Submitting an After Action Report

Submitting an After Action Report User Guide Version 1.6 March 9, 2018 Strong Bonds

Table of Contents About This Guide... 3 The Event Management Lifecycle... 3 Submitting an After Action Report... 3 Who Should Use This Guide... 4 How This Guide Can Help?... 4 Submitting the Receipt of Services... 5 Preparing the Receipt of Services... 5 Printing the Receipt of Services... 14 Completing the Logistics Report... 16 Submitting an After Action Report... 20 Signing Receipt of Services... 20 Submitting an After Action Report... 22 Amending the Receipt of Services... 26 Next Steps... 31 Contact Us... 31 Index... 32 March 9, 2018 Submitting an After Action Report User Guide ii

About This Guide This guide describes the after event reporting activities that must take place in Strong Bonds once an event has been completed. The Event Management Lifecycle As illustrated below, submitting the AAR is the last step in the Strong Bonds event management lifecycle. After creating and publishing an event, online registration for Strong Bonds events is enabled and each registration request must be approved before an attendee can be marked as having attended the event. After the event, the BDE/State/Regional PM can submit actual attendee counts, and After Action Report (AAR) inputs that record important details, such as the number of attendees and lessons learned. These details help to inform decisions about the planning of future events. Before Event 1. Create Event 2. Approve Event Registrants 3. Generate Pre-Event Surveys During Event 4. Register Users on their Behalf 5. View Registration Report 6. Generate Post-Event Surveys After Event 7. View Survey Results 8. Upload Attendance and View Reports 9. Submit AAR Inputs Submitting an After Action Report Strong Bonds provides the staff with the ability to provide event debriefing details once an event is complete. This information includes success and challenges, financial data, administrative aspects, participants, and speakers. Once submitted this information is available to the BDE/State/Regional PM, Owners, and Co-Owners, as well as to the Program Managers (from the same component). Note: Once an After Action Report has been submitted for an event, the event itself and all event-related data are locked for editing in Strong Bonds. For this reason, it is important that you finish updating all attendance and registration data for an event prior to submitting the AAR. Submitting an After Action Report User Guide 3

Who Should Use This Guide This guide is specifically designed to support those who coordinate and manage Strong Bonds events for the Active Army, Army Reserve and the Army National Guard components. This includes all users with staff logins for Strong Bonds: BDE/State/Region PM Logistics Contractor How This Guide Can Help? This guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to: Submit the Receipt of Services Complete a logistics report Sign the Receipt of Services Submit an After Action Report Submitting an After Action Report User Guide 4

Submitting the Receipt of Services Once an event is complete, the BDE/State/Regional PM is responsible for submitting After Action Report (AAR) data to debrief the event s activities. However, before the BDE/State/Regional PM can submit the After Action Report, the Logistics Contractor must submit the Receipt of Services. Preparing the Receipt of Services The AAR section appears on the Event Details page one day after the event s end date. An automated email reminder is sent to the Logistics Contractor if they have not filled in the Receipt of Services section and the Logistics Report sections of the AAR page. To submit the Receipt of Services: 1. Click Event Management in the Strong Bonds menu bar. The Event Management page appears. Note: You can click How Events Work in the top-right corner of the Event Management page to view an infographic that details each step of the event publishing lifecycle. Submitting an After Action Report User Guide 5

2. Use the filter sidebar to search for events with a Published status using the following criteria in the left filter sidebar: Field Name Event ID Event Status Quarter Start Date Range Event Category Event Type Component Unit or Command Region Country Action/Input Enter the ID number of the event you wish to search for. Select the appropriate checkbox(es) next to the status(es) you wish to search for. The statuses you can search for are Recalled, Pending Approval by SBPM, Pending Release by DACH/COMPO, Pending Quarterly Validation, Pending Resources, Resourced, Rejected, Published, Pending AAR, Completed, and Not Resourced. Select this radio button if you wish to search for events based on the annual quarters. You will then be prompted to complete the Fiscal Year and the Quarter fields. Select this radio button if you wish to search for events based on a date range. You will then be prompted to use the Calendar icons to select a From and To date. Select the appropriate event categories from the dropdown. Select the appropriate event types from the drop-down Select the appropriate component from the drop-down. Click the Select Unit/Command button to select a Unit or Command. Select a region from the drop-down if the country the event is taking place in is not the USA. Select a country from the drop-down. If you select USA, then the Region field will be replaced with a State field where you can select the state the event is taking place in. Submitting an After Action Report User Guide 6

3. Click Apply Filters once you have selected your criteria. 4. In the list of events displayed in the main section of the Event Management page, click the Menu icon next to the event for which you want to submit the Receipt of Services for, and click Event Details. Submitting an After Action Report User Guide 7

The Event Details page appears. 5. Click AAR in the left sidebar of the Event Details page. Submitting an After Action Report User Guide 8

The AAR page appears. Note that in the Overview section, the name, email, phone and fax number of the Program Manager is provided. This information is pre-populated from the Account Details of the Event Owner for this event. 6. Click Receipt of Services in the left sidebar. Submitting an After Action Report User Guide 9

The Receipt of Services section appears. 7. Click the Edit icon in the Receipt of Services section that appears in the main window. Submitting an After Action Report User Guide 10

8. Complete all the fields in the Financial Data section. 9. Click the Attach link in the Invoices section to upload invoice(s) for all expenses listed in the Financial Data section. The new file(s) appear in the Invoices section. Submitting an After Action Report User Guide 11

10. Repeat this step to upload more files. Notes: You must add at least one file in the Invoices section to submit the Receipt of Services. You can upload a maximum of 25 files, no greater than 50MB, in the Invoices section. DACH and Logistics Contractors will be able to access the WAWF Invoice # section, that appears over the Receipt of Services section. In this section, DACH and Logistics Contractors will be able to enter an invoice number for each event s Receipt of Services. DACH will now be able to charge multiple events to the same Invoice #. Events with matching Invoice #s will be added together into the same line on the WAWF Tracker page. If the events are assigned to different CLINs, then the invoices will be charged to their respective CLINs. If the Invoice # is entered after the Receipt of Services has been signed, Events with matching Invoice #s will be added together into the same line on the WAWF Tracker page. DACH users can make amendments to an event s Receipt of Services. For more information, see the Amending the Receipt of Services section of this guide. 11. Click the Delete icon to the right of the uploaded invoice to delete the file. Submitting an After Action Report User Guide 12

12. Click the Save button once you have uploaded the invoice(s). Note: Upon saving, the Total Funds Expended, Material Handling Rate and the WAWF Total Invoice fields appear. These fields are pre-populated based on the values entered Funds Expended column, as shown in step 8. Submitting an After Action Report User Guide 13

Printing the Receipt of Services BDE/State/Region PM, Logistics Contractor and Event Delegates have the option of printing the Receipt of Services as a pre-populated form for record purposes. This form can then be signed, scanned and uploaded back into the event s Receipt of Services section. To print the Receipt of Services: 1. Click Receipt of Services in the left sidebar of the AAR page. 2. Click the Print icon in the right corner of the Receipt of Services section. Submitting an After Action Report User Guide 14

The Receipt of Services details will appear in a new browser tab as a pre-populated form. 3. Click the Rank/Title and Typed Name fields to complete them. 4. Print out the form to manually complete the Date and Signature fields. 5. Scan the form and name it as you deem appropriate. 6. Upload the scanned form in the AAR page by repeating steps 7-9 in the Preparing the Receipt of Services section of this guide. Submitting an After Action Report User Guide 15

Completing the Logistics Report To complete the Logistics Report: 1. Click Logistics Report in the left sidebar of the AAR page. The Logistics Report section appears. Submitting an After Action Report User Guide 16

2. Click the Edit icon at the bottom of the Logistics Report section to fill in the information. The Training Conference Location section is automatically populated based on the information provided in the Venue section of the Event Details page. However, this information can still be edited. 3. Edit the Training Conference Location section as follows (optional): Field Name Name of the Hotel Address City State Zip Code Country Phone Number Email Address Action/Input Enter the name of the venue where the event is taking place. Enter the street address of the venue. Enter the City where the venue is located. Select the appropriate state from the drop-down. Enter the Zip Code of the venue. Select a country from the drop-down. Enter the Phone Number of the venue. Enter the Email Address of the venue. Notes: Editing the venue information in the Training Conference Location section will not reflect on the venue information on the Event Details page. The Submit Receipt of Services link is only activated if the event s attendance has been marked i.e. all approved attendees have been marked as Checked-In or No Show. A note will appear at the top of the AAR page if you have not yet marked the attendance. To learn how to mark attendance, please see the Strong Bonds Managing Attendance User Guide. Submitting an After Action Report User Guide 17

4. Complete the Childcare Provider section as follows: Field Name Childcare Provided Name of Provider Address City State Zip Code Country Phone Number Email Address Action/Input This field is automatically populated based on your selection when creating the Event. If this field is populated as No, then all subsequent fields will not appear. Enter the name of the venue. Enter the street address of the venue. Enter the City where the venue is located. Select the appropriate state from the drop-down. Enter the Zip Code of the venue. Select a country from the drop-down. Enter the Phone Number of the venue. Enter the Email Address of the venue. The Curriculum section is automatically populated based on the information provided on the Event Details page. The Training Data section is also populated automatically, based on the information provided on the Attendance page. 5. Click the Save button once you have completed all the fields. 6. Once all the fields are complete, click the Submit Receipt of Services link. Note: The values that are displayed in the No. of Soldiers Trained and No. of Family Members Trained fields of the Training Data section are derived from the Attendance page and are the responsibility of the BDE/State/Regional PM. As such, the Logistics Contractor must confirm the accuracy of the values before submitting the Receipt of Services. Once the Receipt of Services is submitted, the Attendance page is locked and any erroneous value will remain erroneous. Submitting an After Action Report User Guide 18

7. In the pop-up confirmation message that appears: Select the I have reviewed this report and verified that information being submitted is accurate checkbox. Enter your first and last name in the Digital Signature field. The name must be from the account you are currently logged in with. Click the Submit Now link. The following message will now appear in the Overview section of the AAR page. This message will also appear on the Logistics Report section of the AAR page when the BDE/State/Regional PM views the Receipt of Services data. Notes: You can only click Submit Receipt of Services once all sections are completed. The name you enter in the Digital Signature field must match the User Profile you have logged in with. Submitting an After Action Report User Guide 19

Submitting an After Action Report Signing Receipt of Services An automated email reminder is sent to the BDE/State/Regional PM to complete the Event Staff Report section of the AAR page. Before the After Action Report can be submitted, however, the BDE/State/Regional PM must first sign the Receipt of services. To sign the Receipt of Services: 1. From the Event Details page, click AAR in the left sidebar of the Event Details page. 2. Click Receipt of Services in the drop-down that appears. Submitting an After Action Report User Guide 20

3. Review the data entered by the Logistics Contractor in the Financial Data, Invoices and the Logistics Report sections. Then click the Sign Receipt of Services link. 4. In the pop-up confirmation message that appears: Select the I have reviewed the receipts and certify that the services listed above were provided to support Strong Bonds Event No. XXXXXXXXX checkbox. With your CAC and CAC-enabled machine ready, click Sign Receipt of Services. The following message will now appear in the Invoice section of the AAR page. Note: When the Receipt of Services has been signed, it will appear as an invoice on the WAWF Tracker page. For more information on event contracts, see the Strong Bonds Managing Event Contracts User Guide. Submitting an After Action Report User Guide 21

Submitting an After Action Report To submit an After Action Report: 1. Click Event Staff Report in the left sidebar of the AAR drop-down. The Event Staff Report section appears. Submitting an After Action Report User Guide 22

2. Click the Edit icon at the bottom of the Comments/Recommendations section. 3. Enter an amount in the Funding Allocated field. By default, the figure listed in this field is the same as the Projected Budget field on the Edit Details page. For more information on the Projected Budget see the Strong Bonds Managing Event Details User Guide. 4. The Demographic Profile of Attendees section is populated automatically by Strong Bonds using data from the Attendance page. For more information on managing attendance, see the Strong Bonds Managing Attendance User Guide. Submitting an After Action Report User Guide 23

5. Fill the Name, Rank/title, Demographics and the Curriculum Taught fields in the Training Conference Facilitators section. Note, you can click the Add Another Facilitator link to add more facilitators. 6. List the unique successes and challenges faced during the training in the Success & Challenges section. Note that there is a 1000-character limit to both these fields. 7. Use the Likert buttons to answer the five rating questions in the Evaluation of Contractor Support section. 8. Complete the Comments/Recommendations section. Submitting an After Action Report User Guide 24

9. Click the Save button once you are finished. 10. Once it is complete, click the Submit AAR link at the bottom of the page to submit the After Action Report. 11. In the pop-up confirmation message that appears: Select the I have reviewed this report and verified that information being submitted is accurate checkbox. With your CAC and CAC-enabled machine ready, click Submit AAR Now. The After Action Report is now submitted. The following message will appear in the Event Staff Report section of the AAR page. Notes: You cannot submit After Action Reports without a CAC. Clicking Submit AAR Now without completing all mandatory fields will prompt you to complete those fields first. Once you submit the After Action Report, the Attendance page is locked. Submitting an After Action Report User Guide 25

Amending the Receipt of Services Once an event is completed, DACH users can adjust the values entered in the Financial Data section by entering positive or negative values in the Amendment column(s). To amend a Receipt of Service as DACH: 1. Navigate to the AAR page for an event, as show on page 9. 2. In the left sidebar, click Overview. Alternatively, simply scroll down in the AAR page until you see the Overview section. 3. Scroll down to the WAWF Invoice No. section and click the Edit icon. Submitting an After Action Report User Guide 26

The WAWF Invoice No. section will enter edit mode. 4. Click Add Adjustment Invoice #. 5. Add an invoice # in the new field that appears. 6. Click the Save button. Submitting an After Action Report User Guide 27

The Amendment #1 column will now be generated in the Financial Data section. 7. Click the Edit icon. Submitting an After Action Report User Guide 28

8. Complete all the fields in the Amendment #1 column. 9. Click the Save button in the Receipt of Services section to finalize the amendments made. Submitting an After Action Report User Guide 29

10. Repeat steps 3-7 of this section to add the Amendment #2 column. Notes: You can add a maximum of two amendments i.e. Amendment #1 and Amendment #2. The values entered in the Amendment column(s) can be positive or negative to allow adjustment. Total Funds Expended value in the Amendment column(s) cannot be more negative than the Total Funds Expended value in the Funds Expended column. Each additional invoice will be listed as a new Invoice # in the WAWF Tracker page. This will be the case even if the Total Funds Expended value in the Amendment column(s) is negative. Submitting an After Action Report User Guide 30

Next Steps Congratulations! You have completed the Strong Bonds Submitting an After Action Report User Guide. For more information on Strong Bonds, please visit the Strong Bonds Learning Center. Contact Us Your feedback is important to us. If you have any questions or comments related to this guide, please contact the Strong Bonds Helpdesk available at sb-feedback@jointservicessupport.org Submitting an After Action Report User Guide 31

Index A after action report... 3 amendment... 26 attendance... 3 C CAC... 21 confirmation message... 19 contact... 31 E evaluation of contractor support... 24 event details... 5 event staff report... 22 events... 4 F filter... 6 financial data... 11 funding allocated... 23 I invoices... 11 L logistics contractor... 5 logistics report... 16 P page after action report... 5 pending resources... 6 printing... 14 R receipt of services... 5 registration... 3 S sign receipt of services... 20 status Pending Approval by SBPM... 6 Pending Quarterly Validation... 6 Pending Release by DACH/COMPO... 6 recalled... 6 rejected... 6 resourced... 6 submit receipt of services... 5 T training conference facilitators... 24 Submitting an After Action Report User Guide 32