Capturing Lessons Learned with an AAR

This method uses a three-prong process:

• Capture the Lessons Learned
• Store it in a social site for easy retrieval
• Provide a microblogging tool to help others to learn about recent lessons learned.

As noted in the section on costs, informal learning can be just as expensive as formal learning, thus the need to get more bang for your bucks. Part of its inefficiency is capturing lessons learned. That is, while a person or small group may learn something new, that learning is rarely or never passed on to others in the organization. While there may be a lot of informal learning occurring, a lot of it are repeats. One of the best means for combating this is through After Action Reviews or AAR (Department of the Army, 1993). You can help push AARs into the working environment through formal learning, such as:

• Classroom — Having the learners discovering which of their projects will make good candidates for running through an AAR.
• eLearning — Once their projects are nearing their completion, they receive some just-in-time training for:
• Questioning Techniques — Use scenarios, for example, rather than asking, “Robert, why did your equipment operators remove the safety guards from the equipment?,” they select, “Robert, can you tell us about your recent safety inspection?”
• Using the four basic steps of an AAR:

• Capturing the results of the four steps through mind maps that keep the steps aligned and use a visual mode that allows other learners to more easily understand them.