Full Moon Brings Major Update to EZchecklist

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Checklists for software development

(October 30 is National Checklist Day)

ThinkPlanDoRepeat - Shortest possible checklist for Su0ccess at Anything

The checklist is one of the most high powered productivity tools ever discovered.

Brian Tracy

No wise pilot, no matter how great his talent and experience, fails to use his checklist.

Charlie Munger 

Introduction to Checklists

Big Picture  

   What is a checklist - Wikipedia

   The Checklist Manifesto, How to get things right - in depth, the best book about checklists
   To Do List vs. Checklist - what is the difference?
   Advantages of using checklists - from Quora
   Quotations about checklists from the Checklist Manifesto

Who needs checklists?
   We don't need no stinkin' checklists! - if you're like these guys, you can forget about it.

Origin of checklists
   How the Pilot's Checklist Came About - people have to die before anything changes

Poor Examples of Software Development Checklists

Any piece of software reflects the organizational structure that produced it. (Conway's Law)

Planning

   App Development checklist - from Enola Labs, What to consider before beginning
   20 Things to do before you build an app - from Blue Cloud Solutions, Mobile development

Design

   Usability checklist - from Stay in Tech, Catch common usability problems before user testing

Programming
   This is NOT a checklist; it is a list of Do and Don't, right and wrong, but not a checklist.
   This is a checklist. Not a great one, but you will notice the difference.

Testing
   US Department of Energy software testing checklist

Deployment
   Ultimate Checklist for App Deployment Success - from Stackify (Not app specific)

Build Your Own Checklists

   A checklist for building checklists - of course there is one of these!

   Checklist.com - very basic, free, and worth what you pay for it
   Checkli.com - very basic, free, and worth what you pay for it
   Process Street - better, freemium model, inexpensive
   Google Spreadsheets - free, basic yet very powerful, sharable, recommended

Checklist Secret Sauce by DoubleM

Research. Google for existing checklists to do what you need done. Modify to suit. No ego.

Begin it Now. Any checklist is better than no checklist, if continuously improved with feedback.

Delegate. Every team member has responsibility to create/use/improve checklists.

Manage. Team managers must approve changes, and for adherence to standards.

Reward. Recognition and rewards for excellence in checklist development, use, feedback.

Standardize. Add the following to your checklist for building checklists.

   

   Standard Heading at the top of every checklist 

      Checklist name

      Checklist number (Form number)

      Department

      Responsible Person - Who is the "owner" of this checklist

      Date last updated.

      Link to Change log - (Who made the change, When, What changed, Why)

      Signature of team member Who executed this checklist, When, and for What job.

   

   Sections. Break up the list for readability. Lots of white space.

   Standard Formatting

      Standard font, point size, colors, links, etc.

      Headings for sections. Indent items under sections.

      Keep it short. One line per item.  Maximum of 10 items per section. 

      Action verb to start each item, if possible. See above.

      Graphics, charts, photos. What is that about a picture is worth... how many words?

      Paginate.

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Update:

11/2/2017 - First time user experience for product success

Clarity is the Holy Grail of Communication

 

In the search of Product - Market Fit, clarity of communication is essential.

The Test

 The test of a business man 

is not whether he can make money in one or two boom years, 

or can make money through the luck of getting into the field first, 

but whether in a highly competitive field, 

without having any initial advantage over his competitors, 

he can outdistance them in a perfect honourable way 

and keep the respect of himself and of his community.

Harvey Firestone

AI is the new (fill in the blank)

crypto, web3.0, cloud, mobile, internet, Y2K, dot com, PC... wheel, fire, shoes, spear, club...

 

Ideas

Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.  John Steinbeck

Everything begins with an idea. Earl Nightingale

Ideas without action are useless. Helen Keller

Ideas come from curiosity. Walt Disney

Read absolutely everything you get your hands on because you’ll never know where you’ll get an idea from. Malcolm X

The greatest ideas are the simplest. William Golding

It's not about ideas. It's about making i'deas happen. Scott Belsky

A new idea must not be judged by its immediate results. Nikola Tesla

Ideas are easy. Execution is everything. It takes a team to win. John Doerr

Poor minds talk about people. Average minds talk about events. Great minds talk about ideas. Eleanor Roosevelt

Wise men put their trust in ideas not in circumstances. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Be alone, that is the secret of invention; be alone, that is when ideas are born. Nikola Tesla

One can steal ideas, but no one can steal execution or passion. Tim Ferriss

No power on earth can stop an idea whose time has come. Victor Hugo

A mediocre idea that generates enthusiasm will go further than a great idea that inspires no one. Mary Kay Ash

It's very hard in the beginning to understand that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit. George A. Sheehan

Bonus Link:  https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2VNHiZiPx6/

Common causes of bad decisions:

 Common causes of bad decisions:

1. Not asking, “and then what?”

2. Blindness to large trends (blind spots)

3. Assumptions based on small sample sizes

4. Conforming to expectations/authority/group

5. Wanting the world to work the way we want rather than the way it does.