If you are like me, you have many inputs and outputs to manage, and sometimes between the texts, emails, instant messages, and phone calls, it is tough to make sure that nothing is missed.
This is where the checklist could help.
It is a simple thing and people have been writing things down for 100s of years. Making a list, checking it twice… So, even Santa has used a checklist, and what is more important than ensuring each kiddo in the world gets a gift from Santa?
Sometimes jobs are centered around one really large program, so then the checklist would be a single thread of tasks around the single program to ensure completion. Sometimes the checklist may be for a single day to be trashed and then the next day has a checklist all to its own. In other jobs, the checklist is what ensures a very complex and even life-saving process is followed to the letter.
In the book, Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande, the author makes the case for and how to use checklists. He takes you on a journey through fields that truly rely on this simple but effective tool to ensure things get done. Here is a great summary of the book: Summary by Graham Mann.
My job currently has many large projects converging at the same time, so I use a punch list that is organized by top-line subjects and then the days subtasks associated with the top-line subject. The daily checklist for each is then changed as the project or process change is moved further to completion. Also, I use a KanBan project planning app that has cards and then inside the cards, there are checklists of specific items to close that part of the project.
Here’s how I organize my checklists by top-level headings:
In this image below, the top-level heading is what my team is trying to accomplish and in this case, we were ensuring that all the items from the Element Three marketing onboarding were completed. Check out E3’s website in the link and if you need some great marketing wisdom, reach out to Dustin. He is the man!
Now, In this image below, you can see the first top-level header and subtasks making up the checklist for each item. The best part about using an app like the one you see in the image is that you can openly collaborate with a team and move faster together off of one checklist.
Using an app like this also enables multiple checklists in one Card or group as pictured below. We had two parts to this onboarding documents and access deliverable and we were able to track the checklist for both parts on this shared app.
I know, seems like common sense, but many people and companies do not use the power of a collaborative checklist. So, having a checklist habit for yourself, and then expanding that by using an app to make and work from a shared checklist with your teams will drive up productivity and accuracy…
Once you start using these, the peace of mind and clarity for all makes a major positive impact on the stress and anxiety levels of everyone on the team.
With my teams, we use these kinds of checklists to drive meetings with a visual reference on what we are working on, so driving action with the shared list and creating focus in meetings add value to meetings as well.
Lastly, there is a good feeling when checking off things at the end of the meeting or workday, and when looking back at all of the tasks that were completed when closing a project.
I have found power in using checklists and I hope you will too.
Jason A. Belt 