Jan
29
2010
Review: The Checklist Manifesto
I’ve heard Atul Gawande referred to as “The Malcolm Gladwell of Doctors.” I suppose others have noticed what it took me all of two chapters to realize about this book–that there are clear similarities in writing style, in form, even in substance between Gawande and Gladwell. Gawande crafts his arguments much the way Gladwell does and uses references in much the same way. Overall it makes for enjoyable reading. Like Gladwell, he makes information interesting that, by rights, ought to be boring.
And reading will need to be interesting if it is to deal with as dry a subject as checklists. As with his previous books, Gawande sets this title in the field of medicine. Writing as a doctor, he describes many of the difficulties doctors face as they deal with the realities of their vocation. They see vast numbers of patients with an incredible variety of problems. The decisions they make about such patients must often be made in the blink of an eye and yet can be a matter of life and death (to borrow a pair of tired cliches).
Gawande immediately distinguishes between two categories of errors: errors of ignorance and errors of ineptitude. The medical field is doing far better, he says, in closing gaps in ignorance than gaps in ineptitude. With the challenges facing doctors, they are more likely to miss a simple step than to not know at all how they are to react. They know what to do but, because of internal issues and external pressures, may be unlikely to do things properly.
The solution is surprisingly simple. They need to rely on checklists. They need to outsource their memories, so to speak, committing them to something as simple and reliable a checklist. This list of steps will provide them with the structure they need to ensure that they have not inadvertently passed over something important. Gawande not only provides a defense of checklists, but also provides practical tips on how to craft good ones. Creating a truly effective checklist is not quite as easy as you might think.
While the book is immediately applicable to airlines and hospitals, the two industries Gawande turns to throughout the book, I had trouble thinking of how I might be able to apply it to my own life. Then again, when I mentioned this to a friend, he suggested that packing for a trip was a good use of lists. The very next day I set out on a business trip without a belt, so I suppose that may stand as a valid example. But how I would use it in my business, in my church, in most areas of my life, I just don’t know.
Nevertheless, this book is very interesting and reads very well. It’s one of those books you’ll sit down to read and realize a couple of hours later that you’ve read it in a sitting. If you are in business, if you run a business, or if you fly a plane or conduct surgeries (or both), I think you’ll want to check this one out.
Verdict: Read it if you too often find yourself too disorganized.