Leadership in ministry is both taxing and energizing, empty and fruitful. The natural rhythms can be challenging, so Rooted Network desires to provide leadership frameworks that make ministry more energizing and fruitful. This framework offers a way to evaluate and improve events, processes, and seasons, making ministry less exhausting and more impactful.
How often do you pause to evaluate after a ministry event or season? Likely rarely, because the next event or season is always looming. But what if just one hour of reflection could save time and enhance future ministry?
This is where the After Action Review (AAR) framework comes in. Originally developed by the US Army in the 1970s, AAR helps assess performance, identify strengths and weaknesses, and improve future outcomes—immediately following an event, while insights are still fresh.
ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES
Facilitator
Mediate the discussion by listening to facts and feelings in order to provide structure and guidance, resolve differences, ensure balanced participation, and maintain objectivity among the group.
Scribe
Capture thoughts accurately and provide a written form of all concepts, discussion items, decisions, and future actions to be taken
Participants
Invest fully in the discussion, no silent spectating, with honesty of own input and respect of others
Leader
Support the facilitation of the session through body language and tone while remaining receptive to feedback and shared feelings, and bring closure by restating the objective, thanking participants, celebrating successes, clarifying learnings, and communicating next steps.
THE PROCESS
Gather the team, including key volunteers not on staff. Make sure everyone has paper and a writing utensil. The times listed are approximate and can be altered based on what is being reviewed.
Step 1 | Facilitator States and Clarifies Objective (5 minutes)
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Provide instructions
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Unite the team and identify measures for success
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Keep the team focused
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Step 2 | Participants Document (3) Areas of Review (15 minutes)
What Worked Well
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Reinforce positive behavior
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Build confidence and self-esteem in participants
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Identify strengths and abilities of team members
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Areas To Improve
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Focus on constructive comments
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Focus on dynamics of behaviors among team members to create a more productive environment
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Focus on “what went wrong” and “how to fix it”
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Lessons Learned
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Document so that another team can understand and apply the learning to avoid similar mistakes, now and in the future
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Incorporate a method for continuous improvement
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Capture and preserve learning that, when passed on, will inform future teams' best practices and pitfalls to avoid
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Step 3 | Participants Share Feedback from Areas of Review (30 minutes)
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- Create a safe space for all feedback to be shared
- Encourage everyone to contribute to the conversation
- Walk through each area of review, making note of patterns in feedback and learnings
Step 4 | Leader Concludes with Next Steps (10 minutes)
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Refer to the objective to ensure actionable items are relevant to the desired results
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Clarify what needs to be done, who needs to do it, timeframe for completion
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Transform “action” created by the review into “results”
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Assign accountability and provide clarity of what is expected for the future
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By Virginia Ramsey of Rooted Network