The Checklist Manifesto
"Good checklists, on the other hand, are precise. They are efficient, to the point, and easy to use even in the most difficult situations. They do not try to spell out everything—a checklist cannot fly a plane. Instead, they provide reminders of only the most critical and important steps—the ones that even the highly skilled professionals using them could miss. Good checklists are, above all, practical."
— Atul Gawande, The Checklist Manifesto (2009)
Introduction
| The Checklist Manifesto | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Full title | The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right |
| Author | Atul Gawande |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Patient safety; Quality assurance in health care; Process improvement |
| Genre | Nonfiction; Self-help |
| Publisher | Metropolitan Books (Henry Holt and Company) |
Publication date | 22 December 2009 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover, paperback); e-book; audiobook |
| Pages | 224 |
| ISBN | 978-0-8050-9174-8 |
| Goodreads rating | 4/5 (as of 10 November 2025) |
| Website | us.macmillan.com |
Chapter summary
This outline follows the Metropolitan Books first U.S. hardcover edition (22 December 2009), ISBN 978-0-8050-9174-8.[1][2]
I – How to Get Things Right
🧩 1 – The problem of extreme complexity.
📝 2 – The checklist.
🏗️ 3 – The end of the master builder.
💡 4 – The idea.
🧪 5 – The first try.
🏭 6 – The checklist factory.
🧭 7 – The test.
🛡️ 8 – The hero in the age of checklists.
🆘 9 – The save.
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References
- ↑ "The Checklist Manifesto". Macmillan. Henry Holt and Company. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
- ↑ "The checklist manifesto : how to get things right (First edition)". WorldCat. OCLC. Retrieved 10 November 2025.