Mike Mason explores how effective decision-making in diving depends on both intuitive (System 1) and analytical (System 2) thinking, highlighting the crucial role of checklists in bridging the gap between these systems. Checklists serve as prompts to prevent errors caused by cognitive shortcuts, ensuring safety-critical steps are not missed. Effective checklists should be simple, logical, and standardised, encouraging team coordination through techniques like point-touch-verbalise and peer checks. However, their value depends on proper integration into workflows and a culture that sees them as tools for managing human variability, not mere box-ticking. When used correctly, checklists enhance safety, accountability, and decision-making in high-risk environments.

Original blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/designing-checklists-that-work-slowing-down-to-get-it-right

Tags:  English, Checklists, Decision Making, Decision-Making, Mike Mason