The AAR Isn’t Finished Until the Next Training Event Changes

The next training meeting is approaching. Before you build another event from last month’s template, open the notes from the last one.

Do they tell you what to change?

“Improve communication” sounds reasonable. So does “conduct more rehearsals.” Neither tells the next leader what happened, which standard was missed, or what to put on the schedule. An after action review becomes useful when its observations turn into a specific change that someone can carry into the next training event.

This is a practical way to make that connection without creating another complicated tracking system.

Start with the observation you can explain

Choose one issue from the last event that matters to the next event. Replace the broad label with a factual description: what the evaluator or participants observed, when it happened, and what information is still missing.

“The team did not understand the instructions” assumes a cause. “Two participants used different versions of the handout, and the evaluator paused to clarify which applied” describes something the group can examine.

Then connect that observation to the applicable task and performance measure. A local preference, a preparation problem, and a missed published standard may require different responses. Keep those distinctions visible.

The Army’s Training Management Directorate explains that T&EOs provide standards for evaluation and that recorded observations feed the AAR and the commander’s broader assessment. A useful note therefore needs enough context to explain the performance it describes. Read the Army’s explanation of evaluation and assessment.

Give the next action an owner and an opportunity

Use this question: “What should someone do differently before or during the next iteration?”

An action might be to correct the reference packet, prepare an evaluator, request a missing resource, or propose focused retraining. Be specific about who will carry it forward and where the unit will review progress. “Everyone needs to communicate better” gives everyone room to assume someone else handled it.

The Army’s overview of TC 7-0.1, After Action Reviews, emphasizes follow-up that can include retraining, SOP revisions, and recording and sharing lessons. The discussion should influence what happens afterward. See the official TC 7-0.1 overview.

Use a small action record

The worksheet below is an ArmyTEO organizing aid, not an official Army form or required reporting format. Use it within your unit’s existing process. Copy these eight prompts into your existing notes:

• Task and reference: Task number, title, and the version used.

• Observation: A brief factual account of what happened.

• Standard or effect: The relevant measure, or the preparation issue it affected.

• Next action: One concrete change or retraining proposal.

• Responsible role: Who will carry the action forward.

• Next opportunity: The event or meeting where it will be addressed.

• Evidence to check: What the evaluator or leader will look for afterward.

• Follow-up result: What changed, what remains unresolved, and the next decision.

Keep the record short enough to use. If the observation needs a longer explanation, link to the existing notes rather than copying the entire AAR into another document.

An example: the packet was ready, but the copies disagreed

Consider this fictional administrative training event. Participants arrive with two editions of the reference handout. The evaluator spends part of the session resolving the mismatch. The AAR note reads, “Improve preparation.”

A more useful action record would say:

• Observation: Participants and the evaluator used different handout editions.

• Next action: The training lead will verify the applicable reference, assemble one identified packet, and tell participants which copy to bring.

• Next opportunity: Review the packet during preparation for the next scheduled session.

• Evidence to check: Before instruction begins, the evaluator and participants can identify the same applicable reference.

That addresses the preparation issue. It does not prove that the participants can perform the task. The next evaluation still needs to observe the task against its applicable standard. Keep “we fixed the packet” and “performance improved” as separate findings.

Bring unresolved actions to the training meeting

AAR notes become easier to lose when they sit outside the process that controls time and resources. Bring the unresolved actions into the next appropriate training meeting so leaders can consider the training requirement alongside the schedule and available support.

TC 7-0.2 organizes training meetings around assessment, coordination, and event planning. That makes the meeting a practical place to connect what happened last time with preparation for what happens next. Read the Army’s TC 7-0.2 overview.

Before closing an action, ask whether the promised change happened and whether subsequent observation showed the intended improvement. Preserve successful practices too; a useful AAR should help the next team repeat what worked.

Start with one task this week

Open the last AAR. Choose one unresolved observation. Find the relevant T&EO, confirm the reference in an authoritative Army system, and write the next action in one sentence with a responsible role and a scheduled opportunity to revisit it.

Search the ArmyTEO catalog by task number or a short task phrase. Results show the available Army source route and whether an ArmyTEO Go PDF is available. A free ArmyTEO account provides access to available Go files; some Army source links require an Army-network-connected device.

ArmyTEO is an unofficial, independent resource and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Army or Department of Defense. This article is a planning aid. Current Army publications, the applicable T&EO, and command guidance govern your training.