After Action Review

Purpose

The After Action Review (AAR) is a structured debrief that turns experience into learning by answering four questions: What was supposed to happen? What actually happened? Why was there a difference? What will we do next time? Originating in the U.S. Army, it is now widely used in agile, healthcare, and project management contexts.

At a glance

How to run

1. Set context (5 min): Name the event, project, or sprint being reviewed. State the AAR’s purpose: learning, not blaming.
2. What was planned? (5 min): Document the original intent, goals, or success criteria.
3. What happened? (10 min): Build a factual timeline. Use multiple perspectives. Focus on events and outcomes, not opinions yet.
4. Why the difference? (15 min): Analyse the gaps between plan and reality. Look for root causes, not surface symptoms. Ask "Why?" iteratively but without assigning personal blame.
5. What will we do next time? (7 min): Capture specific, actionable lessons. Assign an owner for each lesson to ensure implementation.
6. Close (3 min): Thank participants. Distribute the AAR record to all stakeholders.

Materials needed

• AAR four-question template (flipchart or digital document)
• Timeline visual (optional but helpful)
• Sticky notes for contributions
• Timer

Pitfalls & common mistakes

• Blame creep: The moment blame enters, honesty exits. The facilitator must redirect firmly.
• Only reviewing failures: AARs are equally valuable for successes — understanding what went right prevents regression.
• Vague lessons: "Communicate better" is not actionable. Push for: "Send a status update to [channel] every Friday by 5 PM."
• Skipping the AAR when things went well: Success without understanding is luck, not capability.

Inclusion & accessibility

• Allow written contributions for participants who prefer not to speak in groups.
• Run the AAR soon after the event (within 1 week) while memories are fresh.
• Include all roles that participated, not just leadership.
• Share the AAR document broadly so learning is not siloed.

Variations

• Mini-AAR (15 min): Use a shortened version after daily standups or meetings: What went well? What to improve? One action.
• Cross-team AAR: Include members from multiple teams for events that spanned boundaries.
• Async AAR: For distributed teams, use a shared document where team members contribute asynchronously.

When NOT to use this

• When the event is too emotionally charged and participants need time to process before debriefing.
• When the AAR will be used for performance evaluation — it must remain a learning tool.
• When there is no commitment to act on the findings.

Source & further reading

• U.S. Army, *A Leader’s Guide to After-Action Reviews* (Training Circular 25-20, 1993)
• Marilyn Darling et al., "Learning in the Thick of It" (Harvard Business Review, 2005)
• Norman Kerth, *Project Retrospectives* (Dorset House, 2001)