An After-Action Review (AAR) is a structured review or debrief process that allows a team to analyze what happened, why it happened, and how it can be improved in the future after a project or event has been completed.
Background on After-Action Reviews
After-action reviews originated in the US Army as a way to review missions, promote reflection activities, and conduct exercises to improve performance.
They have since been adopted by many industries, such as business, healthcare, and education, as effective team-building tools that facilitate continuous improvement.
Benefits of After-Action Reviews
- Reflection and insight: An AAR allows team members to reflect on their actions and decisions. This builds self-awareness and insight into strengths and areas for improvement.
- Communication: Team members must communicate openly and honestly during an AAR. This builds trust and cohesion.
- Accountability: By reviewing results, teams hold each other accountable. This reinforces group responsibility.
- Problem-solving: Teams identify the root causes of challenges and collaborate on solutions. This fosters critical thinking.
- Alignment: Discussing what went well and wrong helps align team goals and processes.
Example AAR
After a marketing campaign, the team could hold an AAR to discuss:
- What campaign strategies worked well vs didn’t work
- What factors influenced the results
- How well they collaborated cross-functionally
- What they would do differently next time
Objectives and Resources Required
- Objectives: Reflect on performance, identify successes and improvements, and develop action plans.
- Resources: Meeting room, team participation, facilitator, whiteboard, or screen to capture feedback.
Strategies for Effective AARs
- Set a positive tone by focusing on constructive learning vs blaming
- Designate a facilitator to keep the discussion on track and manage group dynamics
- Encourage participation from all team members
- Capture feedback visually so crucial points are documented
- Close with a summary of lessons learned and action items
How to Conduct an After-Action Review
- Set the Context: The facilitator overviews the project or event and desired outcomes.
- Gather Insights: Team members share observations on what went well, what could be improved, and why results occurred.
- Identify Action Items: The team discusses solutions and creates an action plan with owners and timelines.
- Close the Loop: The facilitator summarizes key takeaways and actions to solidify learning.
Limitations of After-Action Reviews
- Biased perspectives: Team members may present biased views of their performance.
- Incomplete data: The team may lack the whole picture without all perspectives.
- Lack of follow-through: Action items may be forgotten without proper documentation and ownership.
Conclusion
In summary, After-Action Reviews are a simple but powerful team-building tool that fosters reflective learning, continuous improvement, and alignment.
By openly sharing perspectives blamelessly, teams can gain valuable insights into their performance and skill gaps and make positive changes for the future.
With proper facilitation and follow-through, AARs can help strengthen communication, problem-solving, and accountability.
With 30+ years of experience, Catherine Fitzgerald, B.A., M.A., PGDip, founded Oak Innovation in 1995. Catherine received her Bachelor’s degree and Master’s from University College Cork. She holds qualifications in Professional Development And Training from University College Galway. She is completing a second Master’s from University College Cork. Since 1995, clients include Apple, Time Warner, and Harvard University.
