What are the two types of After-Action Reviews?

What are the two types of After-Action Reviews?

• A. Formal and Informal
• B. Planned and Unplanned
• C. Formal and Hot wash
• D. Standardized and Unstandardized

Answer: (A)

After-Action Reviews are reflective sessions that help a team understand what happened, why it happened, and what to change next time to perform better. The two main ways these reviews are conducted are formal and informal. A formal AAR follows a planned, structured process. It has a clear agenda, defined roles, and is typically documented with notes, findings, and specific action items to carry forward. This makes it easy to share lessons across the team or organization and to track improvements over time. An informal AAR is quick and unstructured—a short, candid discussion soon after the activity. It captures immediate observations and lessons but isn't usually documented in detail. This format keeps learning fast and flexible, especially when timely adjustments are needed. Other options don’t fit as neatly because they describe when the event happened or use terms that aren’t widely treated as the standard categories for AAR formats.

After-Action Reviews are reflective sessions that help a team understand what happened, why it happened, and what to change next time to perform better. The two main ways these reviews are conducted are formal and informal.

A formal AAR follows a planned, structured process. It has a clear agenda, defined roles, and is typically documented with notes, findings, and specific action items to carry forward. This makes it easy to share lessons across the team or organization and to track improvements over time.

An informal AAR is quick and unstructured—a short, candid discussion soon after the activity. It captures immediate observations and lessons but isn't usually documented in detail. This format keeps learning fast and flexible, especially when timely adjustments are needed.

Other options don’t fit as neatly because they describe when the event happened or use terms that aren’t widely treated as the standard categories for AAR formats.