The Importance of a Checklist When Using Smartphone and Tablet Mobile Computing

Let's start imagining you're getting on a plane. Before it departs from the gate, you observe the pilot using a checklist. I've looked out the window prior to take-off to see the pilot outside making his inspection, putting his hands on the wings, feeling along the surface to sense if any of the rivets became unseated, checking the landing gear, the engines, examining them.

It inspired confidence in me to see it and I wondered about those 150 passengers on Captain Sully's US Airways Flight 1549 airplane that survived the violent splashdown landing on the Hudson River back in 2009. Ever since then, I always look for the pilot's inspection. Sometimes I don't see it happen, but that is a story for another day. The point is, the pilot routinely uses a checklist, so should you.

Now imagine it's crunch time and you need to use a mobile device like a notebook computer, tablet, or smart phone to meet critical obligations. You will be better off using a checklist before you depart, lest you'll be limited in your ability to get things done on the move.

Sometimes it matters less to have a checklist, but when you're expanding your capacity as a savvy mobilist in a world of more deadlines, and higher expectations of being productive, it's a good thing to study the strategies and tools of a mobile device warrior. Using a checklist like the one here is a starting point.

Mobile Device Warrior Checklist

    Device Updated
    Battery Charged
    Desktop Running
    Access to Workspace
    Network Coverage
    Internet Connectivity
    Collaboration Platform
    Content and Application Access
    APPS Updated

If you've never done this before, it could seem daunting, but step by step you can assemble the tools, services, and applications, and master the techniques to untether yourself from the desktop and be more productive.

With this checklist done, you can leave the cubicle and desktop. You may be out of the office, but you are not out of touch. You're fully able to collaborate with the team. You carry a device and you know how to use it.

Sometimes, what you know about using your mobile device is not enough, because you need to do some heavy editing, design work, file administration, or programming and time is really tight. It is under these constrained conditions that your checklist is most valuable. You want to make sure these crunch times are carefree, and you're operating at an advanced level.