The Vital Importance of the Seemingly Routine: Checklists Save Lives

by | Aug 18, 2021

When I worked in aviation, we were maniacally focused on checklists. Why? The oft-quoted reason was: “Checklists save lives.” 

A billionaire pilot, who kept his planes in a hangar next to ours, was flying his classic P-51 Mustang when oil began to shoot onto his windshield. His mechanic had failed to go through the checklist, including the seemingly obvious “replace oil plug” after an oil change. (Fortunately, the pilot managed to land his plane safely).

You see checklists in a lot of businesses, but where do they get the most focus? Hospitals, construction sites, aviation – businesses and places where forgetting a single detail can lead to death.

But they work everywhere. Some professionals eschew and belittle checklists. In the consulting world, we’ve often heard the rationales “Every situation is different,” “It’s more art than science,” and “I need to spend my time doing, not administrating.” Such comments from consultants, I believe, come either from: (1) A place of insecurity. If all of my knowledge and experience can be put in a list that anyone can follow, what does that say about me? Why will clients pay for something they can get from a list? If what we do can be reduced to a list, then what is our competitive advantage in the marketplace? or (2) Overconfidence in one’s own ability to never forget anything.

Both perceptions are wrong. Regarding insecurities, the mind can easily go down a rabbit hole to arrive at “the list replaces me.” But the list doesn’t implement. The list doesn’t interact with business owners and employees. The list doesn’t “do.” In fact, the list allows for more doing. I’m stealing this from somewhere, so apologies to whomever it was, but structure creates space for creativity. When the mind doesn’t have to focus on remembering and sorting all the items on the checklist, it is free to create. Regarding overconfidence in one’s own abilities, there are an unlimited number of examples to counter such hubris. But here’s a big one: in 2014, a French train company ordered $21 billion worth of new trains that were too wide for the station platforms! How could this happen? Wouldn’t any of us measure our garage before buying a new, king-sized SUV? You would think. But I didn’t (true story).

At Virtas Partners, we use our project management tool Compass as a detailed checklist for our turnaround/restructuring consulting engagements. It serves multiple purposes. First and foremost, it makes sure we don’t forget any critical tasks or analyses in our work. We have modified the operative phrase to be, “Checklists save jobs.”

Second, Compass is the ultimate communication tool with all stakeholders – the client company and its management and employees, customers, vendors, lenders, and investors. Instead of time-consuming PowerPoint presentations, we regularly use Gantt charts and real-time dashboard updates to communicate progress. We have also built this cloud-based tool so that stakeholders can have 24-7 access to certain or all sections, and because they can see directly what has and is being accomplished, it demands accountability. Finally, we use it for training new associates, who can more quickly get up to speed on the processes involved, and thus more quickly be of value to clients.

I encourage you to spend some time thinking about the various parts of your business and your life that could benefit from checklist implementation. Are there situations where routine tasks could be handled less expensively by junior staff? Are there mission-critical processes that suffer from chronic mishandling? Do you have a significant level of knowledge locked away in the heads of key employees? Do you regularly forget to pack underwear for that family trip?

What can the right checklist save for you? 

–  Craig Pace: Managing Director, Virtas Partners