Improving Checklists
Making Checklists Effective
I recently published my thoughts on Atul Gawande’s The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right, applying the ideas from the book to design and construction.
I’ll be writing a longer series on checklists in the next month. Until then, below is a primer on creating a checklist philosophy for your organization, based on the ideas in Atul’s book.
Establish Why the Organization Uses Checklists
Examples:
Foster clear, concise, productive communication.
Deliver our best work for our clients.
Mitigate risk.
Reduce profit losses.
Identify / document the quality of our work.
We can’t remember everything (self-awareness).
Give our teams focus.
Promote continuous improvement.
Define What a Checklist Is
A checklist is used for more than just inspections.
Meeting Agenda (a checklist for a conversation)
WIP Inspections (checking work in place / progress)
Outline When Are Checklists Used
This requires a culture change. Most often in design and construction, we think of checklists as tools for checking the work after its completed.
Checking the design during a design review after the drawing set is completed.
Inspecting the installed work after the installation effort is completed.
Deming stated that we can’t inspect quality into the work. This is because checklists are used too late in the process: after the work is completed.
The required culture change involves using checklists before the work starts.
When we are preparing for the work (a READ DO type checklist, before the work starts, as part of quality assurance).
When we are validating the work (a DO CONFIRM type checklists, after the work starts, as part of quality control).
Establish Checklist Authors
Only team members who have the appropriate expertise and access to company data that illustrates the most critical items for that element of the work should author checklists. These checklists need to be tested prior to being released for broader company use.
The checklist authors should have their names at the top, noting that they are responsible to update the checklist based on feedback from users.
Checklist Documentation and Administrative Maintenance
Checklists are not teaching tools. This makes checklists too long.
Checklists will be updated and maintained with current information and constantly improved. Each checklist may need a different updating interval.
Leaders will encourage their teams to give continuous feedback.
Establish a Checklist Policy
Example Checklist Policy
Checklists must be focused on one element of the work, such as a Definable Feature of Work (DFOW). (Some exceptions will exist.)
Checklists will not be used to close a performance gap.
Each checklist should be 1 page or 10 items, whichever is less. (Exceptions will exist for complicated work.) These 10 items are most critical items that globally cost the organization the most.