The Checklist Manifesto

Surgeon and writer Atul Gawande noticed that in fields from medicine to aviation, catastrophic failures often came not from ignorance but from smart people skipping simple steps under pressure. His remedy is almost embarrassingly humble: the checklist. Through stories of operating rooms, cockpits, and skyscraper construction, he shows how a short list of the right checks can catch the deadly oversights expertise alone misses. Jack Dorsey gives a copy to every new Square employee, making it a foundational text at the company.