Atul Gawande
Even the most elite experts make fatal errors when overwhelmed by complexity. A simple, well-designed piece of paper can save lives, reduce massive costs, and master the unmanageable.
Teams must intentionally choose between Read-Do checklists, which guide step-by-step execution, and Do-Confirm checklists, which act as a safety net after tasks are performed from memory.
Effective checklists are concise, practical, and focus strictly on the few critical items that are dangerous to skip rather than attempting to spell out every single minor action.
By offloading mundane routines onto a written list, professionals free up essential cognitive bandwidth to apply their creativity and expertise to sudden, unpredictable complications.