United States Agency for International Development
USAID
FROM THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
2020
# GUIDANCE NOTES AND TEMPLATE FOR CONDUCTING AFTER ACTION REVIEWS (AAR)
This Manual was developed with Support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the Reacting to Early Warning and Response Data in West Africa (REWARD) program.
# TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction...1 What is an AAR?...1 Key elements of successful AARs...2 Steps for planning and organizing an AAR...3 Defining the scope of an AAR...4 Identifying funding sources...4 Selecting participants...5 Guidelines for group size and length according to type of AAR...6 Role, attributes and selection of the facilitator...7 Crafting an agenda...10 Facilitation and discussion techniques...11 Documenting the AAR and following-up on recommendations...14
Annexes: A. Sample AAR Agenda...16 B. Process template for facilitating an AAR...17 C. Example of an Internal AAR Agenda organized around key events/stages...18 D. AAR report template...19 E. Sources...21
# INTRODUCTION
Organizational learning requires continuous assessment of organizational performance. The systematic application of well conducted After Action Reviews (AARs) across an organization can help drive constructive change with the active support of leadership. This tool has been developed at the request of ECOWAS’ Directorate of Political Affairs (DPA); however, given that many of the work activities that can be the subject of AARs can involve personnel from across PAPS and ECOWAS, this AAR guidance can benefit the organization and the early warning and response system as a whole. Developing the practice of AARs supports the broader vision of the Commission of Political Affairs, Peace and Security (CPAPS), which is “A more coordinated, results-based and gender-sensitive early warning and early response system in ECOWAS.”¹
This tool draws on past ECOWAS experiences with AARs, namely one conducted on ECOWAS’ initiatives in Mali and another on ECOWAS’ support to Niger’s 2016 presidential elections. It also draws liberally on ideas and templates from other organizations within and outside the field of peace and security, adapted to the context and mandate of DPA. (Please see Annex E for Sources.) These guidance notes describe key considerations and options in planning and conducting AARs.
# WHAT IS AN AAR?
An After-Action Review (AAR) is a process of group reflection used by a team to capture the lessons learned from past successes and setbacks around a particular activity with the goal of improving future performance. It is not a critique or a complaint session nor a full-scale evaluation or evaluation report. An AAR does not grade success or failure but rather provides a learning opportunity for a team to reflect on a project, activity, event, or task so that they can do better the next time. An AAR can also be employed in the course of a project to learn while doing and make course corrections.