    • Status: Draft, Published, Archived
    • Type: Group or Solo
    • Category: Crisis type
    • Author: Creator name

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Editing Published Scenarios

To modify a published scenario:
Editing a published scenario may affect ongoing simulations. Consider creating a new version instead.
  1. Open scenario
  2. Click Edit
  3. Make changes
  4. Save as New Version or Update Current

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Duplicating Scenarios

Create a copy to modify:
  1. Find scenario in library
  2. Click ⋮ (more options)
  3. Select Duplicate
  4. New scenario created with ” (Copy)” appended to name
  5. Edit as needed

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Archiving Scenarios

Remove from active library without deleting:
  1. Open scenario
  2. Click ⋮ > Archive
  3. Scenario moves to Archived section
  4. Can be restored anytime

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Collaboration

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Sharing with Other Creators

Allow others to edit your scenario:
  1. Open scenario
  2. Go to Settings > Collaborators
  3. Click + Add Collaborator
  4. Search for user
  5. Set permission: Can View or Can Edit

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Version History

Track changes over time:
  • Versions Tab: See all saved versions
  • Compare: View differences between versions
  • Restore: Revert to earlier version
  • Comments: Notes on what changed

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Next Steps

Timeline Builder

Create event sequences

Editing Scenarios

Modify existing scenarios

Assign Simulations

Deploy scenarios to participants