Say it like this
- Let's run an after-action review to see what we learned.
- We scheduled an after-action review for Friday to discuss the launch.
- The after-action review revealed several process gaps we need to address.
Use it at work
Scheduling it
- Let's do an after-action review once the launch settles.
- I've booked 45 minutes for the after-action review on Friday.
Running it
- What went well, and what would we change next time?
- Let's keep this blameless and focus on the process.
Sharing results
- Here are the notes from the after-action review.
- The main lesson from the after-action review was to test the rollback.
Don't say this
After-action review is a noun, not a verb. Use conduct, hold, or perform with it.
Don't mix it up
| Term | What it is | Who writes or uses it | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| after-action review | Review of any project or event | The team involved | After a project, launch or event |
| post-mortem | Review of what caused an incident | Engineers and on-call | After an outage |
| retrospective | Review of how the team works | Agile team | End of every sprint |
Practice
Try it
4 quick exercises
1. Your team just finished a major release. How would you naturally say it?
2. Following the production incident, we _______ to identify root causes and prevent recurrence.
3. Which sentence uses 'after-action review' correctly?
4. Rewrite this in tech English: 'We are going to meet and talk about what went wrong and what we can do better next time.'
Say it out loud
Phrase 1 of 3
"Let's run an after-action review to see what we learned."
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More about after-action review
Real examples(3)
- in a standup
"Before we move to the next sprint, we need to conduct an after-action review of the deployment issues we faced."
- in a retrospective meeting
"The after-action review showed that we lacked clarity on deployment responsibilities, which caused delays."
- in an incident debrief
"During the after-action review, we identified that better monitoring would have caught the database issue earlier."
More mistakes(2)
Handle with care. Often incorrectly used as a verb (to after-action review). It is primarily a noun. Do not confuse with a simple retrospective or post-mortem review without the structured process component.
- ✕The after-action review is just a meeting where people complain.✓The after-action review is a structured process to identify lessons learned and improve future outcomes.
An AAR is not informal venting but a systematic approach to learning from experience.
- ✕We ran an after-action review to find who made the mistake.✓We ran an after-action review to understand what processes failed and how to improve them.
An AAR focuses on process improvement, not individual blame.
Other forms(2)
- after-action review noun
"The after-action review took two hours and produced ten action items."
- AAR noun
"We scheduled the AAR for next Tuesday afternoon."
Often used with(5)
- conduct an after-action review · Most common way to use the term; conduct is the standard verb.
- hold an after-action review · Alternative verb meaning the same thing as conduct.
- schedule an after-action review · Used when planning when the AAR will take place.
- after-action review findings · The conclusions or lessons discovered during the AAR.
- after-action review meeting · Emphasizes that an AAR is a meeting-based activity.
Similar words(4)
- retrospective · Similar but retrospective is less formal and more commonly used in agile. AAR implies a more structured process.
- post-mortem · Used for serious incidents or failures. Less formal than AAR and often narrower in scope.
- debrief · More casual; a debrief is simpler and may not follow the formal AAR structure.
- lessons learned session · Broader term; an AAR is one structured way to identify lessons learned.
Opposites(2)
- pre-action planning
- forward planning
Questions(5)
- What does after-action review mean in software engineering?
- An after-action review (AAR) is a structured, formal process used to examine what happened during a project, sprint, or incident, and to identify lessons for improvement. It follows a defined format with specific questions about expected outcomes, actual outcomes, and why differences occurred. Unlike casual feedback, an AAR is systematic and produces documented action items for future work.
- How do you use after-action review in a sentence at work?
- You typically use it as a noun with verbs like conduct, hold, or schedule. Examples: 'We conducted an after-action review after the deployment' or 'Let us schedule an after-action review for next week.' Avoid using it as a verb, such as 'We will after-action review this,' which is grammatically incorrect.
- Is after-action review formal or informal?
- After-action review is formal and structured. It is used in professional settings and implies a serious, systematic process rather than casual discussion. However, the tone and formality of how the meeting is run can vary from very formal to relaxed, depending on team culture.
- When should a team conduct an after-action review?
- Teams typically conduct an AAR after major releases, at the end of significant projects, following production incidents or outages, and sometimes at the end of sprints or quarters. The key is that something substantial happened, and the team can learn valuable lessons from the experience.
- What is the difference between a retrospective and an after-action review?
- Both are reflective processes, but an after-action review is more formal and structured, following a specific format with defined questions. A retrospective is more common in agile environments and may be less formal. An AAR also tends to focus more on significant events or incidents, while retrospectives are regular team meetings.
