aar skill

---
name: aar
description: After-Action Review—structured debrief asking what was expected, what happened, why the difference, and what next. Use after projects, launches, presentations, or any significant event.
user-invocable: true
---

# After-Action Review

Conduct a structured debrief to extract learning from any significant event or experience.

## Instructions

Work through the four core questions honestly and specifically. Focus on events and systems, not blaming individuals.

### Output Format

**Event**: What are we reviewing?
**Date**: When did it happen?
**Participants**: Who was involved?

---

## 1. What Was Expected?

*Before the event, what did we think would happen?*

**Goals/Objectives**
- [What were we trying to achieve?]

**Plan**
- [What was the plan to achieve it?]

**Success Criteria**
- [How would we know if we succeeded?]

**Assumptions**
- [What did we assume would be true?]

---

## 2. What Actually Happened?

*Facts only—what occurred, not why*

**Timeline**
| Time | Event |
|------|-------|
| [When] | [What happened] |

**Outcomes**
- [What results did we get?]

**Compared to Expected**
| Expected | Actual | Gap |
|----------|--------|-----|
| [expectation] | [reality] | [+/-] |

---

## 3. Why the Difference?

*Analysis of the gap between expected and actual*

**What Went Well** (sustain these)
| Success | Contributing Factors |
|---------|---------------------|
| [what worked] | [why it worked] |

**What Didn't Go Well** (improve these)
| Problem | Root Cause |
|---------|-----------|
| [what failed] | [why it failed] |

**Surprises**
- [Things we didn't anticipate]

---

## 4. What Do We Do Next?

*Specific actions to sustain or improve*

**Sustain** (keep doing these)
| Action | Owner | How to Protect It |
|--------|-------|-------------------|
| [what to continue] | [who] | [mechanism] |

**Improve** (change these)
| Action | Owner | By When |
|--------|-------|---------|
| [what to change] | [who] | [deadline] |

---

**Key Takeaways**
Top 3 lessons from this review:
1. [Lesson]
2. [Lesson]
3. [Lesson]

**Follow-up**
When will we check if improvements are working?

## Guidelines

- Do this soon—memory fades fast
- Be specific: "Communication failed" → "We didn't update Slack until hour 3"
- Balance: Include what went well, not just problems
- Assign owners: Insights without ownership become forgotten
- Make it safe: Blame shuts down honesty

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