Checklist - WikiHQ

thumb|upright|Checklists are useful for applying [[methodology.]]

A checklist is a type of job aid used in repetitive tasks to reduce failure by compensating for potential limits of human memory and attention. Checklists are used both to ensure that safety-critical system preparations are carried out completely and in the correct order, Possibly, the source of such common knowledge is The Checklist Manifesto book by Atul Gawande. However, the Oxford English Dictionary states that the word appeared in 1853.

The earliest discovered evidence of the "check-list" usage is seen in the "Journal of the House of Representatives of the State of New Hampshire at Their Session Holden at the Capitol in Concord" issued in 1841 and describing the elections-related events of the autumn of 1840.

Purpose

In general, a checklist is a quality management tool, an aid to completing a complex task correctly and completely. It is an aid to recall, provides a reminder of the correct sequence, and uses the operator's knowledge and skill efficiently to ensure that no critical steps are omitted, even when the operator is under stress or has degraded attention due to fatigue or other distractions, It allows cross checking, keeps team members informed of the status of readiness, and can provide a legal record of a sequence of events to indicate due diligence.