Nachbesprechung

Nachbesprechung is a debriefing session conducted after a task, operation, event, or project to review what happened, assess outcomes against objectives, and gather information from participants for future improvement. The term emphasizes reflection and learning and is used across various sectors to capture tacit knowledge and inform better decision-making.

The concept appears in diverse contexts, including aviation, emergency services, military operations, manufacturing, software development, media production, and business management. In each setting it serves to document what worked well, what did not, and why, often with an emphasis on safety, quality, and efficiency. A Nachbesprechung is typically scheduled at the end of a shift, after a mission, or once a project phase is complete, and may occur on-site or in a dedicated meeting room.

Process and outputs commonly involve a structured discussion led by a facilitator or supervisor. An agenda may cover the intended objectives, a timeline of key events, deviations from the plan, safety issues, resource use, and stakeholder feedback. The primary outputs are actionable items, recommendations for process or behavior changes, and a concise lessons-learned document or report that can be shared with relevant parties and archived for future reference.

Purpose and benefits include increased transparency, improved performance, and enhanced safety. By identifying root causes and contributing factors, organizations can prevent recurrence of issues and better prepare for similar tasks. Challenges include maintaining psychological safety to avoid blame, ensuring timely follow-up on actions, and balancing thorough analysis with the need for timely conclusions. Related concepts include post-mortems, retrospectives, and lessons-learned reporting.