We explain what a checklistwhat it is for and what are its benefits at work. In addition, we tell you how to do it step by step.
What is a checklist?
A checklist (from English check“review”, and list“list”) or checklist is a written tool with which the information concerning a task, a process or any set of pending elements is outlined, in such a way as to be able to easily and quickly control its execution. In other words, a checklist is a list of elements that require attention in some type of process and whose resolution we can mark on paper directly, as they are carried out.
It is a useful tool in different areas of work and daily life, since it assists memory and attention. A clear example of checklist It is a list of pending daily tasks, or groceries to buy at the supermarket, in which we can mark those solved one by one, and quickly and easily know which ones are missing. However, in complex processes, checklists can reach large proportions and contain a multitude of different items at different priority levels.
As happens with other Anglicisms, that is, with other loans from the English language, the word checklist should always be written in italics. Different institutions that look after the Spanish language consider it an unnecessary loan, given that there are terms such as “checklist”, “checklist”, “verification sheet” or “list of requirements”, to name just a few examples.
See also: Project management
What is the use of a checklist?
Checklists or checklist They are a control tool. They serve to verify pending and resolved issuesand can be applied to the daily tasks of a worker, as well as to the processes and subprocesses underway in an entire work area.
The items of a checklist They generally represent those important tasks that deserve to be verified, that is, that cannot be left to memory. Thus, it is possible to later go to the list to check which things have been resolved and which are still pending.
Types of checklist
Without distinction of the topic and the proposed objective, all checklist They always operate in the same way and consist, fundamentally, of a list of items that are written down. However, depending on the level of complexity of the list, a distinction can be made between:
- Simple checklists. They have a single record of items, that is, a list of elements that are all at the same level, without any hierarchy between them, although the order of appearance in the list may denote urgency or sequentiality.
- Multiple checklists. They have several item records, that is, items listed of first, second, and even third order, so that to complete a first-order task, second-order tasks must first be completed, and so on. This type of checklist allows you to verify in much greater detail the pending and completed tasks.
Benefits of a checklist at work
The use of a checklist facilitates the work of:
- Organization of pending tasksby arranging them according to their priority or according to the order in which they must be carried out.
- Verification of the progress of a process with different level of detailsince the processes and subprocesses that are involved in it can be listed.
- Inspection and process controland also find possible failures in a work chain.
- Record of tasks performed by an area or worker.
- Exhaustive description of the elements that involves a specific dynamic.
- Automate process verification and give rise to simple algorithms.
How to make a checklist?
The following are the steps to carry out a checklist in any field:
- Record in writing the total of pending tasks or items that require attention.
- Organize these elements according to their urgency or their priority: the most urgent first, the least urgent later.
- Detail, if necessary, the subitems or secondary (and tertiary) elements that each process implies. This in case you need a checklist multiple or complex.
- Verify that no element has been omitted in the list or that the order of the items is convenient.
- As progress is made in solving the tasks, marking, crossing out or writing down the resolved elements in some systematic wayin order to be able to distinguish them at a glance from the earrings.
Continue with: Brainstorming
References
- “Checklist” on Wikipedia.
- “Checklistalternatives in Spanish” in Fundéu.
- “What is a checklist and how should it be used?” in ISO Tools.
- “Checklist” in The Britannica Dictionary.
