Email Jim at jim.thompson@ipulpmedia.com

An AAR is an "After Action Review" or "After Action Report." The concept was developed by the military but is now used in many venues. Your capital project is not complete until you write an AAR.

An AAR will cover the who, what, when, where, why and how of your project. Of course, to do this properly, you will have started collecting notes for your AAR on the day you started your project (go back several weeks to the column titled "Write First" where I discussed the Design Basis).

You will have many documents that will help you write the AAR. During construction, you should have many photos, too. Photos are better than movies. The best job I ever saw of documenting construction was long before the ubiquitous phone cameras of today.

In this particular case, we had a temporary clerk for our construction project. We had a 35 mm camera with a "date back." Today your phone has a date back. We had this clerk roam the site daily and take three rolls of slides each day. Slide film was 36 shots to the roll, so that was 108 slides per day.

We asked him to take them in approximately the same place every day. The shutdown for this rebuild took 40 days, so we ended up with photographic documentation to the tune of 4,320 dated scenes. When it came to the legal arguments that ensued after this activity, those slides were invaluable.

If one party said something happened on a certain day, the slides could prove if it did or didn't.

Of course, your field notes will be invaluable, too.

Besides answering the standard questions, I mentioned above, make sure you include negotiating points, budget pricing and final pricing, shortcuts you discovered and matters to avoid in the future.

It will take real discipline to do a quality AAR. If your boss has bought into it, that will make it easier. When the project is over, no one wants to do an AAR, but a good AAR can save millions in costs and time on the next project.

Be safe and we will talk next week.

For a deeper dive go here.

Study Guide: Memorializing--AAR

Quiz: Short-Answer Questions

Instructions: Answer the following questions in 2-3 complete sentences, based on the provided source text.

1. What is the primary definition and purpose of an AAR?
2. According to the text, when is a capital project officially considered complete?
3. What are the six fundamental questions that an AAR is expected to cover?
4. When should the process of collecting information for the AAR begin?
5. What two primary forms of documentation are identified as invaluable for writing an AAR?
6. Describe the specific method of photographic documentation that the author highlights as the "best job" he ever saw.
7. How did the photographic documentation prove to be invaluable in the author's example?
8. Beyond the standard "who, what, when, where, why, and how," what four other specific types of information should an AAR include?
9. What personal quality does the author state is necessary to complete a quality AAR?
10. What is the ultimate benefit of creating a good AAR, despite the reluctance to do so after a project ends?

Answer Key

1. An AAR stands for "After Action Review" or "After Action Report." The concept was originally developed by the military and is now used in many different fields to memorialize a project.
2. A capital project is not considered complete until the AAR is written. The AAR is the final step in the project lifecycle described in the text.
3. The AAR should cover the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the project. These six questions form the basic framework of the report.
4. The collection of notes for the AAR should begin on the very first day the project starts. The author references a previous column titled "Write First" which discussed the "Design Basis" as the starting point.
5. Photos and field notes are identified as invaluable forms of documentation for writing an AAR. The author specifically states that photos are superior to movies for this purpose.
6. The method involved a temporary clerk using a 35 mm camera with a "date back" to take three rolls of slide film (108 slides) each day. The photos were taken from approximately the same location daily for the entire 40-day shutdown, resulting in 4,320 dated scenes.
7. The extensive collection of dated slides was invaluable during subsequent legal arguments. When one party made a claim about something happening on a specific day, the slides could be used as definitive proof of whether the event did or did not occur as stated.
8. An AAR should also include negotiating points, budget pricing and final pricing, shortcuts that were discovered, and matters to avoid in the future. This information adds practical value for future projects.
9. The author states that it takes "real discipline" to complete a quality AAR. This is because when a project is over, no one wants to do the additional work of writing the report.
10. The ultimate benefit is that a good AAR can save millions in costs and time on the next project. It serves as a valuable repository of lessons learned and practical data.

Essay Questions

Instructions: Consider the following questions for a deeper analysis of the source text. Formulate a comprehensive response in an essay format.

1. Analyze the role and importance of proactive documentation in a capital project, as described in the text. Discuss how beginning documentation on "day one" contributes to the final quality and utility of the After Action Review.
2. Using the specific example of the 35 mm camera and dated slides, evaluate the strategic value of photographic evidence in project management. How does this type of documentation serve both operational and legal purposes?
3. The author states, "When the project is over, no one wants to do an AAR." Explore the human and organizational challenges implied by this statement and discuss how management support ("if your boss has bought into it") can overcome this reluctance.
4. Construct an argument for why an AAR is a critical investment rather than an administrative burden. Detail the specific types of information that should be included to maximize its value in saving "millions in costs and time on the next project."
5. Synthesize the author's philosophy on "memorializing" a project. Based on the text, what are the core components of a successful AAR, from initial data collection to the final report's content and purpose?

Glossary of Key Terms

After Action Review (AAR)

Also known as an After Action Report, it is a document that covers the "who, what, when, where, why and how" of a project. It is considered the final step that completes a capital project.

Capital Project

A project, such as a construction or rebuild activity, that is not considered complete until an AAR is written for it.

Date Back

A feature on a camera that imprints the date onto the photograph. The text notes that modern phone cameras have this function, which was once a specific feature of 35 mm cameras.

Design Basis

A document mentioned as the starting point for a project. The collection of notes for the AAR should begin at this early stage.

Field Notes

On-site notes taken during a project. They are described as being invaluable for writing the AAR.

Slide Film

A type of photographic film that produces slides. In the author's example, 36-shot rolls were used to document a construction project extensively.

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