Smart Office Managers insist on checklists to prevent problems. They know that an office checklist means a head start in completing all tasks in a timely fashion and keeping employees secure in their jobs. Ultimately responsible for all duties performed within the department, the office checklist helps ensure information is current, all steps have been accounted for, and employees can clear their desks, ready for the next day's work.

The smaller the office, the less room there is for missed deadlines and reports. Office checklists keep everyone aware of what needs to be done without the Office Manager having to turn into an ogre. When your department is only an arm of a much larger organization, it becomes even more imperative that forms and checklists are in place to keep work flowing smoothly. Nothing is more infuriating than to be told a report isn't available because you donot know the status of the job being done by someone in your department.

When creating and using checklists:

• make sure you understand the actual flow of work from one employee to another
• verify that the checklist in use is current
• throw out folders with old instructions for any job or software in your department
• redo checklists every time a new employee is hired
• use initials on the checklist as each employee completes a task
• donot make the office checklist a complex document
• post-it notes are NOT checklists