The Power Of Checklists

In this modern age, people know more than before and we have dozens to even hundreds of choices readily available.

Workplace Management

Yet, people make silly to serious mistakes and goof up projects, designs, etc. For example, we see companies delivering wrong goods or incomplete items in spite of having clear instructions. Now, why does this happen? The simple answer is they don't have a detailed checklist to verify if everything is taken care of.

Everyone needs a checklist regardless of how careful or knowledgeable they are. Our brains are not always efficient and we forget things. But checklists can save time and results in fewer errors. It avoids time wasted needing to fix issues. They also avoid the time-wasting what-should-l-do-next indecision as the checklist tells you what to do next.

When you are working on a complex project you will need to multi-task and deal with several distractions. For example, when you are under pressure to complete something it's easy to forget some small important step in your process. But this can have severe consequences as it may be difficult to incorporate that minor detail when the final project or product is delivered to the customer. This is why detailed checklists are needed as they will take care of every minor to major task that needs to be completed before you hand over your project to the customer or another department.

Major Advantages of Checklists

Checklists verify that all the tasks necessary are included and get done. With increasing complexity, people may skip over some steps due to workload stress or carelessness. But it's often our most basic tasks that can create the difference between success and failure.