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I used to finish big launches the way most of us do.
Step 1: Collapse.
Step 2: Open Instagram.
Step 3: Pretend I learned something just because I survived it.
And then I’d do the exact same thing again next month. What snapped me out of it was finding out what pilots do.
Not the Netflix-action-flick version. The boring, hyper-competent version.
After every flight, they run a checklist-style debrief called an After-Action Review.
And once you start doing that in your own work you’ll stop repeating the same mistakes with a different Canva template.
t's a structured reflection process you do after completing any significant task or project. Four simple questions, usually taking five minutes. But those five minutes compound into serious learning over time.
1. What did we intend to accomplish?
Before you can evaluate success, you need to know what success looked like. Be specific. Not "run a good workshop" but "deliver a session where 30-40 participants leave with one actionable takeaway."
2. What did we accomplish relative to our intention?
Just the facts. Did you hit the goals or outcomes? Miss it? Exceed it?
3. Why did it happen this way?
This is where you dig. What went well? What didn't? What factors influenced the outcome? The challenge here is to spiral into blame, so explore each answer as a way to find gaps in the understanding.
4. What will we do to adapt and refine for an improved outcome?
This is where learning becomes action, so identify at least 2 concrete changes you'll make next time.
Where to Use This in Your Business
If you’re sitting there thinking “Fab I don’t do fly planes, I run a business…”. Same.
Here are some places an After-Action Review works ridiculously well:
After a launch (course, product, offer) → what actually drove sign-ups, and what was just noise.
After a campaign sprint (Black Friday, seasonal push, promo week) → what should you repeat next time.
After a workshop or webinar → topic, timing, turnout, energy, conversion, follow-up.
After a content experiment (new format, new hook style, new platform) → keep it, tweak it, bin it.
After a newsletter send → subject line, clicks, replies, unsubscribes, and what people actually cared about.
After hiring or onboarding someone → what worked, what broke, and what you need to document.
After a tricky client or team moment → how you showed up, what you’d do differently, and what boundary you need.
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How I Use This
A while back we finished a big “course launch sprint” at AMS. The kind of month where you ship a bunch of content, launch a course, reply to a million emails, and then look up like… what day is it?
Old me would have moved on immediately. New me runs an After-Action Review.
1. What did we intend to accomplish?
Drive sign-ups (with a clear target, not “do well”)
Keep delivery strong without burning out the team
Gather data we can reuse next time
2. What did we accomplish relative to our intention?
We managed to meet our course sales targets
We had to push and ran into last minute rushes
Some assets overperformed
Some bits flopped
3. Why did it happen this way?
One or two pieces of content did most of the heavy lifting
We didn’t map the timeline properly, so we couldn’t see when energy spiked and why
4. What will we do to adapt and refine for an improved outcome?
Gather the numbers during the sprint, not after, so we can adjust in real time
Track a simple timeline of key moments (what went out when, and what moved people)
Bake the “juicy questions” into the debrief so we spot repeatable wins faster
You can do this solo. You can do it with your team.
You can even do it with a client if you want to look like the most organised person alive. Pick one thing you’ve just finished and run the four questions.
YOUR HOMEWORK ✍️
Think about something you recently completed. Run it through the four AAR questions:
What did I intend?
What actually happened?
Why?
What will I change?
Write it down. Then apply those insights to your next project.
Because here's the thing: experience doesn't automatically create wisdom. Reflection does.
Most of us either beat ourselves up after a mistake or brush it off and move on.
The AAR gives you a third option: learn systematically. It turns every project into data. Every experience into insight.
What will you run an AAR on this week?
Always cheering you on,
Fab
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