The PD monitoring process in depth

After-action review

What is an after-action review?

An after-action review (AAR) is a structured, critical review of a section activity (or part of it). It uses a simple, structured meeting and/or note-taking template designed to help a team pause and reflect, prioritize specific management actions and make an action plan for any required next steps. An after-action review provides space for the team and stakeholders to reflect on a section activity’s planning, implementation, and monitoring data, and it prompts them to consider how those reflections can and should inform future decisions.

Why complete an after-action review?

Decision makers at any level can use after-action reviews to build a culture of intentional, collaborative learning for adaptive management. When they guide decision making, AARs make things such as social media campaigns, events, or training sessions better when we do them again. Sometimes, people do collect feedback from participants and colleagues, but it may not be consolidated, or connected to decision making. Action plans set deadlines and help teams focus on the most important tasks from the AAR. PD sections can also incorporate items from the AAR into their regular reporting, including in PD Tools, front- channel cables, information memos, and other communications within the mission.

How to complete an after-action review

The after-action review provides a simple and straightforward structure for teams to debrief, document what they learned, and articulate recommendations for the future. Most after-action reviews are held within a week or two of an initiative or activity’s completion. In a large project, you may have an AAR after a major milestone. AAR meetings can last for varied lengths of time, from one hour to several hours, depending on an activity’s complexity. For very complex projects, you may choose to hold more than one AAR, broken up by project phase or by some other aspect.

Planning and facilitating an after-action review

• Identify the ideal time to set up a review. Ensure people have enough time after the end of an activity to collect their breath and their thoughts, but also that not so much time passes that they forget what happened. Doing an AAR while memories are still fresh and relevant is important. Meetings can always be rescheduled if needed. If time is limited, consider adding more time to a recurring team meeting. Send calendar invitations with all necessary meeting information, including virtual options if available.
• Set expectations in advance. Set up the meeting time and purpose well in advance, so the team is on the same page about when the team will debrief and discuss. Send an agenda with tentative timing in advance of the meeting, so everyone understands the meeting goals. Share all the monitoring data you collected on outcomes with activity planners and stakeholders for the discussion.
• Consider offering an avenue for written feedback or input. Consider offering a way for participants to share written input before or during the meeting. There are several ways of doing this: for example, creating a collaborative document before the meeting for participants to share ideas; using a form (such as Microsoft Forms or Google Forms to to collect input to questions in advance; using an anonymous tool such as Slido or Mentimeter to solicit responses during the meeting; or asking participants to create their own debrief/AAR documents that can be shared or kept private as they participate in the meeting. These written documents can help more introverted participants have a voice in the meeting, lessen the burden or fear of sharing an unpopular view, enable more people to participate in a large group, and broaden the perspectives of the group as a whole if some people are absent.
• Assign a facilitator. Consider assigning an outside facilitator, so the whole team can participate fully in the AAR itself. The facilitator should keep an eye on the time and agenda to ensure all topics are covered adequately, but not be an active participant. They also should create space and opportunities for all participants to speak and participate; this role is especially important to cultivate an environment of inclusion and accessibility. The facilitator also should work to keep the team’s discussion focused on achievements or challenges that are within the team’s ability to change.
• Take and share notes. Assign a notetaker, separate from the meeting facilitator, to record and distribute notes and manage the list of action items.

For additional tips on running AAR meetings (and other types of meetings), refer to Plan a Great Meeting on the PD Foundations Learning Hub.

Holding the AAR

When it is time to hold the AAR meeting, structure the meeting around answering four questions, and then creating an action plan. The four questions are as follows:

1. What did we expect to happen?
2. What actually happened?
3. What caused the difference between 1 and 2?
4. Based on our analysis in question #3, what will we do the same or differently next time?

The first two questions are based on observations and descriptions, rather than judgments. The third question is based on analysis, and the fourth question asks participants to apply judgment to their analysis. This deliberative process is designed to help teams think systematically through events and processes, and to separate events from their follow-on personal effects, both of which are important to consider in an AAR.

After answering those questions, the team moves on to developing its action plan, which provides time for the team to prioritize and operationalize next steps by agreeing on the next major decision point, including tasks to be completed before that decision point, along with corresponding points of contact and deadlines.

During the AAR, the notetaker should consolidate answers to the four questions, note any questions for follow- up, and record the team’s action plan. A fillable template is provided in Appendix H, to facilitate notetaking and consistency in your monitoring AARs.

Use the AAR to identify areas for sustaining excellence, opportunities for improvement, and ideas for adjustment. If the team seems to be getting stuck, you may need to decide to move a conversation to a different method or setting, to find additional information or invite new perspectives, to allow the AAR meeting to continue to move forward. In an AAR meeting, it is essential to allow participants to express multiple perspectives and viewpoints. Finally, AAR meetings can be intense, so be sure to allow space for people to process the things that come up during the meeting.

Using the results of the after-action review

A successful AAR will result in reflection, learning, and recommendations for improvement that can be applied to current and future activities. It will help you capture good practices and identify how to improve or end bad practices, promoting continuous team learning and improvement.

• Share findings with stakeholders: Make sure participants and stakeholders receive the notes and action plan emerging from the after-action review.
• Prioritize knowledge management. Save AAR notes in a location all staff can access so that everyone, especially new team members, can understand any decision making and apply the recommendations to future work.
• Incorporate in existing team processes. Ensure that action items are included in team planning workflows. Where possible, add tasks and deadlines to team calendars to ensure action items are delegated and completed by the proposed deadline.
• Consider sharing with the larger PD community. Refer to Share Best Practices and Lessons Learned on the Foundations Learning Hub for more information about how to share your insights with your PD colleagues around the world.