Why Checklists?

Checklist marked red with a red pen

Software development as well as many other disciplines is complex. It is complex in a way that can not be eliminated, only be properly managed. Your software project would fail partially or completely because you forget to do some essential issue or neglect some aspect.

In Kanban agile process, there are different columns for different work progress stages. Each one has what is called policies that explain the criteria needed to check before moving the item from one column to the next column. It is like the added value criteria to ensure the work is done. I like that Idea a lot.

Also, when I read a book about using checklists to manage projects, I loved it so much and applied it. I found in real life how is that useful. Here is the book: Project Management Basics, by Melanie McBride

I am going to share some of checklists I used that is driven mainly from my experience in this blog, but here are only some guidelines on creating and using checklists, or may be checklist of the checklist.

General guidelines for using checklists:

• Do not start with huge checklist from here or any place on the internet. Start with a one page checklist with the most critical and essential checks.
• When the checklist is really big, may be its time to simplify it, or automate some of its aspects, or may you have to break it down into multiple checklists. The point is not to show off you have a perfect list, but to have one that is practical, usable and cover your needs.
• Put the most important checks on top of the list.
• Usually checklist could be used in a review activity, try to think and start of the most critical aspects to check. Start with what you have in mind, then use the checklist. Most probably, you have thoughts and fears that are not covered in the checklist.
• Using the checklist could be a group activity, which means higher quality.
• Be risk oriented, if you already suspect or know some risks are inevitably happen because of recent changes, please start with these risks.
• In your retrospective/review meetings, think of things that are needed to the checklist.