After Action Reviews - keeping them simple
Seven years ago we were introduced to the concept of an After Action Review and we have been using it ever since. The purpose of the tool is just like it sounds, to review the action that has just happened. The tool was created by the US military about 20 years ago. If you search for it in google you will find quite a few documents most of which go into all the finer details of how to conduct the review, examples of which can be found here and here.
A core part of what we do as a business is to simplify tools and techniques so that people can get most of a tool’s benefit without all the usual overhead. What we are sharing with you here is a simplified approach to the after action review. We have also identified the few critical behaviours that you need to focus on during the review and have provided an explanation of why this approach aids learning.
The Approach
Tell the team that you want to set aside 5 to 10 minutes right after a meeting to hold an After Action Review. Use the following set of questions to conduct the review;
What result did you expect?
- What went well?
- What didn’t go so well?
- What would you do differently next time?
The result question sets the context for answering the other questions.
The Leverage
As the person asking the questions you need to be sure not to over react to any of the responses you receive. Take a minute before the review starts to think about one thing you want them to learn. Having thought about a learning point you are ready to begin asking the questions. Remember, once you ask a question shut up, listen and let them do the talking.
Getting people to engage in acts of self reporting is a very powerful learning technique. The "What didn’t go so well?" question contains the leverage. Most of the time they will know what didn’t work and will have some idea of what they could have done differently. Once they have found something that is worth improving you should conclude the meeting. Don’t try to over reach by drilling into them with loads of additional questions. By keeping the session brief and relaxed there is the potential for these reviews to become very reinforcing.
Why it creates learning
If you think about the interaction you will recognise that you didn’t have to point out what went wrong, they were able to figure it out themselves. Research has shown that we are far more likely to do something we choose compared to something that is imposed upon us. The things to do differently next time were chosen by them not you.
Make sure the review happens right after the event, this will capture the feedback while everyone’s memory is still fresh. Holding the review creates the opportunity for learning but it is your behaviour of listening and not over reacting that ensures the learning occurs.
Give it a try and let us know how it went.
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