RetroBeginner

After Action Review

Developed by the US Army, the After Action Review (AAR) is a structured debrief conducted immediately after a project, event, or incident. It uses four questions: What was supposed to happen? What actually happened? Why were there differences? What will we do differently next time? The immediacy and structure make it one of the most effective learning tools in high-performance organisations.

Duration

30m–1h

Group size

2–20 people

Materials

whiteboard or flip chart, markers

Origin

Community

How to run it

1
Convene the team as soon as possible after the event (within 24 hours if possible).
2
Question 1: 'What was supposed to happen?' Review the original plan, objectives, and expectations.
3
Question 2: 'What actually happened?' Create a factual, chronological account of events. No blame.
4
Question 3: 'Why were there differences?' Analyse the gap between plan and reality. Focus on systemic causes, not individual errors.
5
Question 4: 'What will we do differently next time?' Generate concrete, actionable recommendations.
6
Document the outcomes and share with relevant stakeholders.

Tips

The facilitator's job is to protect the 'no blame' norm.
If the AAR drifts into finger-pointing, redirect to systemic analysis.
Conduct it immediately while memories are fresh — AARs done weeks later lose most of their value.

Variations

Run a 'Before Action Review' before a high-stakes event: 'What are we trying to achieve? What challenges might we face? What can we learn from past experience?' Combine with the Five Whys for root cause depth.

Where it fits

Project close-outsIncident post-mortemsMilitary and emergency servicesSports team debriefsAgile sprint retrospectives

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Method descriptions on Workshop Weaver are original content written by our team, based on established facilitation practices.