Simple Checklists Work!
Based on a Special Article published by the New England Journal of Medicine and reported on by Harvard Science:"A group of hospitals in eight cities around the globe has successfully demonstrated that the use of a simple surgical checklist during major operations can lower the incidence of deaths and complications by more than one-third."
If using simple checklists can help reduce surgical deaths and complications by more than a third, is there any credible justification to NOT use checklists in the work that you and your staff do?!
Sometimes effective leadership is simply about insuring that proven solutions are consistently implemented.
Labels: Change Management, Leadership Development, Success at Work
posted by Barry Zweibel at 8:14 AM
4 Comments:
Checklists is another of those important "business process" issues. The wise mnager understands performance is relative, not absolute. You can get better and fall further behind at the same time.
However, as Rosenzweig (The Halo Effect) concludes, when the die is cast, the best managers act as if chance is irrelevant--persistence (in the use of business process) and tenacity are every thing.
It's clear that simple checklists will improve your chances of success. As I often say to my clients--I don't promise perfection or ultimate success, but I can certainly help you raise your batting average.
On the one hand, it's amazing that a study was necessary to confirm the value of using checklists... On the other hand, it's astounding that this simple process would have such an impact on procedures that surgeons have spent many thousands of hours studying and practicing.
Checklists work! I advise my clients to document what they do as they complete tasks throughout the day. As entrepreneurs building their business, the documentation becomes a procedures manual for future employees and contractors, making the handing-off process much easier.
I don't need the proof of a study to tell me that checklists work. As a successful business coach I cannot stress the importance and relevance of using checklists to manage your business with success.
Thanks, All, for your comments. I like the "raise your batting average" comment, Dan -- especially with Spring Training just around the bend. Go CUBS!
Barbara, yes it IS amazing that they'd do a study like this, but not AS amazing as how life-saving they found checklists to be!
And Jack, good for you, Old Sport for already knowing the power of the simple checklist. Just imagine what could be accomplished if EVERYONE better managed their business "with success."
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