PowerReaders discuss The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande

Gawande is prolific.

• He's a surgeon with a specialty at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston,
• a Professor in the Public Health department at Harvard,
• and this book was an extra benefit after the World Health Organization asked him to provide unspecified benefit -- without a budget.

(He has since added other activities, and written more books. Check out Better.)

Checklists have boundaries, and bring life saving benefits. (If you don't have time go straight to chapter 9)

My key takeaways: the expeditious number of items is 3 to 9, and the things to add to a checklist are the mundane, the things I think I will (of course) remember.

Because my "don't leave home without" checklist isn't on the doorjam (yet) I had to run back upstairs this morning.  (Of course, I've convinced myself there was benefit in the extra steps!)

Lori shared the checklist she created that saves her seven hours for each client, in addition to eliminated mistakes.

Renea shared her process, that is a checklist, and the benefit of comfort it gives her.

John shared his morning routine - which becomes a checklist for everyone in the office.

Kevin brougt an image of a checklist, along with the bag tag, that allows him to delegate prep when needed, and saves him time on both ends of a project. 

And, as Conversation Captain, Kevin brought us each a reminder that a checklist is more effective than memory.