After Action Reports

Most armed forces worth the name have "After Action Reports" (AAR).

All learning organizations have to have a similar practice, done at regular intervals, as part of their process. A Causal Analysis Meeting, done after every defect fix, was once such practice that we had at acmet.

Recently I came across a misapplication of the term.

A pilot run had some problems. These were identified. Corrections are to be be made for the next lot to be produced.

This is defect correction. An AAR is about defect prevention. For that to happen root causes need to be identified. Taichi Ohno's 5-Whys need to be asked. It needs deliberation

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Needs to ask 5 Why

Our Foreign Minister, SM Krishna, commenced his address to the UN Security Council by reading out the address of the Portuguese Minister, translated copies of which would have been distributed in advance to all delegates attending the meeting. The Deccan Herald in Bangalore carries opinions about the faux pax. I hope the MEA does not adopt a similar attitude. People will wonder if our Nuclear Button is clearly marked. Won't do to have it confused with the button on some minister's office coffee machine :-)

The MEA needs to do 5-Why analysis. Here is what it might look like

1. Why did the Minister read out the wrong speech?

1. His own speech could not be distinguished from other documents in front of him.

2. Why could they not be distinguished?

1. Because his speech too was printed on the same stationery and the same printer as all other speeches and documents.

3. Why could the document not be printed on the Government of India stationery and put in a separate folder marked prominently as, "Address by the Foreign Minister of India, Shri SM Krishna, to the UNSC, on

"?

1. No sanction for special stationery.
2. Funds for getting special folders exhausted.

4. Why could funds, or sanction not be obtained?

1. Because the Indian Mission at the UN is not the CWG Organizing Committee.

5. Bingo! That's the solution: Make Suresh Kalmadi the head of the Indian Delegation at the UN.


Explanation of hiatus from Blogging
For those who were wondering what happened, since early January, I was attending to my mother, in Bangalore. She is much better now. Hopefully I should be back in Noida in a couple of weeks with more time on my hands. The couple of weeks that I spent in hospital, attending to my mother, gave me lots of time to reflect and read - I had no access to my laptop. I will blog about some of that.