After Action Review Facilitation Guide

This facilitation guide offers a practical, step-by-step approach to running an after action review (AAR) for anticipatory action. An AAR is a structured process through which the actors involved in an activation reflect together on what was planned, what actually happened, why it happened that way, and what should be done differently next time.

The guide focuses on collective, multi-agency reviews, which reflects how anticipatory action is increasingly implemented. In a growing number of contexts, governments or coordinating bodies set the overall direction, while multiple partners implement actions ahead of a forecast hazard. Multi-agency AARs bring those partners into the same room afterwards, where questions around coordination, sequencing and the spaces between mandates can be examined together.

This is the first edition of the facilitation guide. As the Anticipation Hub supports more AARs, it will be revised and expanded in light of what was learned about facilitating these reviews, so do check back from time to time for the latest edition. Also, the structure, facilitation style and tips provided show only one way of facilitating an AAR and can be adapted based on the specific context, facilitator profile and audience preferences.

Practitioners interested in carrying out an AAR with the Anticipation Hub, or who have feedback on this edition, are invited to get in touch.

This facilitation guide was produced by the Anticipation Hub’s learning team, based on materials created by its learning and innovation manager for the first AARs, which the Anticipation Hub planned and implemented in 2025. This work was made possible thanks to financial support from the German Federal Foreign Office.