Now that the deployment drill has been completed, it is time to go through the after-exercise process. Since this is the first time our organization is going through this, we will be setting up templates and checklists to make the next process easier. We are following the Homeland Security Exercise Evaluation Process (HSEEP) which is based to a large degree on the DoD process which has been in use for a long time. An online Independent Study course, IS-120.a, details this process.
The first step is called the Hot Wash, which is where people involved in the exercise give their immediate feedback and concerns. That has already been done and recorded.
The next step is the Draft After-Action Report (or After-Action Review --- they are interchangeable terms) or Draft AAR. The Draft AAR records what happened and why, making recommendations for future improvement. The "draft draft" document is now available to command staff in the Auxiliary's Google Docs archive.
After the Draft AAR is complete, it is reviewed at an After-Action Conference (AAC) with high-level people from the exercise. The purpose of the conference is to approve the Draft AAR (incorporating changes as necessary), create the Improvement Plan matrix, a task list of recommended improvements, the responsible party or organization, and due dates. At the upcoming business meeting (10 July), I will distribute copies of the draft AAR and we will plan the AAC as a separate small business meeting (we will arrange to meet around a table somewhere).
Finally, an Improvement Plan is created and referenced in training, purchase decisions, and future exercise planning. Overall, the process creates a cycle of planning, design, exercise, evaluation, and improvement.
At each stage of this process, we will end up with organizational templates which can be reused in the future.