I have been practicing a retrospective mindset for some time. It becomes easier when you make a habit of reflecting on your decisions, thoughts, and the circumstances that have brought you to where you are now. With that being said, I always seek to experiment with different frameworks for conducting retrospectives. Recently, I learned about After Action Reviews (AAR), a method used by Army Rangers and many other organisations to review and learn from past events or missions. Let me introduce you to that concept and give you an After Action Review template to follow.
After Action Review (AAR) is a valuable practice that allows us to evaluate our own thinking and improve our decision-making skills. It is also a great tool to introduce to your team as part of your retrospective mindset practices.
I found these incisive questions very helpful as they prompted me to reflect on my thoughts, actions, and outcomes. This ultimately lead to better preparation and enhanced performance in the future.
The core skill of AAR lies in asking incisive questions that dig into the thought process behind our actions. By examining our thinking, we can gain valuable insights into our decision-making and identify areas for improvement. I am going to give you After Action Review template to follow if you want to improve your critical thinking skills.
Key questions to consider during an AAR (Army Ranger version)
This After Action Review template comes from Army rangers. They use it to develop people cognitively. It helps to expand people capacity to handle stress, process information quickly, make good decisions on the fly, and respond effectively in chaos.
What was I thinking in that situation?
Reflecting on our thoughts allows us to understand the underlying assumptions, biases, and beliefs that influenced our decision-making process.
Why was I thinking that?
Understanding the reasons behind our thoughts helps us uncover any unconscious biases or emotional factors that may have influenced our thinking.
What did I do because I was thinking that?
Analyzing our actions in relation to our thoughts helps us evaluate the effectiveness of our decision-making and identify any gaps or areas for improvement.
How effective was that action?
Assessing the outcomes of our actions allows us to determine the effectiveness of our decision-making and identify any missed opportunities or unintended consequences.
What would have been a better decision?
By considering alternative courses of action, we can identify opportunities for improvement and learn from our mistakes or suboptimal choices.
What can I do next time to be better prepared?
Identifying actionable steps for improvement helps us develop strategies to enhance our decision-making skills and be better prepared for similar situations in the future.
As you see it is an easy to follow process that you can implement straight away. If you however look for something even simpler, I got you covered too with another Here is another After Action Review template. structured approach used by the Navy SEALs and many other organizations to review and learn from past events or missions. The process consists of just three key questions:
What Went Well?
This question focuses on identifying the positive aspects and successes of the event or mission. By understanding what went well, teams can replicate those actions or strategies in the future.
What Didn’t Go Well?
This question encourages participants to reflect on the challenges, mistakes, or areas that need improvement. The emphasis is on extracting lessons learned from these experiences rather than dwelling on the negatives.
New Standards we need to implement?
Building upon the insights gained from the first two questions, this step aims to identify changes or modifications to existing processes that can lead to consistent improvement and excellence. It reinforces the idea that excellence is the standard and asks how the team can enhance their processes to achieve it.
It is recommended that participants complete these questions in writing 24 hours in advance of the AAR session. During the session, the written feedback is read and discussed by the meeting owner or facilitator.
Lessons learned from this coffee journey
If you, like me, want to constantly improve and ensure you lead an intentional life, it’s good to have this constant loop in the back of your mind to ensure you reflect on your decisions and actions. However, after some time, it could become boring to always follow the same framework.
After Action Review could be a great tool to experiment with your usual process of how you run retrospectives in your personal capacity, or in a professional context. It provides a structured framework for evaluating our own thinking and decision-making. By asking deep questions, we can gain great insights, learn from our experiences, and continuously improve our performance.
Here is the summary:
The core skill for AAR is asking incisive questions:
- What was I thinking in that situation?
- Why was I thinking that?
- What did I do because I was thinking that?
- How effective was that action?
- What would have been a better decision?
- What can I do next time to be better prepared?
In the super simplified version, you can just ask:
- What replicable new learning did we gain from what went well?
- What replicable new learning did we gain from what did not go well?
- Drawing upon questions 1 and 2, what changes can we make to our processes to systematically improve our consistent tactical excellence?
This, essentially, is the definition of an intentional life to me.Incorporating AAR into retrospective practices into our team rituals can foster a culture of critical thinking and self-improvement, ultimately leading to better outcomes and increased preparedness.
Remember, the key to effective AAR is honest self-reflection and a willingness to learn and grow. So, embrace the power of AAR and unlock your potential for better decision-making!
Useful links
- The Power of the Retrospective Mindset
- After the rain, there is always sunshine – quarter retrospective
- Why and How You Should Debrief Every Project
Thanks for reading!
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