After Action Report (AAR)

Simple AAR

Cover page

• Title of the Exercise
• Date of the report
• TTX organizing group

Introduction

• AAR for exercise
• Explain why the exercise was organized (link to existing Exercise Program or a legislative requirement)
• Indicate the type of exercise (in this case it would be TTX)

Body of the document

• Indicate the date/time and location
• Indicate the (Branch/Region/Directorate/Division) being represented
• Include the scenario description
• List the objectives tested

Observations/Recommendations

• Extract the information/observations from the hot wash
• Extract the information from evaluator’s report
• Extract the information from participants evaluation form
• Indicate 3 - 4 recommendations linked to the objectives and the observations

Conclusion

• Always conclude with positive results from TTX and benefits to the organization
• Indicate next steps (corrective actions) which include recommendations – who will take action on the item – if possible how it will be resolved and if any revisions to the plan are required

Complex AAR

Executive Summary

This section highlights the exercise scope, participants, key successes and most significant areas for improvement. This section should not go into details, but should summarize the following elements:

• Background:

  Provide an overview of the background information regarding the exercise or series the exercise belongs to. Also indicate the plans, protocols and/or policies that were exercised.

• Aim and Participants/Overview of Scenario:

  Provide a brief overview regarding the scenario and aim of the exercise including the participants involved.

• Key Observations and Recommendations:

  A general overview/summary on the key or priority strategic observations and recommendations that emanated from this exercise, addressing capability improvements and best practices. Do not go into details; keep it general. Describe the observations which were collected post-exercise.

Background

This section provides background information on the exercise such as participating jurisdictions, the date(s) and location(s) of the exercise, the type of exercise (e.g. Tabletop exercise), the participants, an overview of the scenario, and a description of the evaluation process.

Exercise Structure

This section provides details as to how the exercise was structured.

• List of Participants:

  This section is to provide a list of participants and organizations that participated. When identifying organizations and agencies, indicate the level of participation (Corporate/Branch/Regional/Directorate/Division).

• Management Structure:

  Provide a brief description of the authority under which the exercise was operated; locations of the teams during the exercise; as well as an organization chart identifying the reporting structure of Team and Exercise Leads.

• Control Structure:

  Provide a description of how the exercise control was coordinated; how Exercise Management controlled the events of the exercise; physical locations of exercise controls; how Controllers carried out their responsibilities prior to, during and post exercise.

• Evaluation Structure:

  Provide a description of how the exercise evaluation was managed and coordinated; what methods were used to gather feedback and information; how the evaluation was formed (if available, list essential questions that were used).

Aim

This section should state in a few of sentences, the purpose of the exercise and should be incorporated from existing exercise documents to ensure consistency.

Goals and Objectives

This section lists the goals and objectives for the exercise. Content for this section should be drawn from existing exercise documentation.

• Departmental objectives/strategic objectives: Describe the national objectives for the exercise (if applicable).
• Organizational objectives: Provide the organizational objectives for each of the following as applicable - Interdepartmental, Provincial, Territorial, Municipal, Private Sector, non-government organizations, etc.

Scenario

This section is to provide, in sequential order, an overview of the events underway during the exercise. This information depicts how the exercise events triggered critical tasks and achievement of the outcomes.

Observations and Recommendations

This section should not include observations related to the exercise design or delivery. Any exercise assumptions which may have had an impact on player action will be outlined in Annex B.

Describe to what extent national and organizational (where appropriate) objectives were met during this exercise.

List each observation made during the exercise, followed with its own recommendation. The recommendation should be written as a statement that describes what could be done to resolve the issue identified (e.g. changes in plans or procedures, organizational structures, leadership and management processes, training, equipment or resources, inter-agency or inter-jurisdictional agreements). Use the following criteria subjects to classify each observation accordingly.

Annexes

When applicable, the annex section is to incorporate documents to be added to the AAR in order to provide additional detail to the report as well as substantive links to resulting corrective action taken by the organization.

Annex A:

List of Participants: Include a list of participants; ensure that the Name of the participant and the Department/Agency name are also noted.

Annex B:

Observations on the planning, conduct and evaluation functions of the exercise: This section outlines what worked well and what could be improved as it relates to exercise planning, conduct, logistics and evaluation. It should identify and describe any design issues and the effect of the issue on the exercise practitioner to deliver the exercise and to react as expected, with reference (as appropriate) to the effect on mission outcomes, other functions or disciplines, or achievement of the exercise objectives.

A brief description of what happened, what should have occurred, why there was a difference (the underlining causal factor), and what adjustments should be made for future exercises should be included.