At least I do.  Sometimes I wonder how I could forget certain things.  Maybe it’s age? Maybe it’s information overload?  It’s always apparent when I get ready to go on vacation.  You’ve probably been in the same situation… arriving at your destination only to find that the one thing you really meant to bring with you is nowhere to be found, and then you remember exactly where you left it.  Most times, you can find a suitable replacement and it’s only a slight, although possibly costly, inconvenience.  At other times, not so easy.

Now, what was I talking about?  Oh yeah… checklists.

I’ve made and used vacation checklists for a few years now.  I have some with seasonal variations like beach chairs in the summer and ski boots in the winter.  I even use one for business travel (don’t want to forget my business cards or my laptop power pack).  So I’ve recognized the value of checklists.

But they’re also a recommended practice under IEC 61508 for several safety lifecycle phases.  Don’t dismiss the value of checklists just because they’re not “Highly Recommended” practices!  Most often checklists can be effective for phase verification review, so important steps or deliverables won’t be skipped unless there is proper justification.  Having a different checklist that is tailored for different lifecycle phases (Requirements, Design, Integration Test, etc) is better than one generic checklist. 

A simple yes/no response can make things easier, but that depends on how the checklist is worded; the more specific the question, the easier it can be answered. 

Open-ended questions should require a more detailed response.

The use and effectiveness of a checklist depends on those using it.  If it’s too tedious, it won’t get used.  If it’s too easy to justify leaving an item out, important steps can be bypassed.  Trying to hit the “sweet spot” will take some review and a few iterations, but it will pay off in the long run.