Why is a checklist necessary at work?

At SUFFIX, having a checklist can make work more systematic and goal-oriented. Instead of thinking about what to do each day, a checklist will tell us what needs to be done. We use checklists in three main areas: Daily Checklist, Project Checklist, and Deliverable Checklist.

 

Daily Checklist

Starting with the Daily Checklist, companies may have different systems for clocking in and out, but at SUFFIX, we use a checklist to mark attendance daily. This notifies the team and reminds us of our projects and tasks for the day. This method not only informs the team or the supervisor but also helps us set daily goals, as by the end of the day we will immediately know how many tasks we have completed, are pending, or are unresolved, and everyone in the team will be equally informed.

 

Project Checklist

For the Project Checklist, consider a project from start to finish and list all the tasks involved. Listing everything in one day might not cover everything, as each task in a project might have different details or client requirements. For example, a website project from the initial step of gathering briefs, quoting, drafting the website structure, designing, feedback revisions, coding, designing the backend structure, and testing system usage to the day of project delivery. All these are just the bigger picture of a single project. Therefore, we need a checklist to break down the details for each milestone and which tasks are involved. Without a checklist, we wouldn't know where we are in the project and what needs to be done next. A checklist is very beneficial and helps us plan and deal with problems from the start. Moreover, project managers can use this checklist to track the project without constantly asking the team members, just waiting for updates from the team is sufficient. The team will also have more time to focus on their work.

 

Deliverable Checklist

The Deliverable Checklist is similar to the Project Checklist, but we can predict it right from the start of the project. For example, a website project will need various information such as domain and hosting information, Google Analytics, Favicon, metadata, etc. These are all essential information for a website, as the website cannot be launched without a domain or hosting. Or if the client already has them, we should ask for this information so the development team can plan the work correctly. Google Analytics requires requesting a code from the client's team to embed and use, and lastly, details that many websites might overlook, such as metadata, 404 page, or Favicon, although they may seem minor, are important for professionalism and brand credibility. Without a checklist for this part, we might overlook them.

 

These three points are just a part of the checklist, which shows that such a simple tool can greatly assist in systematic work. Without proper planning and awareness of what needs to be done before and after, the plan we have set might not be executed as intended or might be completed later than planned, causing measurable impacts.