A checklist is a type of job aid used in repetitive tasks to reduce
failure by compensating for potential limits of human memory and attention.
Checklists are used both to ensure that safety-critical system preparations
are carried out completely and in the correct order, and in less critical
applications to ensure that no step is left out of a procedure. they help to
ensure consistency and completeness in carrying out a task. A basic example is
the "to do list". A more advanced checklist would be a schedule, which lays
out tasks to be done according to time of day or other factors, or a pre-
flight checklist for an airliner, which should ensure a safe take-off.
A primary function of a checklist is documentation of the task and auditing
against the documentation.