The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right

by Atul Gawande

Checklists seem to provide protection against such failures. They remind us of the minimum necessary steps and make them explicit. They not only offer the possibility of verification but also instill a kind of discipline of higher performance.

They helped with memory recall and clearly set out the minimum necessary steps in a process.

Although raising one child may provide experience, it does not guarantee success with the next child. Expertise is valuable but most certainly not sufficient.

their outcomes remain highly uncertain. Yet we all know that it is possible to raise a child well. It’s complex, that’s all.

be prepared for unpredictable turns that checklists seem completely unsuited to address.

In the face of the unknown—the always nagging uncertainty about whether, under complex circumstances, things will really be okay—the builders trusted in the power of communication. They didn’t believe in the wisdom of the single individual, of even an experienced engineer. They believed in the wisdom of the group, the wisdom of making sure that multiple pairs of eyes were on a problem and then letting the watchers decide what to do.

Man is fallible, but maybe men are less so.