My wife and I recently went on a trip for business and pleasure. As we were preparing to go, she put together a packing list. I, being a non-list person, began filling up my suitcase and finished much sooner than she did.

Needless to say, I discovered a few key items that I had forgotten to pack once we reached our destination, necessitating a stop at the local drug store.

In looking back on this incident, I can see the advantage that my wife had in creating a checklist of items she wanted to take with her. We’ve traveled enough that she has a standard list that she works from each time. Although she may add or subtract a few items based on our destination or time of year that we’re traveling, it seems that she never forgets any of the items that she wants to bring for the trip.

Lists such as this are very useful in a variety of settings. While discussing airplanes with a pilot friend, he told me that he uses a checklist each time he goes flying. And while he’s been flying more than 30 years (currently in a two-seater instead of a 747), he still uses a checklist for each flight.

Checklists have also been utilized in medicine, particularly in hospital settings. In his book The Checklist Manifesto, surgeon and researcher Atul Gawande, MD, MPH, argues that today’s workplaces have become so incredibly complicated that mistakes of one kind or another are virtually inevitable. He illustrates how a simple, low-tech checklist can make all the difference in reducing errors and ensuring patient safety.

When designing a new continuous improvement process, checklists can be extremely handy in ensuring that everyone knows what the process is, and follows the process the same way. This helps to ensure uniformity and completeness of the new process. It also prevents the tendency to relapse into old methodologies, thus negating the gains from the new process.

Most organizations have standard operating procedures of some nature. Within those, how many actually have a checklist of the steps involved within that process? Does your organization use checklists, and, are there ways to incorporate checklists in the work that you are doing? I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

How are you helping your employees to work smarter by reducing the amount of time they spend on non-productive activities and correcting errors? If your business processes need a “check-up,” please email me at michael@leadingchangeforgood.com! I’d love to help you get back to a healthy, productive workplace.