The Checklist Can Help Your Business

Sometimes it takes a simple strategy to get organized. A checklist is a simple tool that is absolutely free! If you design a checklist that fits the needs of your business and print it or reproduce it electronically, you can increase the efficiency and recordkeeping of your company. The checklist can also help employees to show how they are meeting their own assigned work objectives. You can potentially revolutionize your business.

Each organization uses its own methods to accomplish work. There are great tools (i.e. computers, software programs, machines, and planning models) for completing work tasks efficiently while maximizing the contribution of employees. Whatever the working environment, workers and managers can continuously improve workflow to complete tasks at optimum rates.

This article presents three detailed examples of how checklists are helpful for organizations. Each example is presented according to the model of a small manufacturing firm. These examples can be adapted for other work environments like stores and offices.

Honeydew Manufacturing is a small company of 21 employees. Honeydew's main function is the assembly of toy airplanes for distribution to toy stores. Work tasks are completed by a combination of human effort and machines. The management model includes a general manager and four team managers. Each team consists of a manager and 4 workers.

The management team at Honeydew uses checklists to manage work tasks. The first example of a checklist is the final product checklist. The team that completes packaging and shipping of finished airplanes begins with the final inspection. The final product checklist includes all the major aspects of the plane, including paint finish, no broken parts, decals affixed properly, and no scratches or dents in the body of the plane.

The new employee training checklist is another important tool at Honeydew. When new workers join a team, a team manager checks off each step of the employee's training. Once the employee completes the training, he/she receives a raise of $1.00 per hour. The simple task of recording what training takes place helps the management team at Honeydew to ensure that all employees are properly trained. This checklist can also help to evaluate employee performance in the future.

The third example of a checklist is the inventory checklist. Honeydew receives the parts for each toy airplane from another supplier. The company also receives other supplies like cleaning products, office supplies, safety gear, and packaging products. The team manager for packaging and shipping maintains an inventory checklist for each category of supplies. It can be completed by a worker on the team but must be signed off by the manager. Through this simple strategy, Honeydew accounts for its supplies in all aspects of the business.

Checklists have many great uses in organizations. They can be used for purposes like inventory, inspection, customer service, training, and accounting. The sky is really the limit. Find great uses for checklists in your organization with the overall idea that you are helping the organization to manage work better. If you don't want to use too much paper, use computer-based checklists to track workflows. Explore the use of checklists today!