How checklists can greatly aid in achieving business goals

Normally one would expect an innovative complex procedure using modern technology to produce this kind of monumental gains. Far from it, it was just a simple tool that has been around for ages and easily applicable in any project. It is so simple that it was a wonder no one thought about it before. It was a simple checklist.

In this checklist doctors and nurses were supposed to follow five key steps when handling a patient. The steps are: One - Wash their hands with soap, Two - Clean the patient’s skin with chlorhexidine antiseptic, Three -Put sterile drapes over the entire patient, Four - Wear a sterile mask, hat, gown and gloves and Five - Put a sterile dressing over the catheter site once the line is in.

Wikipedia, the free online dictionary defines checklist as “a type of informational job aid used to reduce failure by compensating for potential limits of human memory and attention. It helps to ensure consistency and completeness in carrying out a task.”

What the hospital did was actually to list key steps that are very important yet easy to skip or forget when administering catheter to patients.

Quite remarkably the Michigan hospitals saved money and lives using a simple procedure that had been used for years in aviation industry, manufacturing and even social settings to ensure quality.

When planning occasions such as wedding or funeral we often hear committee leaders talk of checklist- a list of all items needed to avoid the embarrassment of missing a small item at the crucial time. However, we rarely use it in business or daily work where results would be dramatic.

Developing a checklist for various aspects of your life and business is a simple tool that can literally catapult the speed at which you achieve your goals. The benefits of a checklist are immeasurable.

First it gets you organised. Even in a simple project there is so much going on that if you try to organise the whole thing in your head then this is likely to end in disaster.

Secondly it helps you remember everything. We really don’t have a perfect memory and forgetting something small can have a great impact on our success.

Thirdly, a checklist helps you to know what works and stick to it. Based in the past experience you can stick to what has been tested and proven to work instead of always trying new things in an haphazard manner. For example when you get new employees they easily fit in the system and offer the same quality of service if there is a well structured checklist.

Finally a checklist helps in sharing information across the team. With business experience becoming very competitive and sometimes stressing as employees struggle to meet their targets, some employees may not readily share. A company checklist is a powerful orientation tool that ensures if one staff is not in another can stand for them quite easily without messing everything and everyone around.

In general every business leader or a project manager needs a well defined checklist to ensure simple but critical steps are not forgotten or omitted.

Mr Kiunga is a business trainer and the author of The Entrepreneurial Journey: From Employment to Business [email protected].