Author Atul Gawande Shares How Almost Any Team or Workplace Can Benefit from Using Checklists
A checklist might seem like a remedial tool for a novice employees. But according to author and surgeon Atul Gawande, comprehensive checklists can help organizations from hospitals to airlines improve efficiency, quality, safety, and innovation. And he has the research to prove it.
Wondering whether this often-undervalued tool could improve your workplace? Keep reading!
While almost any workplace can benefit from checklists, they’re best suited for four types of tasks:
The versatile checklist can ease the burden of complex, repetitive, collaborative, or safety-critical tasks in several ways:
Even the most skilled, well-trained, and experienced professionals can unknowingly skip critical steps when they’ve done the same job hundreds of times. Checklists help by providing clear, step-by-step instructions to complete specific tasks in reliable ways.
Checklists force employees to pause and confirm that they’ve completed tasks correctly. Slowing down safeguards workers, customers, and patients in chaotic environments where one misstep could result in harm or even death.
Checklists break down complex tasks into manageable steps, making them easier to understand and execute. Plus, anyone can verify completion, regardless of tenure or status.
Checklists keep everyone working from the same set of instructions. When multiple teams or employees must collaborate on a particular project, checklists minimize repeat meetings, remove ego from the equation, and effectively delegate responsibilities.
Checklists give teams common language and a point of reference for discussions on possible improvements and innovations.
In The Checklist Manifesto, Gawande reveals that any good checklist should have four key components:
Gawande also emphasizes that a good checklist should be a living document, which is regularly reviewed, refined, and updated to ensure it remains effective over time.
Can you think of a task in your workplace that might be safer, more efficient, or less stressful with a checklist? Tell us where you’ll be applying The Checklist Manifesto to your team or processes on Twitter using #ChecklistManifesto.
Noelle is a content creator, author, and editor. She lives in Idaho with her husband, two sons, and two cats. When she's not writing, she's either reading a good book or scaring herself with true-crime documentaries.
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