The bigger your company gets, the more you have to remember. It would be unrealistic for you or your team to remember everything that needs to be done. This is where checklists become handy and super helpful. Here are five benefits of a checklist in a small business.

Benefits of a Checklist in a Small Business

A Better Way to Delegate

This is a clear way to define who will be doing what. Each team member or department will be doing specific tasks, and they will know. As a business owner, this is also the best way to ask for help. Delegating tasks you know your team can do will be clearly defined on this checklist. This is also a good way to decrease burnout.

Read the article below to learn more about burnout and its effects on business owners. It may encourage you to delegate if you are scared to do so.

5 Ways to Avoid Business Owner Burnout –

Decreased Errors and Mistakes

It is impossible to remember everything that needs to be done, especially if your company has multiple departments.

When I ran a food business, I had to create multiple checklists for one area. My front-of-house staff had three checklists: opening the shop, closing the shop, and a downtime checklist. Some of the tasks on the checklist were simple, such as “unlock the front door,” while others were a little more detailed so that things were done to standard.

I was able to decrease mistakes this way because I had all the items on the checklist. Yes, there were days when my staff tried to skip steps or even forgot. Those were fewer because there was a checklist. If there was a mistake, it was caught pretty much immediately and corrected.

Increases Efficiency

This is a big benefit if you have payroll expenses. Not only does it save you money, but it eliminates a task getting done multiple times. I have heard this phrase from a friend, ‘time is money.’ The only way to save money is to increase efficiency.

Staff can swiftly complete all needed tasks by checking off the box, and the next person can work on the task available to them. Time is not wasted here. This is very good time management for the team and for the company.

An item on a checklist is more likely to be done accurately, creating efficiency. Another team member will not need to redo the task if a checklist with a description is in place.

I have experience working in an environment without checklists. Not only was I exhausted by the end of the shift, but I also missed so many things that needed to be done around the shop for the next shift to operate successfully. It was chaos! Staff was doing the same task three times, and I was running around trying to figure out what needed to be done next. If we had a checklist, how much smoother things would have been.

Improves Communication

A checklist is a good way to communicate what needs to be done to your team. Not everything needs to be said. Writing out the work that needs to be completed is just as effective as communication.

Don’t forget to train on the task first, though. I was guilty of that when I first hired team members. I gave them a checklist and trained them initially. As we grew, I added more stuff to the checklist, let them know several new items were on the list, and let them figure it out on their own. Later, I found the task was not completed to the expected standard. I was frustrated, but there was no one to blame but myself. I never showed the team members how I wanted that task done.

Creates Accountability

We all need accountability in our lives in so many areas. Checklists do just that, create accountability.

I had one amazing team member who loved checklists! She would check off each task and do it well, then come to me with questions and suggestions for completing each task better. She was accountable to me, and I was accountable to her.

I also had several team members who would check the box but would not do the task. Some would also do the task not to the standard they were trained to and mark it as complete. Because I say the checklist was completed and all tasks done, I was able to trace back easily who did the task, find patterns with certain team members, retrain, and even let go of team members who were not willing to help me in my company to the standard needed to run the company.

Accountability works for both the team and the business owner.

Checklist Conclusion

Start creating your business checklists today. Start with the simplest tasks, like opening the door. Add details to ensure each task is done to standard. Train your staff to complete them to standard. Lastly, don’t forget to check their work. The checklist is merely a guide and will need to be checked to ensure it is done.