The After-Action Review (AAR) is a structured framework designed to evaluate and learn from an event, project, or experience.
Originally developed by the U.S. Army, AAR has become a universal tool for reflection and improvement, applicable across industries, teams, and personal growth
Its primary goal is to bridge the gap between expectations and reality by systematically identifying successes, uncovering shortcomings, and extracting actionable insights to improve future performance.
The AAR process promotes accountability, continuous learning, and adaptability, making it invaluable in environments where collaboration and iterative improvement are critical.
The Four Questions in the AAR Framework
The AAR framework centers around four key questions, each addressing a critical aspect of performance and outcomes:
Step 1: What did I intend to accomplish?
- Focuses on the goals, objectives, and initial expectations.
- Helps participants align on what “success” was meant to look like.
Step 2: What actually happened?
- Involves a factual, unbiased analysis of the outcomes.
- Encourages identifying discrepancies between the plan and execution.
Step 3: What did it happen that way?
- Analyzes the root causes of success or failure.
- Considers contributing factors such as resources, communication, and external influences.
Setp 4: What will I do next time for a better outcome (or to repeat my success)
- Extracts actionable lessons to improve future performance.
- Prioritizes solutions and strategies for growth.
Tips of Using AAR
Just like the name of this framework, carrying out the review immediately after the completion (regardless of win or loss) is good practice, the details are still fresh. Capitalizing on strengths and mitigating weaknesses is the ultimate goal of any review.
It’s fine that you conduct the review either individually or as a team. When you do as a team, focus on the problem, not the person.
Example
Suppose you forgot your best friend Leo’s birthday. Here is how you review this affair.
- Step 1: What did I intend to accomplish?
- Wish Leo a happy birthday (to show him that he’s important to me).
- Step 2: What happened?
- I forgot to wish him a happy birthday.
- Step 3: Why did it happen that way?
- Proximate Cause: It was a crazy day at school, I forgot;
- Root cause: I didn’t have a reminder
- Step 4: What can we learn from this?
- Create a recurring calendar invite for Leo’s birthday (also for other friends/family/colleagues), So it won’t happen again.
