Checklistsdriven

Checklistsdriven is a term used to describe a workflow or decision-making approach that uses checklists as primary drivers of actions, decisions, and quality control. The aim is to externalize knowledge, standardize procedures, and reduce human error by guiding users through predefined steps.

Characterized by structured checklists, defined roles, and stage-gated processes. Checklists can be task lists, risk assessments, or decision trees, often embedded in SOPs, simply accessible at point of need. The approach can be serial or modular, allowing parallel checks.

Applications include aviation, healthcare, manufacturing, project management, software deployment, and field operations. In software, checklistsdriven practices appear in deployment pipelines, incident response, testing, and compliance. In healthcare, surgical safety checklists or handoff protocols.

Benefits: consistency, improved safety, faster onboarding, auditability, and knowledge capture. Limitations: risk of outdated or incomplete checklists, over-reliance, rigidity, effort to maintain; requires governance to keep content current; may not adapt well to novel situations.

Related concepts include checklists, standard operating procedures, and human-factor engineering.