A – Assess

A – Assess: Assessment is the continuous monitoring and evaluation of the current situation.

The aforementioned step of rehearsal and inspections closely bridges to assessments. You can and should continually evaluate and assess all aspects of the process. Broadly, assessment consists of the following activities: monitoring the current situation to collect relevant information, evaluating progress toward attaining end state conditions, achieving objectives, and performing tasks, and recommending or directing action for improvement.

There are a multitude of ways to integrate a process for a continuous cycle of learning in which feedback and critiques will maximize reinforcement of learning.  Learning points can be established with a feedback rally point…

While in the Army the After Action Reviews (AAR) taught me to always capture the lessons learned and it was a simple rule to use the three up and three down approach – three positive (good) and three negative (bad) points about what was planned and what actually happened. The AAR can be a formal sit down with charts and notes, or a field expedient informal huddle. The key thing is to invoke discussion and participant involvement to help them adopt the plans as their own instead of feeling as if they are only checking the block of compliance. Another quick method which helps during actual rehearsals is the on-the-spot correction. This takes advantage of discussing deficiencies in knowledge and performance.