Can a checklist improve your on time delivery performance?

If the checklist is designed to help you minimise mistakes, costly rework and delays then the answer is a definite yes!

A Sunrise Meeting is a great
example of an effective checklist

Isn't it odd then that so many businesses don't make the most of checklists?

Some cite them as being time consuming, but these same businesses are happy to spend time fixing problems that could have been minimised if they had used a checklist...

A checklist is nothing more than a distillation of previous lessons learned and good practice. If you are not a regular user of checklists in your business then the obvious question comes to mind - are you learning the lessons your business has to offer?

Have you ever heard of a 'pre-flight checklist'? If it is good enough for airline pilots then surely it can be good enough for all of us.

Mistakes are costly, especially when you look into the hidden costs behind just fixing what has gone wrong. A minute or two to review a checklist could save hours, days, or weeks of lost time later on. For many businesses this means that projects, services and production become delayed, putting on time delivery performance levels at risk.

Do you think they are worth another look for your business?

Giles

About the author
Giles Johnston is a Chartered Engineer who specialises in helping businesses to grow and improve through better business processes.
Giles is also the author of Business Process Re-Engineering and creator of the 'Making It Happen' continuous improvement toolkit.

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