If there is a best practice, it should be a standard operating procedure. If there is a standard operating procedure it should live in a checklist. Checklists are your friends.

You show me a workplace in which things can't go wrong and I'll show you a workplace filled with checklists. Have you ever been in the cockpit of an airplane? Guess what they have there. They have checklists. Guess why? Because they don't want the plane to crash. Have you ever been in a surgical theater? Guess what they use there? They use checklists. You know why? Because they don't want to cut in the wrong place. Have you ever been in a nuclear weapons launch site? Guess what they have? Checklists. You know why? Because if things go wrong there, it would be really, really bad.

Checklists are your friends. Checklists make sure things go right.

Now... If you've already got lots of checklists, then maybe you need to add words verbally to the checklist to bring that checklist alive. Maybe you need a checklist for the checklist. Sometimes you need a checklist for the checklist for the checklist.

The most important thing is to help your employees USE checklists as tools to help them do more work better and faster every step of the way.

One of the things that I tell managers is: The way you know if a one-on-one conversation is really complete is this. Have you concluded that one-on-one conversation by making a very real checklist for all of the concrete steps you want that person to take between now and the next time you talk.

And remember, checklists are wonderful self-monitoring tools as long as you teach employees to go, "CHECK!"

BONUS MANAGEMENT BEST PRACTICE
Do you currently have any direct-reports whose tasks and responsibilities can be evaluated in progress by checking random samples of their work in progress?

EXAMPLES: If you have employees who create reports, you could check random samples of their reports. If you have employees who clean, you could check random samples of the areas they are supposed to be cleaning. If you have employees who prepare food, you could check random samples to make sure the food tastes right and is hot, etc.

How many direct-reports do work you could monitor in progress by checking random samples? Name them. Spot check random samples of each person's work in progress this week. Take samples if you can. Take notes of course. Discuss what you find in your next one-on-one with each person. If this method works for you, consider using it from now on.