Even if we're not consciously aware of it, we're constantly seeking improvement. This continual quest for improvement begins when you start differentiating between "what was" and "what could be." Through this book, you’ll learn how to apply both informal and formal continuous improvement approaches to reflect upon and analyze your individual work or the work of your team.
The book begins by covering the basic facilitation skills that you'll need to conduct an AAR. These skills include active listening, questioning, information gathering and analysis, managing group dynamics, and more. You'll dive deep into the AAR technique and explore all its aspects in detail including its value proposition and frameworks. As you progress through the book, you'll explore the informal and formal approaches to AAR and understand the situations where each can be used.
By the end of the book, you’ll be able to apply this technique and its fundamentals to assess the improve the outcome of your project you undertake or a life event.
Who is this book for?
This book is meant for everyone who has an interest in learning how to use the AAR process and analyze an activity, an event, a project, a product, a service, or a situation and improve it.
What you will learn
Discover and apply the skills essential to a facilitator
Study Osborn’s four general rules of brainstorming
Understand the three stages of the AAR framework
Study the root cause analysis technique and its applications
Use the Group Dynamics guide to deal with common issues of people
Understand and learn how to apply the facilitator’s mantra
I read this in a sitting. It’s a quick, easy read and no it is not a treatise on Six Sigma and/or Root Cause Analysis, but it is an exceptional primer and reminder for those of us who embrace AAR. Too, it’s easily understood and executed. And, too, it also supports my strong belief that an AAR can be beneficial in a negative outcome, but can also be incredibly beneficial when a positive outcome is achieved.
Amazon Verified review
Dr. DhillonMay 24, 2018
5
This is a well written book to help review anything you have done and make it better the next time. The proposed continuous improvement approach is easy to follow and implement. This concise and handy guide should be on every manager's bookshelf.
Amazon Verified review
Dr. Edward M.L. PetersMar 02, 2018
5
It is often said that we forget 80% of what we learn in any a given day. Even worse news is that after three days, we have mostly forgotten everything we learned! While this may be totally acceptable for the mindless dribble we glean from the media: Is the same loss of knowledge acceptable when we are talking about tasks or projects that we just completed? In this latter case, there are some very useful nuggets of information about “what went well, what did not go well and what we might do differently” the next time we, or others, engage in a similar task. This is the subject Artie Mahal addresses in his recent book, “After Action Review, Continuous Improvement Made Easy.” There are many books about how this type of review is performed in highly structured organizations such as large corporations and the military. Office bookshelves full of works describing concepts such as “red team”, lessons learned, post-mortem and root cause analysis come easily to mind. These are examples of what Mahal, an expert on facilitation and processes improvement, calls “Formal After Action Reviews”, those that are highly structured, usually held over multiple days and attended by teams of people being led through a pre-planned set of workshops with the goal of being to produce a final report suitable for the corporate environment. In support of this type of approach, the book includes a complete set of checklists and templates that can assist in the success of the effort.While the formal approach is well understood, what about using this type of approach in less formal settings and in our everyday lives? Mahal describes this type of process as an “Informal After Action Review”, reflecting on what was desired and then recording what you “liked” about some activity followed by what you “wished” as a possible improvement. One can imagine using this as a group or even independently, jotting a few notes after an event such as a concert. You might note something such as, “I liked the seats I had” but “I wish I was closer to the stage” as a guide for next time. Also, this type of approach could be used at the close of a meeting where the group notes both “what worked well” and “even better if” as suggestions for the next session.Possibly one of the best things about this book is its brevity. In 79 pages, Mahal shares the most important things you need to know to successfully conduct either a formal or an informal after action review. It is not meant for your bookshelf, but to be carried in you bag for easy reference. Now, in terms of reference, I wish I had purchased the electronic edition so I could take advantage of all of reference links provided throughout the book. Maybe I will make a note in my new After Action Notebook so I can do better next time!
Amazon Verified review
SteveFeb 15, 2018
5
And Artie Mahal's book explains how. Reflecting on work completed by a team, whether formal or informal, is a great way to improve performance on the next project. But After Action Reviews can be considered unpleasant meetings where mistakes and problems are aired in front of coworkers. I liked how Artie's book provides techniques for keeping the session objective and productive, while optimizing the time spent in the AAR.
Amazon Verified review
Annie MarieFeb 09, 2018
5
I’ve spent the past 30 years helping organizations large and small improve the way they get work done. After Action Reviews have been a part of my toolkit for much of that time. I thought I knew how it was done. Artie Mahal, in his superbly written book, taught me otherwise. I have never seen the process so simply yet thoroughly explained. Arite is extremely well read and he uses that breadth of knowledge to add perspectives to his knowledge without coming across as pedantic or showy. The book is full of easy-to-understand frameworks and tools as well as examples of how to apply them. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced group facilitator this book has something for you.
For two decades, Artie Mahal successfully led mission-critical programs at Mars, Incorporated. He has delivered business process management services worldwide and is a speaker at professional forums. He has served with three governors of New Jersey in various community programs and was the president of the first Sikh Temple in New Jersey. He has authored two other books: How Work Gets Done and the Facilitator's and Trainer's Toolkit.
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