Have you had a time when you missed something important while designing or implementing a project for a client?
Could you imagine what would happen to a space shuttle when a computer program misplaced a double equal sign (comparison) with a single equal sign (assignment)?
We humans have limited capacity. Renowned scientist Albert Einstein did not remember his phone number for it can be found on a phone book. People often assume when dealing with complex procedures we should get the basics right. This is simply not true. We have seen evidence that doctors/surgeons forgetting about some basic things that need to be done, things that contribute to some major complications in the long run. A simple list of things to be confirmed should solve this problem. It’s called a checklist.
Checklist has been proven to lower complications and death rates.
There is a 19-point checklist that was used before beginning surgery that made sure people did the essential things, like give anesthesia and check for other basic problems before operation.
Checklists are not limited to the medical industry. Checklists are used in many industries to avoid errors. For instance, before takeoff, pilot has a simple, easy-to-understand checklist to make sure the essential things are being done to prevent crashes. Systems engineer uses checklist to ensure all the essential components have been installed and configured when preparing up a new server or workstation.
In conclusion, if there is one thing you forgot could result in serious consequences, you should consider using a checklist.