3.5.2.3 Capturing Lessons Learned

Capturing Lessons Learned

Building an effective TAM program is a process of continuous improvement. The practices will improve as your TAM program matures. It will also improve as new methods and tools become available. It's important to capture what has been learned as you conduct a TAM function (i.e., building a TAMP, developing a resilience improvement plan, target setting, investment planning, etc.). Taking the step of looking back at what you have learned and documenting what worked and what did not work will help you the next time you do the activity. Consider as a part of this step what you would change the next time you do the activity to do it better.

After Action Reviews (AAR) are a formal mechanism for capturing lessons learned. They are designed to identify and document what went well, what could have been improved, and how to fix things to be sure that they don’t go wrong again. You can use Before- and During-Action Reviews to document lessons learned as they go and make corrective actions as needed. The following is a sample AAR template from NCHRP Report 813 A Guide to Agency-Wide Knowledge Management for State Departments of Transportation.

Another resource that provides guidance on AARs is from the USAID:
USAID After-Action Review Guide (Introduction/Technical Guide) https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/pnadf360.pdf