How do checklists help

System 2 is a slow system that requires conscious, deliberate thought that takes much effort. We use this when making big decisions and solving problems. Instinctively, we prefer to use System 1, and that is why our brain loves checklists. Checklists are familiar and concise. The other reason we fail is because the great amount of information in our head becomes unmanageable sometimes.

People with complex jobs hold an enormous amount of knowledge and experience. These highly trained, highly skilled people are usually also the hardworking people with important or critical responsibilities. Over time, they become prone to make mistakes when the need to apply these knowledge and experience comes. This is where a simple checklist can make them better at their jobs without having to spend more time than necessary.

Using a checklist in the workspace can save lives in the operating room, can prevent a building from collapsing, or stop an innocent person from going to jail. Checklists can improve performance in the job and help people achieve more consistent results. They are explicit reminders of the minimum necessary steps. They are methods of verification, and they support a discipline toward higher performance. Checklists are designed carefully to ensure basic checks are always completed before performing an important task.

Atul Gawande, author of The Checklist Manifesto, made some suggestions what a good checklist looks like. Asana teams who normally follow certain workflows can create their own custom template or use a pre-built template. Therefore, they can set up a workflow without having to start from scratch or miss any step. Trello users can add a checklist to their cards to keep track of subtasks in their cards. Furthermore, they can add multiple checklists in a single card.

AceProject has a recurring task module that takes away all the burden of creating and editing repetitive work assignments. Carrying out inspections where it must be recorded what the inspected points were. Verify or examine articles. Examine or analyze the location of defects. Check the causes of the defects. Verification and analysis of operations. Collect data for future analysis.

Checklists must be clearly established and include all aspects that may provide data of interest to the organization. An effective checklist must establish clearly what has to be checked, what is the criterion of compliance or non-conformity and the frequency of control or check. It should have a section of observations to provide additional information. They can be used to obtain data or to control the evolution of a characteristic or activity. How to make an effective checklist Each item must be clear and succinct.

In this way, it will be easy for the people who will work with it. Organize the items by category. They must be easy to understand and use. Create simple steps that reminds the user, in a straightforward way, which steps to follow. Keep refining the checklist. Continuous improvements will make your checklist more effective.

Tags: checklist. Take control of your Work Orders With the 1 platform to digitize tasks. If, for example, you're setting up a Facebook ad for your business, this kind of checklist should detail how to set up an ad correctly and track your return on investment.

You can also use a Read-Do checklist to outsource tasks to other members of your team or contractors. After all, if they're worth hiring, they should be able to follow your recipe for success. Simply get into the habit of documenting tasks you undertake regularly to achieve specific outcomes.

Pilots use a Do-Confirm checklist to ensure they haven't overlooked anything such as checking the right instruments or locking the plane's brakes. Essentially, this kind of checklist helps the pilot fly a plane safely without relying solely on his or her fallible memory. Now, you might not fly a Boeing from London to New York, but you could use a Do-Confirm checklist for important projects like giving a speech or planning business trips. You're unlikely to forget writing your speech or even practicing it, but what about confirming you printed enough handouts for attendees and checking your presentation remote is charged and works?

This kind of checklist will help you avoid embarrassing and preventable problems at work. If you travel a lot, this kind of checklist will help you confirm you've got what you need like your passport!

Test the checklist to make sure it delivers the required outcomes. It is very likely that you will miss out steps when you first create the checklist. If appropriate, have someone else use the checklist and confirm that they can use it successfully to complete the activity. Some advice for creating Checklists Keep it simple 1 — use short, precise, easy to understand descriptions of the tasks Keep it simple 2 — keep the list to one page if possible Make it easy to use — include a checkbox or leave a space to mark items complete Review it regularly — looking to edit and simplify the tasks involved If using pause points — no more than ten items between pauses, preferably five to seven Where to build your Checklists Use a word processing program or a create a spreadsheet.

Ideal if you want to be able to print out the checklists you create. Use Google Tasks, ToDo or similar task management applications on your laptop or smartphone. These options provide a useful digital alternative to paper checklists. Other Checklist Resources I recommend listening to these two great podcasts that discuss the benefits of checklists: Episode 6 of The Productivity Power Up podcast provides a number of useful examples of checklists and includes a cool story about how David Lee Roth of the band Van Halen uses checklists.

Check out the podcast by visiting productivitypowerup.