What Happened and Why? A Simple Guide to After Action Reviews
Our focus this month is on lessons learned.
The first step in learning a lesson is studying the material.
Enter: After Action Reviews.
After action reviews
An after action review is like a “what just happened?” replay button. It allows you to review a project by reliving the victories and freeze-framing the oops moments.
An AAR should be a standard ritual after every project.
It’s your moment to answer the big questions: Did we hit our goal? How did we get there? And, just as importantly, what tripped us up along the way?
Understanding performance
But I can tell after the fact if a project worked or not.
Why bother with an after action review?
Because it is not only about outcomes. It is about understanding:
- What happened
- Why it happened
So that when you try to fix a problem, you can know you are fixing the root cause and not just a symptom.
Start your review
Here’s a simple way to approach your AAR* like a pro:
- 5-Minute Brainstorm: Capture your fresh impressions, good or bad, and re-immerse yourself in the experience of the project.
- Inspect Four Trouble Zones:
- Process: The problem likely isn’t the entire workflow but one stage or step.
- Communication: Was info leaked, lost, or mangled somewhere in transmission?
- Distractions: Longer, more involved projects allow for more “oops” moments.
- External Forces: Sometimes life throws problems you can’t control—but you do control how to adapt.
For a detailed guide on these 4 areas see my online course: Project Management: Strategic Analysis of Lessons Learned
What next
Inspired to rethink how you do Lessons Learned? Get in touch with me today for help implementing these strategies. And forward this email to a business friend.