CHECKLISTS: SYSTEMATIZING FOR GROWTH

How are doctors and pilots so impressive all the time? Day in and day out, they save lives and defy gravity. Again, I ask you – HOW?

I’ll warn you, the answer might not sound as exciting as you might be hoping – they do such impressive things thanks to consistency and procedure.

Consistency and procedure really are the secret sauce to being effective day in and day out – in business and in life.

So how can we add consistency and procedure into our everyday lives and businesses? The answer here is simple – channel your inner pilot or doctor and use a checklist!

The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande helps us do just that. It’s a very powerful and informative read that I recommend time and time again to my clients as they work to systematize their processes, delegate, and consistently deliver value to their clientele.

Check out the video below for more:

Why do checklists work? Well, we’re all guilty of skipping steps at one time or another. Sometimes we know we’re doing it and sometimes we don’t even realize it. A checklist can help guard against both scenarios.

In Atul’s words, checklists “remind us of the minimum necessary steps and make them explicit. They not only offer the possibility of verification but also instill a kind of discipline of higher performance…Checklists seem able to defend anyone, even the experienced, against failure in many more tasks than we realized.”

Let’s dive into the requirements of a good checklist:

KNOW HOW IT WILL BE USED

The Checklist Manifesto tells us there are 2 types of checklists:

• DO-CONFIRM – With this type, people perform the work from memory or experience. Then they pause to review the checklist to confirm that everything was completed properly.
• READ-DO – With this checklist, people carry out the tasks and check them off as they go along (much like a recipe).

Whenever you’re creating a new checklist, it’s important to consciously pick the type that makes the most sense for your particular situation.

BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT THE FORMATTING

The key here is to keep it SIMPLE.

You don’t want every minute detail written out on your checklist. Not only does that take all creativity out of any process, it can also feel like micromanagement if you aren’t actually going to be the one executing the tasks on the list.

According to Atul, “It is common to misconceive how checklists function in complex lines of work. They are not comprehensive how-to guides, whether for building a skyscraper or getting a plane out of trouble. They are quick and simple tools aimed to buttress the skills of expert professionals.”

He states that the best checklists usually only have 5 to 9 steps (which is just about all our memory can handle) and fit all on one page. You only want to include the vital tasks that are essential to completing the procedure correctly.