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.
Comment l'animer
- 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.
Conseils
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.
Variantes
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.
Contextes d'utilisation
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