Checklists: A Final Example

The last three posts have examined the value of checklists. In this final post on the subject, we will take one more goal from beginning to end.

Putting quality teachers in every classroom is at the top of every principal's priority list. Most teaching vacancies occur during the summer, but they could occur at any time. Filling that position entails a process which includes quite a few steps. The process will differ somewhat from district to district. For me, hiring and inducting a new teacher encompassed the following steps:

1. Talk to superintendent regarding resignation and filling position
2. Position posted
3. Screen applicants
4. Check to be sure applicants meet certification and "Highly Qualified Teacher" requirements
5. Set up interviews
6. Contact references
7. Submit recommendation
8. Board approval
9. Notify successful candidate
10. Notify non-successful candidates
11. Add to birthday list
12. Assign copier code
13. Assign alarm code
14. Assign voice mail
15. Establish e-mail account
16. Add to e-mail group
17. Label mailbox
18. Add to the school administrative software
19. Add to School Renewal committee
20. Assign mentor
21. Put "Acceptable Use Policy" in box
22. Start a personnel file

With this method, I can track many goals at the same time. Nothing slips through the cracks, because everything is in writing and dated so that it appears at the right time. Every one of those steps was required in order to hire and induct a teacher. When a position became available, my first step was to go to the Notes section of Outlook and drag to the Task button the Note entitled, "xx Position has been filled and new hire inducted." In that Note were all of the steps listed above.

If I was using Evernote I would highlight the text of the appropriate note and paste it into the note section of a new task in my digital to-do list. 

To start things off, I would amend the subject line to tell me which position is being filled. The line may then read something like "1st Grade Position has been filled and new hire inducted." Next would be to cut the first task, "Talk to superintendent regarding resignation and filling position," and paste it in the subject line just before the "xx." Then, I ask myself when I want to see that task again and assign a start/due date.

From now until that new teacher is hired and inducted, I am working through the 22 steps. At all times, I know exactly what comes next. It's pasted just to the left of the "xx." I also know what comes after that. It's listed in the note section of the Task.

With this method, I can track many goals at the same time. Nothing slips through the cracks, because everything is in writing and dated so that it appears at the right time.

Checklists: Walking Through The Process

In the last post, I talked about the checklists which I have maintained in the Notes section of Outlook, and now do so in a notebook called "Checklists" in Evernote. In this post, I will show how I work through these checklists using as an example one titled "xx Grading Period has been concluded." It's one I used as a principal and is one that would be applicable to any school.

During the summers, the ending dates for each grading period were established. When each grading period ended, I wanted to be presented with a list of tasks which needed to be done without my having to think about them. Armed with the ending dates of each grading period, here is the procedure:

1. Open Outlook and click the "Notes" button.If using Evernote, click on the "Checklist" notebook.
2. Locate the checklist which says, "xx Grading Period has been concluded."
3. Click on the checklist and drag the mouse to the Task button of Outlook.
4. When I let off the mouse, a new Task has been created. The subject of the task is automatically completed--It is the same as the title of the Note. All of the information in the Note is duplicated in the body of the Task.
5. If I am using Evernote, highlight the text of the checklist. Copy and paste it in to the note section of a new Toodledo task.
6. Assign a start/due date to the task coinciding with the final day of the first grading period.
7. Save and close the task.
8. Repeat the process for each grading period, dragging the checklist to the Task button (or copying for Evernote), assigning a start/due date, and saving/closing the task.

When the final day of the first grading period arrives, I see a task which reads, "xx Grading Period has been concluded." The note section of that task contains the following items:

1. Allow grade posting
2. Remind teachers to post grades
3. Run check to see who has not posted grades
4. Run "Missing Grade" report
5. Run Accelerated Reader Marking Period Report
6. Disallow grade posting
7. Run "Reconcile Grades"
8. Run report cards
9. Run Honor Roll
10. Put Honor Roll ribbons in boxes
11. Send Honor Roll list to newspaper
12. Run grade distribution
13. Run failure list

With my system, the "xx" at the first of the line indicates that I need to define the next step toward the accomplishment of my goal. Those steps are listed in the note section. I look at the first step, "Allow grade posting." In the student administrative software, I turn on "grade posting," which will allow teachers to electronically report their grades to the office.

...whoever is handling the procedure needs to be able to handle the details with as little time and effort as possible. Having a checklist like this is the way to do it. I look at the next step, the one which involves reminding teachers to post grades. I immediately open a new e-mail message and quickly send information to teachers that they can post their grades.

The next step says, "Run check to see who has not posted grades." I cannot perform that step right now. I will have to wait until teachers have been given a reasonable amount of time to post their grades. I can go no further with this goal right now and must stop. What I do is cut the step which says, "Run check to see who has not posted grades" and paste it in the subject line just before the "xx" sign. Now the task reads as follows:

Run check to see who has not posted grades xx Grading Period has been concluded

I ask myself, "When do I want to see this task again?" and assign a start/due date in Outlook. Now this task and this goal are out of sight and out of mind. They will magically reappear on the date I had prescribed.

When the deadline arrives for teachers to post grades, I can resume working on this goal. I know exactly where I left off. The next step is in the subject line of the task just before the "xx" and the goal is to the right of the "xx" sign. In the administrative software, I run a list of teachers who have not posted grades. If one or more teachers have not posted their grades, I can go no further with this goals. I send a reminder to the teachers and reschedule the task to appear the next day.

On the other hand, if all teachers have posted grades, I can go straight to the next step, "Run 'Missing Grade' report. If there are missing grades, I can go no further and must alert the appropriate teachers of what is missing. If there are no missing grades, I can continue straight down the list and accomplish steps number 5-13 to the extent that time and my level of concentration will allow.

My feeling is that when you start to work on a goal, the best practice is to take that goal as far as possible before switching to something else. When you must leave that goal, put a bookmark in it. That bookmark consists on cutting and pasting the next step into the subject line just before the "xx" sign. The next time you want to resume working on that goal, you know exactly where to start.

I need a trigger to cause me to look at the grading period checklist back in the summer and start dragging this and other checklists to the Task button. That trigger consists of one repeating task which comes back every summer. It instructs me to look at all of the checklists, drag them to the Task button in Outlook (or copy and paste from Evernote), and start to assign start/due dates.

This checklist is one I used at the end of every grading period of every year. Some principals may choose to delegate the handling of this procedure to an assistant principal or administrative assistant. Still, whoever is handling the procedure needs to be able to handle the details with as little time and effort as possible. Having a checklist like this is the way to do it.

Does this post remind you of checklists you have? I would be interested to hear about the lists you use.

Some Checklists I Have Used

Consider these items:

Making a coconut cake

Enrolling a student in school

Ending a grading period

Packing for an out-of-town trip

All of these activities have some commonalities:

1. They have a number of steps involved in order to be complete.
2. They will happen numerous times, so having a pre-defined list of the steps will serve as a huge time-saver.
3. They do not necessarily recur on a regular schedule (every week, every month, etc.)

In the last post you read about the importance of using checklists in the medical profession and their implications elsewhere. Today, we examine checklists in the school setting.

As an elementary school principal, at the end of every grading period, we performed the following steps in the main office:

1. Allow grade posting
2. Remind teachers to post grades
3. Run check to see who has not posted grades
4. Run "Missing Grade" report
5. Run Accelerated Reader Marking Period Report
6. Disallow grade posting
7. Reconcile grades (Utilities, Grading, Reconcile grades)
8. Run report cards
9. Run Honor Roll
10. Put Honor Roll ribbons in boxes
11. Send Honor Roll list to newspaper
12. Run grade distribution
13. Run failure list

Working through the list was a cinch. Trying to remember everything on the list would have been a nightmare and surely manifested itself in forgotten items time and time again. But where does one keep this sort of information? How does it work into the overall system? Enter the beauty of checklists.

For Outlook users, the answer is to use the Note section of Outlook. Each checklist is a separate note. For those who use Evernote, create a notebook called "Checklists" and let each of your checklists be a separate note.Here are the checklists that I have in my Outlook Notes:

xx Additional Academic Indicator of 95% has been met
xx BBSST To-Do List
xx Calendar dates have been scheduled
xx Calendar for new school year has been adopted
xx Code of Conduct has been revised
xx Computer is set up
xx Distribution lists have been updated
xx District Accreditation review has been completed and paperwork submitted
xx Evaluations have been completed
xx Grading Period has been concluded
xx Interpreter for PTO meetings and Awards Day have been secured
xx Packing List
xx Position has been filled and new hire inducted
xx Professional Development has been planned
xx Professional Development Plan has been submitted
xx Recruiting Fair has been organized
xx Renaissance Place is ready for new school year
xx SETS is ready for new school year
xx State Superintendent's Art Show has been held
xx STI is ready for new school year
xx Teacher of the Year/JSU Hall of Fame have been submitted and winners honored
xx Time Management Workshop has been planned

Look at what each one of these titles has in common:

1. Almost without exception, the title consists of a statement which is either true or false.
2. As long as the statement is false, there is more to be done.
3. When the statement is true, the goal has been achieved. In other words, we can "check it off."
4. Each statement begins with a noun.
5. Each statement is preceded by a double x (xx).
6. Each title represents a goal which will be undertaken once or more every year.
7. The exact dates involved with any one of the goals will vary from year to year.

In the next two posts, I will take two of the samples from the list and "think out loud" so that you can see how what seems to be an overwhelming list becomes a set of small, doable tasks which simply become part of my task list.

It's a Matter of Life and Death...Literally

I like simple concepts, because the simple things are usually the things which wind up working. One shining example is The Checklist Manifesto, a book written by a surgeon and aimed at saving lives. The premise of the book? Develop checklists to be used in the operating room. Why would a doctor need checklists? Haven't they been trained and know what to do? Of course they do. You and I have been trained for the jobs we do, but do we always remember every step of every routine exactly at the right time? If you are like me, the answer is a resounding "no."

In a post entitled "I Do It When I Think About It" I talked about developing a system which causes you to think about things at the right time. This book operates along the same lines. Borrowing from pre-flight checklists used by airlines, author Atul Gawande's idea was to devise simple lists to be used before the incision and during routines procedures. Instead of having everything rolling around in their heads and hoping they think about it at the right time, there is the list to use just before the incision. Would you want a system in place to be sure that nothing was being overlooked if you were on the operating table?

Set aside a little time to identify those activities in your life where a checklist would help. For a more in-depth review, you may this one or this one, both from the New York Times. You may also view an interview with the author on The Daily Show.

Personally, I did not think the concept justified the 200 page length of the book. I do think the book is significant in that it helps to hammer home the need to identify those tasks that we perform repeatedly and get them into a system.

As a principal, I used checklists to handle numerous routines. Closing out a grading period was one. Failure to run a "missing grades report" before running report cards could mean having to re-print them because a teacher had failed to post grades. Failure to e-mail our honor roll to the newspaper would mean that our students would miss out on that recognition. In fact, overlooking any one of the steps would cause a problem somewhere down the line.

I had a checklist for getting the students information system software ready for the next school year and even gave my checklist to other principals in the school system. On the first day of school, those who had followed it to the letter had no problems. Those who did not found their teachers could not take attendance because certain dates had not been entered in the office.

What are the routine projects that you have? How much time would it take to think through the steps one time and write them down? How much time would it save not having to redo work because a step had been skipped here or there? How much stress would be saved in not having to worry about whether something had been left out in the heat of battle?

Set aside a little time to identify those activities in your life where a checklist would help. The tool does not inhibit your creativity. Instead, it takes care of the mundane and allows more energy for the creative aspects of your life.

The master thinker knows that ideas are elusive and often quickly forgotten, so he traps them with notebook and pencil. He heeds the Chinese proverb: “The strongest mind is weaker than the palest ink.”
—Wilferd A. Peterson in Adventures in the Art of Living

You See What You Think About...Checklists Revisited

Tell me what you think about. Tell me what you focus upon. I will tell you what you are likely to see in your environment. That thought can, and has been, the topic of books.

In August 2010, I posted this on the topic of checklists, and the idea seemed to resonate with readers. Since that time, it seems like the topic of checklists and their usefulness keeps coming back in material I read. One example is an article in Reader's Digest. In an article entitled "White Coat Confessions," Dr. Peter Pronovost writes:

"Many medical errors occur because hospitals lack standardized checklists for common procedures designed to minimize the chance of bad judgment. Airline pilots and NASCAR teams have them--why don't doctors? I think it's partly because it's so important to us to believe in the myth that doctors are perfect."

Those words sound like something right out of The Checklist Manifesto. But just as this doctor has looked at the need for checklists through the lens of his own profession, most any of us in any of our professions could point to errors which happen for lack of a checklist. In the words of Mark Twain, "No one is smart enough to remember all that he knows." Not a bad observation about his own life and time. Not a bad observation about the "Information Age" either.

Does anyone have a favorite checklist you would like to share?

Checklists Revisited

My recent post entitled "It's a Matter of Life and Death...Literally" elicited a very thoughtful comment which ended with this paragraph:

Checklist don't take the creativity away, they take the chaos away, and let's be honest, performing in chaos is not creative per se, but one of the surest ways towards a nervous breakdown, so why would you willingly get into that?

Beautifully stated...and right on target.

It's a Matter of Life and Death...Literally

I like simple concepts, because the simple things are usually the things which wind up working. I recently read The Checklist Manifesto, a book written by a surgeon and aimed at saving lives. The premise of the book? Develop checklists to be used in the operating room. Why would a doctor need checklists? Haven't they been trained and know what to do? Of course they do. You and I have been trained for the jobs we do, but do we always remember every step of every routine exactly at the right time? If you are like me, the answer is a resounding "no."

In January, I wrote a post entitled "I Do It When I Think About It" where I talked about developing a system which causes you to think about things at the right time. This book operates along the same lines. Borrowing from pre-flight checklists used by airlines, author Atul Gawande's idea was to devise simple lists to be used before the incision and during routines procedures. Instead of having everything rolling around in their heads and hoping they think about it at the right time, there is the list to use just before the incision. Would you want a system in place to be sure that nothing was being overlooked if you were on the operating table?

For a more in-depth review, you may this one or this one, both from the New York Times. You may also view an interview with the author on The Daily Show.

Personally, I did not think the concept justified the 200 page length of the book. I do think the book is significant in that it helps to hammer home the need to identify those tasks that we perform repeatedly and get them into a system.

As a principal, I used checklists to handle numerous routines. Closing out a grading period was one. Failure to run a "missing grades report" before running report cards could mean having to re-print them because a teacher had failed to post grades. Failure to e-mail our honor roll to the newspaper would mean that our students would miss out on that recognition. In fact, overlooking any one of the steps would cause a problems somewhere down the line.

I had a checklist for getting the students information system software ready for the next school year and even gave my checklist to other principals in the school system. On the first day of school, those who had followed it to the letter had no problems. Those who did not found their teachers could not take attendance because certain dates had not been entered in the office.

What are the routine projects that you have? How much time would it take to think through the steps one time and write them down? How much time would it save not having to redo work because a step had been skipped here or there? How much stress would be saved in not having to worry about whether something had been left out in the heat of battle? Set aside a little time to identify those activities in your life where a checklist would help. The tool does not inhibit your creativity. Instead, it takes care of the the mundane and allows more energy for the creative aspects of your life. Let's hear your thoughts on this idea.

The master thinker knows that ideas are elusive and often quickly forgotten, so he traps them with notebook and pencil. He heeds the Chinese proverb: “The strongest mind is weaker than the palest ink.”
—Wilferd A. Peterson in
Adventures in the Art of Living

My Checklists Part III

In this post, we will take one more goal from beginning to end. Putting quality teachers in every classroom is at the top of every principal's priority list. Most teaching vacancies occur during the summer, but they could occur at any time. Filling that position entails a process which includes quite a few steps. The process will differ somewhat from district to district. For me, hiring and inducting a new teacher encompassed the following steps:

1. Talk to superintendent regarding resignation and filling position
2. Position posted
3. Screen applicants
4. Check to be sure applicants meet certification and HQT requirements
5. Set up interviews
6. Contact references
7. Submit recommendation
8. Board approval
9. Notify successful candidate
10. Notify non-successful candidates
11. Add to birthday list
12. Assign copier code
13. Assign alarm code
14. Assign voice mail
15. Assign ikey
16. Establish e-mail account
17. Add to e-mail group
18. Label mailbox
19. Add to STI
20. Enroll in Lee v. Macon training
21. Add to School Renewal committee
22. Assign mentor
23. Put "Acceptable Use Policy" in box
24. Start a personnel file

Every one of those steps was required in order to hire and induct a teacher. When a position became available, my first step was to go to the Notes section of Outlook and drag to the Task button the Note entitled, "+Position has been filled and new hire inducted." In that Note were all of the steps listed above.

To start things off, I would amend the subject line to tell me which position is being filled. The line may then read something like "1st Grade Position has been filled and new hire inducted." Next would be to cut the first task, "Talk to superintendent regarding resignation and filling position," and paste it in the subject line just before the "+" sign. Then I ask when I want to see that task again and assign a start/due date.

From now until that new teacher is hired and inducted, I am working through the 24 steps. At all times, I know exactly what comes next. It's pasted just to the left of the "+" sign. I also know what comes after that. It's listed in the note section of the Task.

With this method, I can track many goals at the same time. Nothing slips through the cracks, because everything is in writing and dated so that it appears at the right time.

Checklists Part II

In the last post, I talked about the checklists which I maintain and house in the Notes section of Outlook. In this post, I will show how I work through these checklists using as an example one titled "+Grading Period has been concluded."

During the summer, the ending dates for each grading period will have been established. When each grading period ends, I want to be presented with a list of things that need to be done without my having to think about them. Armed with the ending dates of each grading period, I do the following:

1. Open Outlook and click the "Notes" button.
2. Locate the checklist which says, "+Grading Period has been concluded."
3. Click on the checklist and drag the mouse to the Task button.
4. When I let off the mouse, a new Task has been created. The subject of the task is automatically completed--It is the same as the title of the Note. All of the information in the Note is duplicated in the body of the Task.
5. Assign a start/due date to the task coinciding with the final day of the first grading period.
6. Save and close the task.
7. Repeat the process for each grading period, dragging the checklist to the Task button, assigning a start/due date, and saving/closing the task.

When the final day of the first grading period arrives, I see a task in the Task list which reads, "+Grading Period has been concluded." The note section of that task contains the following items:

1. Allow grade posting
2. Remind teachers to post grades
3. Run check to see who has not posted grades
4. Run "Missing Grade" report
5. Run Accelerated Reader Marking Period Report
6. Disallow grade posting
7. Reconcile grades (Utilities, Grading, Reconcile grades)
8. Run report cards
9. Run Honor Roll
10. Put Honor Roll ribbons in boxes
11. Send Honor Roll list to newspaper
12. Run grade distribution
13. Run failure list

With my system, the "+" at the first of the line indicates that I need to define the next step toward the accomplishment of my goal. Those steps are listed in the note section. I look at the first step, "Allow grade posting." In the student administrative software, I turn on grade posting, which will allow teachers to electronically report their grades to the office.

I look at the next step, the one which involves reminding teachers to post grades. I immediately open a new e-mail message and quickly send information to teachers that they can post their grades.

The next step says, "Run check to see who has not posted grades." I cannot perform that step right now. I will have to wait until teachers have been given a reasonable amount of time to post their grades. I can go no further with this goal right now and must stop. What I do is cut the step which says, "Run check to see who has not posted grades" and paste it in the subject line just before the "+" sign. Now the task reads as follows:

Run check to see who has not posted grades+Grading Period has been concluded

I ask myself, "When do I want to see this task again?" and assign a start/due date in Outlook. Now this task and this goal are out of sight and out of mind. They will magically reappear on the date I had prescribed.

When the deadline arrives for teachers to post grades, I can resume working on this goal. I know exactly where I left off. The next step is in the subject line of the task just before the "+" and the goal is to the right of the "+" sign. In the administrative software, I run a list of teachers who have not posted grades. If one or more teachers have not posted their grades, I can go no further with this goals. I send a reminder to the teachers and reschedule the task to appear the next day.

On the other hand, if all teachers have posted grades, I can go straight to the next step, "Run 'Missing Grade' report. If there are missing grades, I can go no further and must alert the appropriate teachers of what is missing. If there are no missing grades, I could continue straight down the list and accomplish steps number 5-13 to the extent that time and my level of concentration will allow.

My feeling is that when one starts to work on a goal, the best practice is to take that goal as far as possible before switching to something else. When you must leave that goal, put a bookmark in it. That bookmark consists on cutting and pasting the next step into the subject line just before the "+" sign. The next time you want to resume working on that goal, you know exactly where to start.

One final point is important. I need a trigger to cause me to look at the grading period checklist back in the summer and start dragging this and other checklists to the Task button. That trigger consists of one repeating task which comes back every summer. It instructs me to look at all of the checklists, drag them to the Task button, and start to assign start/due dates.

My Checklists

Making a coconut cake
Enrolling a student in school
Ending a grading period
Packing for an out-of-town trip

All of these activities have some commonalities:

1. They have a number of steps involved in order to be complete.
2. They will happen numerous times, so having a pre-defined list of the steps will serve as a huge time-saver.
3. They do not necessarily recur on a regular schedule (every week, every month, etc.)

As an elementary school principal, at the end of every grading period, we performed the following steps in the main office:

1. Allow grade posting
2. Remind teachers to post grades
3. Run check to see who has not posted grades
4. Run "Missing Grade" report
5. Run Accelerated Reader Marking Period Report
6. Disallow grade posting
7. Reconcile grades (Utilities, Grading, Reconcile grades)
8. Run report cards
9. Run Honor Roll
10. Put Honor Roll ribbons in boxes
11. Send Honor Roll list to newspaper
12. Run grade distribution
13. Run failure list

Working through the list was a cinch. Trying to remember everything on the list would have been a nightmare and surely manifested itself in forgotten items time and time again. But where does one keep this sort of information? How does it work into the overall system? Enter the beauty of checklists.

For me, the answer has been to use the Note section of Outlook. Each checklist is a separate note. Here are the checklists that I have in my Outlook Notes:

+Additional Academic Indicator of 95% has been met
+BBSST To-Do List
+Calendar dates have been scheduled
+Calendar for new school year has been adopted
+Code of Conduct has been revised
+Computer is set up
+Distribution lists have been updated
+District Accreditation review has been completed and paperwork submitted
+Evaluations have been completed
+Grading Period has been concluded
+Interpreter for PTO meetings and Awards Day have been secured
+Lee versus Macon Training has been completed
+Packing List
+Position has been filled and new hire inducted
+Professional Development has been planned
+Professional Development Plan has been submitted
+Recruiting Fair has been organized
+Renaissance Place is ready for new school year
+SETS is ready for new school year
+State Superintendent's Art Show has been held
+STI is ready for new school year
+Teacher of the Year/JSU Hall of Fame have been submitted and winners honored
+Time Management Workshop has been planned

Look at what each one of these titles has in common:

1. Almost without exception, the title consists of a statement which is either true or false.
2. As long as the statement is false, there is more to be done.
3. When the statement is true, the goal has been achieved. In other words, we can "check it off."
4. Each statement begins with a noun.
5. Each statement is preceded by a plus (+) sign
6. Each title represents a goal which will be undertaken once or more every year.
7. The exact dates involved with any one of the goals will vary from year to year.

In the next two posts, I will take two of the samples from the list and "think out loud" so that you can see how what seems to be an overwhelming list becomes a set of small, doable tasks which simply become part of my task list.

Checklists

Checklists are great for making sure we don't forget anything. A couple of weeks ago, I finally thought through a comprehensive "Packing Checklist" which lists everything I need to pack when I am going out of town as well as listing the few tasks that must be done before leaving.

In another post, I will talk about some of the checklists I have, where they are stored, and how I use them. The purpose of this post is to point you to a very simple web-based checklist maker.

Printable Checklists is a site that allows you to give your list a title, add as many items as you wish, and print your list. Think of all of the checklists you use over and over. The trip packing checklist is one example. If you have to plan lots of parties for children, composing a checklist for that activity would be a great idea.

The download seems to be the inability to save the list and then change it later. The upside is that it is so easy.