Capturing Lessons That Should be Learned: An After Event Review for Whole-of-Government Security Planning and Operations

Abstract : In February 2010, Canada hosted the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games. To ensure a safe and secure games, multiple safety and security agencies at three levels of government worked on security planning and operations in an unprecedented partnership. This whole-of-government approach to domestic safety and security, which often brought together nontraditional partners, provided a unique opportunity to analyze collective strengths and weaknesses and to make suggestions for process improvements in future domestic interorganizational events. Defence Research and Development Canada's Centre for Security Science undertook an After-Event Review that incorporated qualitative operational research methods into a Lessons Learned process. Typically, a Lessons Learned cycle involves five steps: preparation, collection, analysis, endorsement, and change. Often, the process relies upon initial observations without the benefit of independent analysis. The After-Event Review refined the preparation, collection, and analysis stages by focusing on analytical methodologies and inserting subject matter expert validation throughout the process. Beginning with a mission analysis in the preparation phase, the researchers were able to determine the expected outcomes against which to appraise the ability of the partners' collective success. It also was necessary to determine a capability framework against which to assess overall planning and operations. For this purpose, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Target Capability List was selected. During the collection phase, interview surveys, a social network analysis, and case studies were employed to identify nine critical issues for analysis. Using the capability assessment approach, the researchers were then able to identify best practices and corrective actions that could be applied to future domestic security operations.