No matter how expert you may be, well-designed checklists can improve outcomes.
Steven Levitt
It’s Jerry Garrett here, and this is another post that I have for you this week. Today, we’ll be taking a closer look at the world of checklists and how they may be useful to you.
The checklist can be thought of as a written reminder that can be kept either on paper or in an electronic format. By using this method, you can be sure that important tasks will always be completed correctly and on time. It can also be thought of as a predefined standard operating procedure (for more information on this, please refer to my previous blog post).
As a matter of fact, creating a checklist is incredibly valuable for two main reasons. To begin with, it is a helpful tool in defining what an informal process should look like. After putting in place a checklist, it will be easier to automate the system or improve it in the future once it has been established. Additionally, if you use checklists regularly, you will be able to prevent yourself from missing important steps when you are distracted or busy.
Consider the case of pilots, for instance – they have detailed checklists that they use to ensure they do not miss any steps before taking off or landing. The checklists are used by even the most experienced pilots to make sure that everything is done in the correct way.
When doctors were inserting IV lines in 2001, they conducted a study in which they used checklists when doing so. At first, the doctors and the head nurse felt insulted by this “simplistic” approach. It was, however, within two years that the hospital was able to reduce the infection rate of its 10-day IV lines from 11% to 0%, saving it more than $2 million in costs in the process.
Is there any reason why you should not try using checklists? Establish clear checklists for the most important aspects of your business and make sure they are adhered to consistently in order to succeed. I am sure you will be surprised by what you find out!
Read the original one from Josh Kaufman here: https://personalmba.com/checklist/
For now, that’s all I have to say. I look forward to seeing you next week.