Using Checklists for Task Completion

Here's something I wish I started doing sooner in my legal career: Using checklists for project intake. Too often, when a project is being turned over, details get missed, and questions don't get asked, resulting in confusion and frustration. Part of the problem is that senior lawyers don't get trained on how to assign a project, which leads to things like emails being forwarded with the directive to "pls handle." A checklist can help a junior lawyer who's unclear on a request gain clarity. Here are some helpful prompts: 1. When? Make sure you're clear on the deadline. If there is a filing deadline or date by which something has to go to a client, when does the assigning lawyer need to see a draft? Clarify if the given deadline is "ASAP" or "COB". 2. Who? Who is the audience? Is it an internal memo? Is it going to the client? Is the client a lawyer or a business person? This is important because it can help make sure the work product strikes the right tone and includes the right level of detail. 3. What? What are the client's work product preferences (e.g., lots of detail with citations or list of bullet point conclusions)? Also, what is the scope/budget of the project? Spend a few hours and report back on findings or go all out to find the answer? 4. Why? Why does this matter? What is the context and how does what I'm doing fit into the big picture of our work for this client? Are there other issues I should be on the lookout for? Clarity comes from asking good questions. This is a start. Create a checklist for the types of projects you commonly work on. I promise you’ll feel more squared away, and fewer details will slip through the cracks.

Last quarter, I witnessed our accounting team implode during month-end close: - Reports to the CFO delivered days late. - Three critical journal entries completely missed - Bank reconciliations with $14,000 in unexplained variances. The consequences were severe: weekend overtime, auditor findings, and eroding trust from leadership. This wasn't just an organizational issue. It threatened our financial integrity and the team's professional reputation. After analyzing what went wrong, I implemented a comprehensive month-end control system: 1. Documentation First:  → Created detailed process maps for each closing task. 2. Tiered Checklist System:  → Developed role-specific checklists with dependencies clearly marked. 3. Verification Points:  → Established key checkpoints requiring senior approval. 4. Digital Integration:  → Built automated notifications for missed deadlines or variances 5. Review Cadence:  → Implemented daily close meetings with visual tracking The result? Within one quarter: - Zero missed journal entries - All reports delivered on schedule - Unexplained variances reduced to under $500 Even our most experienced team members now rely on this framework. They've realized that "doing it from memory" isn't professional confidence. it's unnecessary risk. Is your accounting team still closing books without a comprehensive system? #monthend  #checklist  #finance  

“I almost died because I forgot to check one thing.” I’ve heard this from scuba divers. I’ve heard it from construction workers. I’ve heard it from hospital employees. I’ve heard it from engineers. I’ve heard it from all sorts of folks, in all sorts of industries. Now I never start my day without a checklist. Here's what changed after I started using checklists: • Huge boost in my productivity • Zero (ZERO!) major mistakes in 6 months • Better sleep (less worry about forgetting things) • Improved team communication • More time for creative work The secret? Keep it simple. Use a checklist. Yes, really. Here’s my checklist rules: One page max Use plain language Group similar tasks Test and adjust Make it flow naturally Even pilots and surgeons use checklists. Why? Because when lives are on the line, you can't trust memory alone. Fun fact: A simple 5-step checklist in ICUs saved 1,500 lives and $200M in just 18 months. Want to upgrade your productivity? Start small: Pick one routine List key steps Test for a week Adjust as needed Your brain will thank you.

Someone like ex-Air Force Thunderbird pilot Michelle “MACE” Curran has a checklist she goes through before taking her F-16 to the sky. And someone like CAPT Chris “Chowdah” Hill trains his ship to perform a set of tasks when he calls “battle stations”. If we’re smart, we also create a clear set of rules or steps our teams can follow to complete projects or to react to things that happen. But I found it interesting that just coming up with the steps to follow isn’t enough. You also need to clearly define how people will use the checklist, and I learned there are two paths to take, with pros and cons depending on the kinds of tasks. A READ-DO approach means you read the step, and then perform the task. This is how most of us follow a recipe when cooking something new. It’s how we build lego castles following the instructions. A DO-CONFIRM approach means you perform the task (usually from memory/practice) and then after pause to confirm that you’ve done it. Sounds similar, but the DO-CONFIRM approach is better when you have a team working together and when the overall checklist needs to be completed quickly. Imagine an emergency team responding to a situation. You don’t want everyone standing around as someone reads off step by step what to do. You want everyone jumping into action and then calling out what has been completed while someone confirms all the things are getting done. Besides speed, a high-performing team is also likely to jump ahead and potentially make more mistakes in a READ-DO format because they get bored or antsy waiting for the next step. What format works best for your team or the task you’re defining? Make sure to focus not just on the steps, but on how the steps or recipe should be followed.

I know I’m not alone on this: any other checklist lovers out there? I was hooked on checklists long before I joined the Army. But I really saw the value up close then. In fact, I don’t think there’s a more effective tool to improve outcomes in complex, high-stakes environments than the checklist. Atul Gawande’s 2009 best-seller The Checklist Manifesto is probably the definitive book for checklist fans. Here are a few of his key takeaways: - Complexity is the enemy of reliability. Experts make mistakes not from ignorance, but from skipped steps and mental overload under pressure. - Checklists build discipline and consistency. They help teams focus on the essentials, improve comms and ensure critical steps aren’t missed. - The best checklists are concise and actionable. Too long, and they get ignored. Too vague, and they’re ineffective. In a world where complexity keeps rising, the checklist remains a simple, powerful tool to help us get the important things right. And that applies whether you’re an astronaut prepping for launch or a CEO about to deliver a quarterly earnings report.

NASA kept these photos from Apollo astronauts’ cuff‑checklists under “Restricted” access for years. No, it’s not proof that the moon landing was faked. What they hid from the public eye was far more sly. On Apollo missions, each astronaut wore a multi‑page cuff checklist. It’s the ultimate cheat‑sheet for their moonwalks. Hidden between the pages? A surprise the ground crew preferred taxpayers never saw. That stunt proves two things: Memory buckles under pressure. A well‑curated checklist can keep you on task and make you laugh. When the pressure is on, even highly trained astronauts rely on simple checklists. That same humble implement saved pilots and patients back on Earth. In 1935,  Boeing B‑17 crashed at the first test flight. A simple mistake from the pilot who missed to disengage a lock led to the  first 19‑item pre‑flight checklist. That practice transformed the aviation industry for the better and saved many lives throughout the decades. Fast forward to 2008, Harvard Prof and Surgeon Atul Gawande did a study in 8 countries to implement a 1 page checklist before every surgery. Surgical deaths got cut by 47 %. The WHO officials adopted this checklist as the gold standard to save lives globally. 5 tips for making your checklists bullet-proof 1. Make every item deterministic.  Obvious to say yes or no. When two different people read it, they must interpret it the same way.  Don’t say “Check analytics”.  Say “Analytics tested in GA Extension. Confirm equivalent behavior for control and test paths” 2. Aim for the Goldilocks scope.  Too generic “How to start a business” = junk.  Too narrow “How to add this specific button in this bespoke web page” = can’t reuse.  3. Engage the doers.  Early engagement creates ownership and gets natural compliance.  4. Update after every use Make it a team habit to update the checklist after every execution. 5. Use the right type of checklist. Read-Do for things that must be done and confirmed at each step (eg. Payroll Checklist) Do-Cofirm for multiple party checklists that need checkpoints (eg. Product Launch Checklist) At Boomerang, we use: *Product‑launch checklist – born during Boomerang for Yahoo (RIP) and still evolving 13 years later. *Pre‑ & Post‑flight experiment – our Year of Experiments yielded 7 pre and 5 post-flight items that rescued us *New‑hire onboarding – Google’s 5‑item checklist study shows 25% boost in productivity *Off‑site playbook – 28 retreats in, we know every power‑strip, Sharpie and lunch menu counts. Comment “Checklists” if you want the Boomerang checklists mentioned. Are you still waiting for what the secret NASA was hiding in the cuff checklists? You will have to listen to the episode 6 of Less Busy Lab linked in the comments. P.S. The first commenter who guesses the hidden Apollo photo gets a virtual coffee.  P.P.S. Hint: The time has changed and you can’t do that in this day and age.  P.P.P.S. Sharing this NASA story doesn’t mean I approve of what they did. 

Sick of unfinished projects? Break the cycle with my powerful Project Kickoff Checklist. In a sea of endless responsibilities, completed projects are your most important unit of progress. They're short sprints that keep your momentum going and motivation high – if you approach them correctly. The first step is to launch your project effectively using a Project Kickoff Checklist Here are the essential steps I recommend: 1. Capture your current thinking Create a new project folder and do a braindump, capturing all your thoughts, musings, potential strategies, relevant links, and important steps tied to the project. 2 Review relevant folders or tags  Navigate through existing folders or tags in your notetaking app that might house notes pertinent to the new project. Keep the process quick when scanning interesting notes. 3. Search for related terms Conduct a systematic search across all folders for terms that correlate with the project. Tap into relevant notes swiftly, relying on Progressive Summarization to navigate in and out of notes. Learn more about Progressive Summarization here: https://buff.ly/3xKXebO 4. Move relevant notes Transport the discovered notes to your new project folder. As an alternative, utilize the linking feature available in most notetaking apps to establish links instead of physically relocating the notes. 6. Create an outline and project plan The last step is drafting a quick project plan: • What are the major milestones? • Which open questions need to be addressed? • What's the immediate next step? These steps have worked for me for years & for all different kinds of projects, but they might not be ideal for you. That's why I invite you to create your own personalized Project Kickoff Checklist and put it to the test by applying it to a new project you’re starting right away. If you liked this post, you’ll love my weekly newsletter Join here: https://buff.ly/3VQcOuY

Rocket science. Brain surgery. Aviation. How do professionals in these high-stakes fields minimize human error? The answer is surprisingly straightforward: Checklists. Despite their simplicity, checklists are a powerful tool in overcoming cognitive biases such as overconfidence, memory lapses, and the tendency to skip steps in familiar processes. They act as a safety net, ensuring thoroughness even in high-pressure situations: ●Healthcare: Surgical safety checklists have reduced complications by 36% and cut post-surgery mortality rates by 47% (NEJM) ●Aviation: The use of checklist protocols has significantly decreased accident rates, setting a gold standard in safety ●Construction: Checklists have enhanced safety compliance and expedited project completion Here’s a simple example checklist for something most of us do daily: Crafting an Email ☐ Use a short subject line ☐ Make the ask in the first line ☐ Specify the challenge and timeline ☐ Offer to connect with others as they see fit ☐ Use spacing; avoid chunks of text ☐ Write the way you speak ☐ Double check for attachments ☐ Use the spell check function Checklists can make you more effective and efficient, whether you're preparing a high-stakes presentation or simply sending an email. EY #behavioralscience #checklists #efficiency