We interviewed more than 2,000 managers and deduced actions that will make your work as effective as possible. Download and save the five most essential executive checklists.
# 1. Checklist to take with you to your interview
Will help:
- select only the people you need;
- make an informed decision at an interview;
- do not fall for the candidate's charm.
# 2. Checklist for effective delegation of authority
Will help:
- determine how effectively you delegate authority;
- detect and fix errors in delegation;
- change the approach to delegating tasks.
Number 3. Checklist for identifying errors in the work of the company
Will help:
- find weaknesses in the sales department;
- fix possible management mistakes by the end of the year;
- to increase the key indicators of the company.
No. 4. Checklist for checking your commercial offer
Will help:
- identify the weak points of your commercial proposal;
- highlight your commercial offer from the rest;
- get up to 50% conversion from your commercial proposal.
No. 5. Checklist: find out if you are facing a tax audit
Will help:
- determine if your company is in danger of an unscheduled audit;
- avoid possible problems with tax authorities;
- protect yourself from an on-site tax audit.
In this article, we will consider a sample checklist. This is the name of a convenient and understandable way to control any complex or multi-stage operation. The range of use of checklists is so wide that information about them will be simultaneously useful for creative people, pupils and students, entrepreneurs, company leaders and specialists in a wide range of disciplines.
Even if the concept of "checklist" seems unfamiliar to you, you almost certainly have met it more than once. Most often, this is a list of sequential actions (or steps) that must be taken in order to achieve a goal. It can also be used to check the completion of all items or operations for solving a problem.
Simply put, this is a list of actions that need to be performed one after the other in order to come to the final result.
The scope of use of such sheets is so wide that we can say with a high degree of certainty: each person has ever made a "to-do list" for himself.
However, in this article we will look at how checklists help in entrepreneurship and organizing the work of individual employees and entire companies.
A "checklist" is a list of actions that need to be performed one after another in order to arrive at the final result.
In what areas are checklists used
The benefits of checklists for production have already been appreciated by many entrepreneurs, managers and employees. When it is necessary to work in multitasking mode (and in modern conditions this happens almost constantly), the to-do list helps to control the execution of all operations. In this case, all goals and objectives do not need to be kept in mind.
Most often, checklists in a variety of forms can be found in:
- aviation (pilots check the readiness of the aircraft in a special order before takeoff);
- construction;
- medicine (from procedures to the most complex surgical operations);
- accounting and auditing;
- management, including sales;
- education.
Thus, checklists are used in areas where constant concentration is required, and the success of the entire event depends on the implementation of each item (and in aviation and medicine, people's lives). Let's analyze the individual types of checklists.
Use of checklists in selected industries
Originating in the aviation industry, checklists have long outgrown their use in just one industry. Despite the belief of some people that the most important thing cannot be forgotten, practice shows the opposite. In the modern world, there are a lot of distractions, so sometimes even an action brought to automatism is performed with a mistake. To avoid this, it is wise to use checklists. How are they used in different areas?
Food Service Checklists
In catering establishments, checklists are used constantly and not in a single copy. For example, a restaurant opening checklist helps managers and employees prepare the establishment for opening, ensuring accepted service standards.
For each shift, a separate sheet is usually prepared, indicating the number, date, surname of the manager. In this case checklist - actually a reporting document... If something does not go according to plan, the manager can study it and understand what mistakes were made by the manager.
- Checking the plan of activities for the day (birthdays, anniversaries).
- Checking cash at the checkout.
- Organization of cleaning.
- Availability of report sheets in the kitchen and in the toilet.
- Checking all employees (lateness, appearance, etc.).
- The start of the kitchen.
Of course this list is approximate, each restaurant develops its own... A separate procedure can be developed for each position, for example, a checklist for restaurant waiters, for kitchen workers, etc. Such documents are usually stored for a short time, no more than a month (in case of any problematic situation).
In catering establishments, checklists are used constantly and not in a single copy.
Cleaning checklists
In the field of professional cleaning, checklists are also widely used. For example, a cleaning checklist. A sample of such a list can be made in several versions: as an action plan and as a reporting document. Let's consider both options.
As a plan of action, cleaning checklists are commonly used by professional cleaning companies when providing services to organizations and private clients. Since in this case we are talking about professional cleaning, the checklist helps to achieve the required quality level. May include items such as:
- Dust cleaning, wet cleaning, furniture care.
- Washing windows.
- Washing the floor.
The meaning of this sheet is to help the employee navigate the site., fulfill all the points and provide cleaning services as efficiently as possible so that the client does not have any complaints. At the request of the client, other tasks can be included in the checklist.
Also checklists can be used as an accounting documenteg for cleaning toilets. Almost all people have come across such sheets. They usually hang in the restrooms of cafes and restaurants. Items of such checklists do not contain a list of tasks, but the cleaning time. After completing the cleaning, the employee puts his signature in front of each item. Such a document helps the manager of the establishment to control and check the timely completion of cleaning.
Sales checklists
Any employee involved in active sales should use checklists to improve their performance. First of all, checklists are needed to organize communication with the client, especially over the phone.
Most of the "cold" calls end in failure, because the manager does not communicate with the client, but reads the finished text to him. Moreover, even for every question or "objection" managers have a template. It is convenient in work - you do not need to think and compose your answer - but in practice it is absolutely useless. Customers don't like this approach.
A checklist can help create a more lively conversation, which means it can make a sale more likely. The sales manager's checklist should include the following items:
- Acquaintance.
- The purpose of the call.
- Sentence.
- Clarification of details, dialogue with the client, responses to objections.
- Sale (invitation, etc.).
- Parting.
This option is better than a ready-made sales algorithm, when a manager reads out template phrases in a monotonous voice. It may be more difficult to work with it in the first stages, but in the end it will be more effective, as it is more like an individual approach to the client.
Also, checklists can be used to assess the performance of not an individual manager, but the entire sales department. In this case, they contain similar questions:
- Has the company developed a marketing strategy?
- Has the sales plan been communicated to the employees?
- Are sales algorithms and employee checklist developed?
- Is there a customer base?
- How many calls do employees make per day?
- How many calls are there for 1 sale for each employee?
- How long does a telephone conversation last on average?
- How the sales plan is being carried out (per day, per week, per month).
Thus, constant control and methodical implementation of all points will increase the efficiency of each employee, especially in the field of sales. It is important that organizational leaders take checklists seriously and instill the habit of using this type of time management in all employees.
Any employee involved in active sales should use checklists to improve their performance.
How a checklist helps mystery shoppers
The task of the mystery shopper is a comprehensive assessment of the work of an individual seller and the entire store as a whole. In this case, you cannot do without a checklist of measured parameters. Typically, such lists are rated on a five-point scale or simply yes / no. The mystery shopping checklist should include the following items:
- Buyer Contact:
- the seller comes first, introduces himself;
- friendly, polite;
- neat appearance;
- interested, smiling.
- Possession of information:
- identifies the needs of the buyer, asking questions, including open and clarifying;
- talks about the goods that interest the client;
- offers analogues that the buyer does not know about;
- confidently owns material about goods.
- Company services presentation:
- talks about current promotions and discounts;
- offers to take part in loyalty programs (get a card, get bonuses, subscribe to the newsletter).
- Work with objections:
- does not speak negatively about the buyer's opinion, does not call it erroneous;
- does not argue openly, offers an alternative;
- expresses reasoned counterarguments.
- Completion of the sale:
- sums up the dialogue;
- informs about additional properties of the goods, which were not discussed in the previous conversation;
- tells the procedure for making a purchase (where is the fitting room, where is the cashier, where is the pick-up area, etc.);
- thanks for purchasing and choosing a store.
Both simpler and more complex variants of mystery shopper checklists are possible. but the more details the mystery shopper tells, the better, therefore, it is better to develop a sufficiently voluminous and detailed questionnaire about the work of store employees.
Checklists in personal time management
Checklists can be used not only for organizing the work of enterprises, but also for personal planning. For example, if it is not customary in a company to use checklists, but the employee sees the need for this, he must create such a checklist for himself.
This will simplify the execution of the current work, will reveal the most effective algorithms for performing certain operations. Work on the checklist will remove some of the psychological burden - even a complex project, broken into parts, becomes more feasible. And the absence of the risk of forgetting anything is a pleasant bonus at all when planning.
Work on the checklist will remove some of the psychological burden - even a complex project, broken into parts, becomes more feasible.
How to correctly draw up a checklist
In order for the checklist to work "as it should", you need to draw it up correctly. Here are some guidelines:
- Keep the list simple and short. You do not need to compose a detailed essay, you need to highlight the main thing and write it down in the simplest possible words. At one glance at the sheet, it should be clear what to do.
- Items should be consistent and interconnected. Remember, this is an algorithm for achieving only one goal. The checklist assumes a stepwise approach to the task. That is, proceed to the second point only after completing the first.
- Make edits. Record all changes, improvements and improvements in the checklist.
- If you are compiling a personal checklist, make it convenient for yourself. Use highlighting with color, italics, capital letters. In this case, you do not need to worry about how clear the sheet is to other people.
- The checklist should fit on 1 sheet if you make it in paper form or fit into the size of a computer or phone screen without scrolling if you prefer the electronic version. Optimally - 5-7 points.
Where to store the checklist
Depending on the purpose of the checklists, there may be several options for storing them:
- Personal checklists are stored in diaries, as well as phones and computers. It is appropriate to place the simplest checklists “what not to forget when leaving the house” at the front door.
- Work and service checklists of employees must be placed in plain sight at the workplace or in electronic form on a computer desktop.
- Collective checklists should be placed in places where they are accessible to all employees involved in their implementation.
Conclusion
A checklist is a great way to plan your work and improve its efficiency. These checklists have found use in virtually all areas of activity, from aviation and medicine to catering and professional cleaning. A well-designed algorithm will help you to approach even the most serious and multi-stage tasks without fear.
I accidentally discovered an interesting tool for forming good habits. First I'll tell you a story, and then I'll give you the instrument itself.
Faced such a problem
I went to bed late, often after dawn. As a result, I got up late, did not get enough sleep, and felt worse all day. By the evening I was very tired, but I could not sleep and stupidly into the phone. It was a vicious circle.
I tried setting alarms and reminders
I started with the usual alarm clock for the evening. The signal meant it was time to go to bed. But the alarm didn't help. He found me in the middle of some business, and I turned it off at first with slight irritation, and then on full automatic.
I tried to put myself an event in the calendar with a notification on the screen, in the mail and phone:
And now you stop doing what you do there and go to sleep. Otherwise P ***** C!
Notifications came immediately to all devices and sounded like a gun salvo. At first it made an impression on the brain, and it obeyed. Then a couple of times the volley caught me on Skype, which could not be quickly interrupted, and I had to ignore the notifications. The notifications are no longer mandatory. Soon the perceived meaning changed to "sleep within an hour." They no longer needed an immediate response, so the brain quickly learned to ignore them completely. Failure!
It was time to change tactics.
I decided to collect information
I started an A4 sheet with 4 lines:
- Woke up refreshed
- Got up before 10 o'clock
- Lay up to 24 hours
- Lay down without screens
I put this leaf with a pen on the table in the bathroom. In the morning, the brain saw a leaf and put 4 squiggles on the machine.
For several weeks nothing happened, and then the magic began.
- I noticed and felt the connection: "I lay down without screens - I woke up refreshed." It gave me strength.
- I understood the connection between the leaflet and reality. The excitement of managing numeric metrics has emerged.
- I couldn't just ignore the reminders anymore. Previously, a missed reminder disappeared forever. The next day, a new one flew in, and just disappeared without a trace. And now everything goes into the table. Missed reminders do not disappear, but are added together.
This mechanism turned out to be extremely successful.
Mood has become a separate metric. So I realized that 15 minutes of meditation a day steadily and reliably raise my mood by one. Music, chatting with friends, a powerful motorcycle and active sports also do it. For me, this is no longer "book" knowledge, but "internal". That is, those on the basis of which I act.
Then the mechanism moved online
Going online is a big risk, because the leaf itself catches the eye every morning, and the program must be specially remembered. I would start missing days and the system would crash. Therefore, I replaced the leaf with an old iPad, left only 1 program there and put it in exactly the same place. For reliability, I created a daily task "Fill in a personal checklist".
There was no special application in the app store, but Google Sheets did a good job with the function. See screenshot at the beginning of the post.
Result
6 months have passed, the flight is normal. There are no more problems with sleep, almost all other indicators are in the green zone. The average mood increased from 5-6 to 7-8. And for me these are not just numbers!)
Here is the final table template, you can copy and adapt for yourself. Highlighting is adjusted line by line using conditional formatting. But a sheet of paper and a pen are cooler, honestly.