The Power of Checklists
Yesterday I finished reading the Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande. Some key take-aways that I’d like to share with all Safety Changers out there:
I-ncredibly effective safety net in catching potentially fatal errors. That’s how Atul considers well crafted checklists.
N-obody one les than skilled professionals and experts benefit greatly as we’re inclined to falsely assume that focussing on more complex things, and so letting the essentially necessary “dumb stuff” slip beyond our attention
S-ettings varying from industrial workplaces, construction sites, professional kitchens, investment management, and medicine and healthcare, benefit from checklists. They’re all ‘high pressure’
P-rofessional Medical and Aviation checklists have already saved many lives (and lots of money too)
E-very well crafted checklist distinguishes clearly between “Read-Do” or “Do-Confirm” use cases. Effective checklists are as short as possible, include all essential steps and leave no space for confusion
C-hecklists are very well capable of preventing serious but easily avoidable incidents and errors
T-eam communication is vital in complex situations and is greatly enhanced by a “team huddle” checklist. It ensures that the whole team knows eachother’s: name, role, expectations and possible problems before taking off a team project, and helps communication and information flow more easily
→ Check out the Last Minute Risk Assessment checklist sample in InspectionChanger and let me know what you think!
“You can expect what you inspect”
Further reading:
Substantial Cost Savings with Safety Changer
InspectionChanger for Last Minute Risk Assessment
