In calling for end-of-project impact assessments, the author was seen as putting forward ideas that were too bold for some. However, by 2006, with his knowledge of military history and Appreciative Inquiry, and his experience of urban regeneration projects, these challenges had been overcome and debrief project meetings were being welcomed as a different way of approaching project evaluation and development. This is the story of how the Project Debrief toolkit, its basic principles and core elements were developed.