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Top positive review
9 people found this helpful
4.0 out of 5 starsSurprisingly readable
ByRichard Bakeron February 6, 2017
I had to read this book for work, and I wasn't looking forward to it. To my surprise it has a very good narrative is quite readable. The examples used are compelling and keep the pages turning. By the end it had me thinking of our processes and I have my team scouring them looking for places where a checklist would be appropriate. If you're concerned about quality, you should give this book a try.
Top critical review
8 people found this helpful
1.0 out of 5 starsI actually checked this review off my To-Do list.
ByAnthony J. Veraon June 10, 2018
Meh. The book is WAY over-hyped!! It spends MOST of its long never-ending pages explaining medical scenarios. It's unbelievable....I felt as if I was studying my Paramedic book again! All that nonsense to get to "Checklists are good...you should develop one for everything you do". That's it folks...I just gave you the cliff Notes for the ENTIRE book! Even the sample checklists (all two of them) they illustrate are a joke.
Pay ME whatever this book costs, and I'll actually MAKE a checklist for you! Tell ya what...contact me if you want the book. I'll give it to you if you just pay shipping. Very disappointing!
Pay ME whatever this book costs, and I'll actually MAKE a checklist for you! Tell ya what...contact me if you want the book. I'll give it to you if you just pay shipping. Very disappointing!
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ByJohn M. Fordon February 7, 2013
Atul Gawande is a physician interested in improving surgical practice. He reviews surgical cases with disastrous outcomes that could have been prevented and cites research claiming that nearly half of deaths that occur in surgery are in fact preventable. We read a detailed analysis of a drowning accident in which the young victim's life was saved against all odds. Why? Because the hospital staff had discussed and practiced the procedures to treat cold-water drowning ahead of time. They used no new knowledge; they just coordinated and communicated more effectively.
Gawande examines how human beings do things. There are two reasons we fail at complex tasks. The first is ignorance. We correct it by conducting research and building schools to increase our knowledge. The second and more common reason for failure is ineptitude--the right knowledge is available, but we do not apply it correctly. People continually forget, are distracted, or skip steps because they seem unimportant. This problem lurks below the radar; we don't recognize it, let alone try to solve it. Instead we send people off for more training to increase their knowledge.
What is needed instead is a simple way to remind people of what they know at the right time to make a difference. We have an answer, we just aren't using it. "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."
The author examines checklists used by airline pilots, building contractors, investors and other physicians. In these professions work has become too complex for even a talented individual to perform alone. Teams of skilled experts must manage both communication and complexity to succeed. They do both with checklists. These checklists make people stop and think at "pause points" to ensure that the right things have been done. They get coworkers to bond as a team by requiring them to talk to each other. As a result, people become comfortable enough to speak up when they see a potential problem.
Chapter Six, The Checklist Factory is the instructional meat of the book, with recommendations that help us develop good checklists. There are direct guidelines about brevity and clarity. There are also process guidelines about identifying common mistakes and fine-tuning a checklist with field testing. He distinguishes between READ-DO checklists, which march novices through the tightly specified steps of rote tasks, and DO-CONFIRM checklists, which provide checkpoints for experienced professionals solving complex problems in coordinated groups. Both have their place, but DO-CONFIRM checklists have the most potential to make a difference.
There are barriers to checklist use. They have a serious user acceptance problem. Many accomplished professionals consider themselves virtuosos who don't need help from other people at all, let alone somebody else's checklist. To many others checklists seem too mundane to make a difference. The author works hard to persuade us. His own research on checklists in operating rooms finds significant drops in death rates, post-operative infections, and other outcome measures. He highlights successes at prominent hospitals to encourage wider acceptance, asks administrators to impose requirements, and calls on nurses to help change the culture of the operating room. The idea is slowly catching on.
Gawande wishes we would move more quickly. "In the money business everyone looks for an edge. If someone is doing well, people pounce like starved hyenas to find out how. Almost every idea for making even slightly more money ... gets sucked up by the giant maw almost instantly. Every idea, that is except one: checklists."
I learned some things from this book and highly recommend it. Give it at least a quick look, starting with Chapter 6. It has the potential to make you even better at what you do best.
Gawande examines how human beings do things. There are two reasons we fail at complex tasks. The first is ignorance. We correct it by conducting research and building schools to increase our knowledge. The second and more common reason for failure is ineptitude--the right knowledge is available, but we do not apply it correctly. People continually forget, are distracted, or skip steps because they seem unimportant. This problem lurks below the radar; we don't recognize it, let alone try to solve it. Instead we send people off for more training to increase their knowledge.
What is needed instead is a simple way to remind people of what they know at the right time to make a difference. We have an answer, we just aren't using it. "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."
The author examines checklists used by airline pilots, building contractors, investors and other physicians. In these professions work has become too complex for even a talented individual to perform alone. Teams of skilled experts must manage both communication and complexity to succeed. They do both with checklists. These checklists make people stop and think at "pause points" to ensure that the right things have been done. They get coworkers to bond as a team by requiring them to talk to each other. As a result, people become comfortable enough to speak up when they see a potential problem.
Chapter Six, The Checklist Factory is the instructional meat of the book, with recommendations that help us develop good checklists. There are direct guidelines about brevity and clarity. There are also process guidelines about identifying common mistakes and fine-tuning a checklist with field testing. He distinguishes between READ-DO checklists, which march novices through the tightly specified steps of rote tasks, and DO-CONFIRM checklists, which provide checkpoints for experienced professionals solving complex problems in coordinated groups. Both have their place, but DO-CONFIRM checklists have the most potential to make a difference.
There are barriers to checklist use. They have a serious user acceptance problem. Many accomplished professionals consider themselves virtuosos who don't need help from other people at all, let alone somebody else's checklist. To many others checklists seem too mundane to make a difference. The author works hard to persuade us. His own research on checklists in operating rooms finds significant drops in death rates, post-operative infections, and other outcome measures. He highlights successes at prominent hospitals to encourage wider acceptance, asks administrators to impose requirements, and calls on nurses to help change the culture of the operating room. The idea is slowly catching on.
Gawande wishes we would move more quickly. "In the money business everyone looks for an edge. If someone is doing well, people pounce like starved hyenas to find out how. Almost every idea for making even slightly more money ... gets sucked up by the giant maw almost instantly. Every idea, that is except one: checklists."
I learned some things from this book and highly recommend it. Give it at least a quick look, starting with Chapter 6. It has the potential to make you even better at what you do best.
4 people found this helpful
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ByCliente Kindleon October 5, 2015
Gawande speaks about checklists and many readers could agree with him. However the anecdote-approach limits the use of the book. For instance,, no mention of checklist criteria design before Annexes and, even there, a very short mention.
Interesting to find that one of the cases mentioned -Hudson river landing- had a problem related with a checklist (the manufacturer did not foresee a full power loss below 20000 ft.) losing precious seconds while using a checklist whose design did not fit the situation. The mention of a second Aviation case -Los Rodeos- is simply wrong and, precisely, investigators found that the pilot whose error was the main factor under the accident had been extremely careful following pre-flight procedures...not a good example to show the checklists use.
If someone is interested in checklist design -that was my case- Degani and Wiener still appear to be unsurpassed and the anecdote approach by Gawande does not fit that objective.
Interesting to find that one of the cases mentioned -Hudson river landing- had a problem related with a checklist (the manufacturer did not foresee a full power loss below 20000 ft.) losing precious seconds while using a checklist whose design did not fit the situation. The mention of a second Aviation case -Los Rodeos- is simply wrong and, precisely, investigators found that the pilot whose error was the main factor under the accident had been extremely careful following pre-flight procedures...not a good example to show the checklists use.
If someone is interested in checklist design -that was my case- Degani and Wiener still appear to be unsurpassed and the anecdote approach by Gawande does not fit that objective.
ByAdamSmytheon January 24, 2010
I looked over the other reviews of this interesting book, and there are many of them that you will find very useful--so I'll just try to list some highlights. As Dr. Gawande points out, a checklist can't be too long (people won't use it), yet it must succinctly cover the most essential considerations of the situation at hand. Although what follows isn't a checklist, I'll try to focus on the most essential characteristics of Dr. Gawande's book:
First, this is an easy-to-read, engaging book. I'll bet that you will find it hard to put down. It is interesting enough to make you want to read the book and serious enough to deliver important messages.
Second, the value of using checklists springs directly from the complexity of modern life, whether we're talking about surgery (the author is a surgeon), flying an airplane or building a skyscraper. By the way, in reading this book I have developed a newfound appreciation of how complex the construction business can be.
Third, checklists are not just for simple, straightforward tasks. Checklists help people communicate and work together better, especially when the unexpected occurs.
Fourth, checklists are important regardless of the time available. Indeed, when the cockpit crew of US Airways flight 1549 lost both engines over New York City, they had only three minutes of airtime remaining. The first thing they did was to get out their checklists. (You can read Captain Sully Sullenberger's excellent book for more details.)
Fifth, checklist usage has saved numerous lives, including one of Dr. Gawande's patients. His candor in discussing that episode is laudable.
Sixth, humans being human, mistakes will inevitably occur. Checklist usage is important when the potential cost of human mistakes is great.
Seventh, the mere act of creating a checklist focuses the mind on the most important characteristics of our tasks.
Eighth, like anything else, it takes practice to produce and use checklists effectively.
Ninth, practice comes from commitment and personal discipline. Indeed, one of the most important things Sully Sullenberger did was to maintain his composure and discipline, even while the gravity of his situation must have been racing through his mind.
Tenth, as I read this book, my mind frequently reflected on how a checklist approach could be applied in some of the business and academic practices that I am familiar with. That's the real beauty of this book--it gets the reader thinking about ways to improve life.
First, this is an easy-to-read, engaging book. I'll bet that you will find it hard to put down. It is interesting enough to make you want to read the book and serious enough to deliver important messages.
Second, the value of using checklists springs directly from the complexity of modern life, whether we're talking about surgery (the author is a surgeon), flying an airplane or building a skyscraper. By the way, in reading this book I have developed a newfound appreciation of how complex the construction business can be.
Third, checklists are not just for simple, straightforward tasks. Checklists help people communicate and work together better, especially when the unexpected occurs.
Fourth, checklists are important regardless of the time available. Indeed, when the cockpit crew of US Airways flight 1549 lost both engines over New York City, they had only three minutes of airtime remaining. The first thing they did was to get out their checklists. (You can read Captain Sully Sullenberger's excellent book for more details.)
Fifth, checklist usage has saved numerous lives, including one of Dr. Gawande's patients. His candor in discussing that episode is laudable.
Sixth, humans being human, mistakes will inevitably occur. Checklist usage is important when the potential cost of human mistakes is great.
Seventh, the mere act of creating a checklist focuses the mind on the most important characteristics of our tasks.
Eighth, like anything else, it takes practice to produce and use checklists effectively.
Ninth, practice comes from commitment and personal discipline. Indeed, one of the most important things Sully Sullenberger did was to maintain his composure and discipline, even while the gravity of his situation must have been racing through his mind.
Tenth, as I read this book, my mind frequently reflected on how a checklist approach could be applied in some of the business and academic practices that I am familiar with. That's the real beauty of this book--it gets the reader thinking about ways to improve life.
ByR. Z. Hallesonon November 30, 2017
Author Atul Gawande, a surgeon, uses hospitals and especially surgery to illustrate what checklists can do to prevent injury and improve outcomes. But he doesn't stop there. He writes about building skyscrapers, flying planes, handling massive disasters like the role that Walmart played during Katrina. Best of all, he shows that checklists don't always work, and the reasons why. He shows how simple checklists at the beginning of problems can prevent disasters when the problem could have become to big to handle. This is a masterful look at how one person can no longer be the one voice in very complex situations. Checklists are about the team, each member doing his part and not missing a step, so that the team can act as one unit to perfect the outcome. This is a must-read for anyone finding themselves in organizations and who are frustrated by mistakes that don't have to happen.
ByVincent Poirieron March 31, 2012
A well designed checklist does two things. First it keeps a team from missing vital but routine tasks, tasks that are so important that one assumes they have been already carried out. When everyone thinks someone must have done something already, it's easy to imagine that this something could have been forgotten!
A second purpose of checklists is to build a team spirit. By assigning the checklist to a specific person and having different tasks verified by different members of the team, the resulting communications invariably lead to more information being shared among the entire team.
What makes the book great is the emphasis it places on the importance of designing the checklist. Even experts will need several attempts before they get their checklist right. Further, proven and tested checklists are not static boilerplate templates. Each organization needs to tweak its checklists to fit its culture. Checklist are not exhaustive itemized procedures.
Some people complain the book is padded while others complain that it is too narrow. It is neither.
It's about the importance and benefits of checklists in general, it's about how they first appeared in aviation before spreading to other fields, and it's about the difficulty of getting them accepted by the people who should use them.
Gawande says a lot in a short space; any reader will get his full message in the two hours it takes to read the book. Hardly the stuff of padding.
Nor is the book focused on the medical industry. Because the author is a surgeon, he naturally illustrates his general idea with examples from medecine. Given the egos doctors have and the importance of meticulousness in surgery, this make medecine a particularly good field from which to illustrate the contribution checklists can make and the difficulties of getting them accepted.
So what if Gawande doesn't mention other industries? Mentioning white asparagus farming or fashion accessory retail businesses for female motorcyclists would have weighed the book down. Now THAT would have been padding.
Vincent Poirier, Tokyo
A second purpose of checklists is to build a team spirit. By assigning the checklist to a specific person and having different tasks verified by different members of the team, the resulting communications invariably lead to more information being shared among the entire team.
What makes the book great is the emphasis it places on the importance of designing the checklist. Even experts will need several attempts before they get their checklist right. Further, proven and tested checklists are not static boilerplate templates. Each organization needs to tweak its checklists to fit its culture. Checklist are not exhaustive itemized procedures.
Some people complain the book is padded while others complain that it is too narrow. It is neither.
It's about the importance and benefits of checklists in general, it's about how they first appeared in aviation before spreading to other fields, and it's about the difficulty of getting them accepted by the people who should use them.
Gawande says a lot in a short space; any reader will get his full message in the two hours it takes to read the book. Hardly the stuff of padding.
Nor is the book focused on the medical industry. Because the author is a surgeon, he naturally illustrates his general idea with examples from medecine. Given the egos doctors have and the importance of meticulousness in surgery, this make medecine a particularly good field from which to illustrate the contribution checklists can make and the difficulties of getting them accepted.
So what if Gawande doesn't mention other industries? Mentioning white asparagus farming or fashion accessory retail businesses for female motorcyclists would have weighed the book down. Now THAT would have been padding.
Vincent Poirier, Tokyo
Bytheuserbon November 28, 2012
Gawande's crystal clear writing makes this a five-star book. Drawing heavily from the airline industry and their move towards checklists (and subsequent decrease in crashes), Gawande demonstrates how checklists can be the method to success in a variety of industries including healthcare and finance. His message is simple: a checklist can slow people down just long enough to catch the stupid mistakes they might otherwise make. The use of the checklist is closely tied with working as a team player and letting go of your ego, all of which help you (or your team) make the best, most thought-out decisions possible.
-1 star because of the length. 3/4 of the way through this book, I was ready for it to end. Yes, it's a very simple message, but it deserves being turned into a book because of how vital it is to success. Gawande also gives great examples of how it is used, which does a lot for his argument. But his point only got so far and eventually, with the anecdotes and examples repeatedly reaching the same conclusion (ah, the power of the checklist!) it became tiring. Luckily, Gawande is such a fantastic writer, it's totally painless to keep reading to the end.
-1 star because of the length. 3/4 of the way through this book, I was ready for it to end. Yes, it's a very simple message, but it deserves being turned into a book because of how vital it is to success. Gawande also gives great examples of how it is used, which does a lot for his argument. But his point only got so far and eventually, with the anecdotes and examples repeatedly reaching the same conclusion (ah, the power of the checklist!) it became tiring. Luckily, Gawande is such a fantastic writer, it's totally painless to keep reading to the end.
Bynyfitzgeraldon April 8, 2017
Gawande writes in a captivating style. He's a pleasure to read, and this book really supports the notion of how a simple checklist can be the difference between success and failure in tasks where success should be the norm. Perhaps it's no earth shattering revelation, but Gawande does such a good job with his writing and presenting the idea, it leaves you feeling refreshed and flush with ideas.
ByJennifer Henczelon February 3, 2016
Every business owner, entrepreneur, and non-profit director should own this book. Every staff member should have a copy, as well. I have recommended to every one of my students and members since it was released. This book provides the foundation for all other activities in an organization. It goes beyond documentation and standard operating procedures, to explain the importance of what it takes to really move an organization and our efforts in society to the next level. Having checklists in place helps us to better help others. Gawande brings life to this topic with fascinating stories and research that support his ideas.
ByTim Cohnon January 15, 2016
Gawande is talented, smart and wise. He is also a gifted writer and thoughtful observer. Checklists embody simplicity, humility and knowledge, values that are oddly in conflict with our modern egos.
Bytapestryon March 28, 2018
After reading Being Mortal by the same author (who writes beautifully), I purchased this and loaned it to my great-niece. She gave it rave reviews, so I look forward to reading it soon. Dr. Gawande is a great writer with good messages; I look forward to reading the rest of his works.
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