A checklist is used to compensate for the weaknesses of human memory to help ensure consistency and completeness in carrying out a task.

1. A checklist is a tool that is used as a human factors aid in aviation safety to ensure that a long list of items are not forgotten. It is needed due to the limitations of human memory. Checklists are also used elsewhere. Some examples are a to do list or as preparation for a trip.

2. A checklist has been found to be useful in medical practice to ensure that clinical practice guidelines are followed.

3. A checklist is used in quality assurance of software engineering, to check process compliance, code standardization and error prevention, and others.

4. A checklist is often used in industry in operations procedures.

External links

• How the pilot's checklist came about: short FAA version and long Air Force Magazine version
• Virtual Checklist, an Open Source (GPL) checklist software written in VB.NET.
• Checklists; some examples.