After-Action Review

What it is

Expected, happened, why, what next. Your mentee compares plan and result, finds why, and lists what to keep and change.

When to send it

Send it right after the event. It works best soon after the event and talked through together.

• A pitch or a demoone event with a clear plan
• A project milestonea launch, a deadline, a handover
• Something that went wella success is worth a review too

Filling it in

Ten minutes, three steps. Name the event and the plan, say what happened and why, then list keep and change.

1. The event and the planWhat you expected to happen, briefly.
2. What happened and whyFacts first, then causes, not someone to blame.
3. Keep and changeUp to five of each.

Reading the answers

Look for causes, not blame. In the why answer, look for causes, not someone to blame.

• Expected and happenedthe gap in two lines
• Whyif it went to plan, why it worked
• Keep and changethe summary counts both

Questions to ask

Ask about what went well too. Reviewing successes as well as failures helped people learn more (Ellis and Davidi, 2005).

• What went well that you do not want to lose?then: how will you keep it?
• Which of the reasons was in your control?then: what would you do with it?
• What will you do differently the next time this comes up?then: when is the next time?

Why it works

In a review of 46 studies, people who held a structured debrief later performed about 25% better than those who did not. It works best right after the event and talked through. Look at what went well, not only at what went wrong.

Sources

• Tannenbaum, S. I. & Cerasoli, C. P. (2013). Human Factors 55(1):231–245. Meta-analysis of debriefs: 46 samples, d = 0.67.
• Ellis, S. & Davidi, I. (2005). Journal of Applied Psychology 90(5):857–871.
• US Department of the Army (1993). TC 25-20, A Leader’s Guide to After-Action Reviews. US government work.

How a tool works on Mentornity

1. 1The mentor picks a tool from the library and sends it with a short message.
2. 2The mentee fills it in step by step; the answers are saved as they go.
3. 3Both see the answers, comment on any part and agree the next steps.
4. 4Only the two of them see the answers, not the program admins.

Guides for both sides

• After-Action Review for MentorsFor mentors and coaches: when to send the After-Action Review, how to read the answers, which questions to ask and how to plan the next try.
• After-Action Review for MenteesFor mentees and coachees: what the After-Action Review is, how to fill it in, where to find it and what happens at your next meeting.

More tools: Reflection

• Learning from Experience15 min

  Take one recent experience and think it through: what happened, what it means, and what you will do next time.

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