Definition of After action review

The After Action Review (AAR) is a structured review or de-brief process that analyses what happened, why it happened, and how it can be done better, in a forum that includes participants and those responsible for the project or exercise. After-action reviews in the formal sense were originally developed by the U.S. Army although less structured de-briefs after particular events have existed since time immemorial. Formal AAR is used by all US military services and by many other non-US organisations. Their use has now extended to business as a knowledge management tool. A similar term is hotwash.