quartz/content/notes/checklists.md

title	tags
checklists	book

TIPS

• do-confirm vs read-do
• clear
• simple
• fast
• flexibility in performing key points, but stop at critical steps
• doesn't need to be written and marked off
• trim the list as much as possible

three types of problems

• simple > like baking a cake from a recipe
  • "Sometimes there are a few basic techniques to learn. But once these are mastered, following the recipe brings a high likelihood of success"
• complicated > sending a rocket to the moon
  • "They can sometimes be broken down into a series of simple problems. But there is no straightforward recipe. Success frequently requires multiple people, often multiple teams, and specialized expertise. Unanticipated difficulties are frequent. Timing and coordination become serious concerns"
• complex > raising a child
  • "Once you learn how to send a rocket to the moon, you can repeat the process with other rockets and perfect it. One rocket is like another rocket. But not so with raising a child, the professors point out. Every child is unique. Although raising one child may provide experience, it does not guarantee success with the next child. Expertise is valuable but most certainly not sufficient. Indeed, the next child may require an entirely different approach from the previous one. And this brings up another feature of complex problems: their outcomes remain highly uncertain. Yet we all know that it is possible to raise a child well. It’s complex, that’s all."

many simple problems with many steps are error prone. people forget steps. they are amenable to "forcing functions": straightforward solutions that force the necessary behaviour

always a decision: follow protocol or just do it ⇒ get the stupid stuff right but allow room for creativity and individual judgement