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How to run an after action review that teams will use

By the EMPOBase team · · 4 min read

Short answer

An after action review is a short, structured team discussion held soon after an activity or project phase. It asks four questions: what did we expect, what happened, why was there a difference, and what will we do next time. Keep it blame-free, use a neutral facilitator, finish with named actions and dates, and share the result with the people who will start the next project.

Key points

  • Hold it within two weeks of the event, while memory is fresh.
  • Ask four questions and focus on causes, not on people.
  • Use a facilitator who did not run the activity.
  • End with actions that have an owner and a date, then check them later.

What is an after action review?

An after action review (AAR) is a short team conversation about a piece of work that has just finished. Its goal is learning, not judging. The method is simple enough to run in a field office with a flipchart.

The idea is to compare what you meant to happen with what did happen, understand the difference, and agree what to change. The same four questions work for a food distribution, a training, a procurement problem or a whole project.

Why do many reviews fail?

Most failed reviews have one of three problems:

  • They feel like blame. People protect themselves and say little.
  • They produce a report nobody reads. The lessons stay in a file.
  • They have no follow-up. Good ideas are noted, and nothing changes.

The steps below are designed to avoid all three.

What are the four questions?

QuestionWhat you are looking for
1. What did we expect to happen?The plan, targets and assumptions, stated plainly
2. What actually happened?Facts and sequence, without opinions about people
3. Why was there a difference?Causes, including things that went well
4. What will we do next time?Specific changes to practice, plans or controls

Question 3 is the heart of the review. Keep asking “why” until you reach a cause the team can change. “The truck was late” is a fact. “We booked transport after the purchase order, not before” is a cause you can fix.

How do you run one, step by step?

  1. Pick a date within two weeks. Memory fades quickly, and people move on.
  2. Choose a facilitator. Pick someone who did not lead the work, so they can ask neutral questions.
  3. Set the ground rules. Say them aloud: we discuss actions, not people; everyone speaks; nothing said is used in performance reviews.
  4. Gather the plan and the facts. Bring the work plan, key dates and any data. This keeps the discussion on evidence.
  5. Walk through the four questions. Give each about 15 minutes. Write answers where all can see them.
  6. Agree actions. Limit to three to five. Each needs an owner and a due date.
  7. Write it up in one page. Share it within three days.

A good review takes 60 to 90 minutes. If it needs longer, split it by phase.

How do you make lessons stick?

Learning only counts if it changes behaviour. Three habits help:

  • Check actions after a month. Put a short review of the action list on the next team meeting agenda.
  • Send lessons to the people who need them. The next project team should receive them at start-up, not find them by chance. Our guide to lessons learned that get used goes further on this.
  • Update tools, not only people. If the cause was a missing step, change the checklist, template or approval rule.

What should a facilitator avoid?

  • Do not let the most senior person speak first.
  • Do not accept “human error” as a cause. Ask what made the error easy.
  • Do not rush to solutions before the causes are clear.
  • Do not skip what went well. Repeat the practices that worked.

Sensitive matters, such as safeguarding cases or serious incidents, need their own confidential process. An AAR is not the place for them.

What does a written summary look like?

Keep the write-up to one page. A simple layout works well:

  1. What we planned: two or three sentences.
  2. What happened: the main facts and dates.
  3. What worked: practices to repeat.
  4. What did not work, and why: causes, not names.
  5. Actions: owner, date and a short description for each.

Share it with the people who took part first, so they can correct it. Then send it to those who will run similar work. If the review touches a donor-funded activity, tell your project manager what may need to appear in the next report.

Small teams often skip the review because they feel too busy. A 45-minute review after a hard month costs less than repeating the same mistake in the next one.

Where EMPOBase fits

EMPOBase has an After Action Review tool in its Programs module, so the notes and actions live with the project record, next to the Closure Checklist. It records what your team writes; it does not facilitate the discussion, and the follow-up on actions still depends on your team. You can learn more on the platform page or contact us for a walk-through.

Questions people ask

How is an after action review different from an evaluation?

An after action review is internal, fast and informal. It is for the team's own learning. An evaluation is usually more formal, often external, and written for donors and wider audiences.

Who should attend?

The people who planned and delivered the work, and one person from support functions such as finance or logistics. Keep the group under 12. Managers should listen first and speak last.

How often should we run one?

After each major activity, project phase or incident, and always at project closure. Short reviews held often work better than one long review at the end.