After Action

Review Process

Prescribed Fire Workshop

Gulfport, Mississippi
November 2004

Session Objectives

Describe a learning

organization & components

AAR learning org. tool
AAR facilitation is key
Explain three techniques

Lessons
Learned
Center

Objectives

Improve safe work

performance
Improve
organizational learning
Share knowledge
Promote organizational
change

What is a Learning
Organization?
A learning organization is

Creating, acquiring, interpreting,

transferring, and retaining knowledge.

Purposefully modifying its behavior
to reflect new knowledge and
insights.

Critical Tasks
A learning organization tries to do six
things
1. Collect intelligence about the environment.
2. Learn from the best practices
of other organizations.
3. Learn from its own experiences
and past history.

Continued

4. Experiment with new approaches.

5. Encourage systematic problem
solving.
6. Transfer knowledge
throughout the organization.

After Action Reviews (AARs)

An inexpensive, simple, systematic
process that has the power to
change an entire work culture:

1. What did we set out to do?

2. What actually happened?
3. Why was there a difference?
4. What are we going to do next time?

Conducting AARs

Schedule shortly after activity

Make AARs routine
Collective objective data
Use trained facilitators
Establish clear ground rules
Involve all participants

Facilitation Techniques
1. Setting Up AAR Discussion
2. Restating a Point
3. Handling Blame
4. Bringing Out Quiet Ones
5. Interrupting a Dominant
Member
6. When Group is in Denial

Techniques (continued)
7. Pursue issue to root cause
8. Negative polling for ?s
9. Building up or eliminating
ideas
10. Avoid win/lose decisions
11. Ask open ended ?s

AARs Begin The Knowledge

Transfer Process

Most of the AAR results will

be used to enhance or sustain

the performance of your unit
or team.

Gems and nuggets

will surface that are

valuable to others, but
only if they can have
access to the
knowledge.

AAR Rollup to the LLC

A tool for collecting the gems and

nuggets from your AAR in a
simple and easy way.
1. Describe one or more of your
successes that others can learn
from?
2. What was one of the challenges
you faced and how did you
overcome it?
3. How can training be improved?
4. What are your recommendations
for unresolved issues?

Burn Boss
Community of
Practice
Informal
group of people

with similar work-related

activities and interests
Can belong to multiple
agencies or reporting structures
Community members
regularly transfer and retain
knowledge

Session Objectives

Describe a learning

organization & components

AAR learning org. tool
AAR facilitation is key
Explain three techniques

www.wildfirelessons.net
Paula Nasiatka, Center Manager
(520) 799-8760
pnasiatka@fs.fed.us
Dave Christenson, Asst. Ctr. Mgr.
(520) 799-8761
dchristenson@fs.fed.us