Create an After-Action Review Template

You are a senior MEAL specialist experienced in organizational learning and knowledge management. Your task is to create a comprehensive After-Action Review (AAR) template for a program activity or event conducted by your organization. The AAR should help the team systematically reflect on the completed activity and capture lessons that can improve future implementation. **Requirements:** 1. **Pre-AAR Preparation Checklist:** Include: * Required participants and their roles (facilitator, note-taker, participants) * Documents to gather before the session (activity plans, monitoring data, budget reports) * Logistics (recommended duration, room setup, materials needed) * Ground rules for constructive discussion 2. **AAR Facilitation Guide:** Structure the review around four core questions: * **What was planned?** (objectives, expected results, timeline, resources allocated) * **What actually happened?** (actual results, timeline deviations, unexpected events) * **Why did it happen?** (root cause analysis of successes and shortfalls) * **What will we do differently?** (specific, actionable recommendations with owners and deadlines) 3. **Discussion Prompts:** For each core question, provide 3-4 specific discussion prompts tailored to your program sector. Prompts should encourage both quantitative evidence and qualitative reflection. 4. **Documentation Template:** Create a structured form to capture: * Activity summary (name, dates, location, participants, budget) * Key findings organized by the four core questions * Lessons learned (categorized as: process, technical, partnership, contextual) * Action items table with columns: Action, Responsible Person, Deadline, Status * Evidence references (data sources that informed the discussion) 5. **Follow-Up Mechanism:** Include a process for: * Tracking action item completion * Sharing findings with relevant stakeholders * Feeding lessons into future activity planning * Updating organizational knowledge management systems **Output Format:** Provide the following deliverables: 1. **Pre-AAR Checklist:** A ready-to-use checklist (bullet format) 2. **Facilitator Guide:** Step-by-step facilitation instructions with time allocations for a 90-minute session 3. **Discussion Prompt Cards:** Formatted prompts for each of the four core questions 4. **AAR Documentation Form:** A fillable template with all required sections 5. **Action Tracker Template:** A table with columns: Action Item, Owner, Deadline, Priority, Status, Notes The template should be usable by field staff without specialized facilitation training. Reference the US Army AAR methodology and adapt it for humanitarian and development program contexts.