The checklist format must support the intended use.

    Most workplace checklists are more than a simple list of things to remember.

 Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own.

Bruce Lee

 

To track progress or provide verification, checklists should include places for names, dates, and notes.

Verification of manufacturing process readiness checklist example

Here are several additional examples of process verification checklists (MS Excel sheets in a zip file). These are very long, but they represent what is need to keep track of a complex activity.

A checklist for the original process should be different that the checklist for the verification process.

                                          Writing an A3 Problem Solving Report checklist example

                                                    Audit of an A3 Status Report checklist example

 

A checklist for an emergency situation has unique rquirements

 

Never aggregate systems that have a conflict of interest; partition them to ensure checks and balances.

Aubrey Bout 

 You should always consider the user and the situation.

Checklists should be should be organized, look like a checklist (boxes or check marks), and easy to follow.

You can find additional background information about workplace checklists at http://www.webmm.ahrq.gov/perspective.aspx?perspectiveID=92 . It is not a good example of using headings and white space for readability, but it has good information.