Institutional Checklists support stakeholders to plan, divide and monitor tasks and activities. They help to organise schedules and routines to optimise compliance or support self-assessment. The Checklists are typically used in schools, healthcare centres or other institutions.

Institutional Checklists facilitate the identification and implementation of tasks and activities. Where possible, tasks and activities should be jointly agreed upon with the people undertaking them to create a sense of ownership. Categories might include a list of tasks to be undertaken, when and by whom. Ideally, the appropriate category is signed and dated when the task has been completed. Checklists can also be useful for assessment or monitoring activities. If, for example, school latrine cleaning is monitored, Checklists help track when the activity was carried out and by whom. Checklists can assist technical staff or caretakers to carry out regularly recurring operational and maintenance tasks by providing an overview of when, where and how the task should be performed. Checklists can help staff to adhere to specific infrastructural or other standards. They can also enhance accountability by ensuring that everyone knows what to do and whether it has been done.

Applicability

Checklists have a variety of uses and can be employed in most contexts and at all stages in the programme cycle. Institutional Checklists can simplify the fulfilment of responsibilities by providing a visual presentation of the required tasks and measures. They can, at the same time, also create (social) pressure to accomplish them.

Do

• Structure the Checklist so that it is clear and easy to use

• Make Checklists visible to everyone when documenting cleaning schedules or maintenance tasks

• Depending on literacy levels, it may be preferable to use symbols or graphics on the Checklist, rather than text

Don't

• Do not overcomplicate a Checklist with long sentences and too many tables to fill in 

Practical Example

The WASH in Schools Network provides helpful Checklists for managing COVID-19 in schools, including school entrances, classrooms and toilets. The Checklists are published by GIZ, UNICEF, WaterAid and Save the Children. The Checklists guide educators, practitioners and other school actors on key considerations for when schools reopen, to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The checklists also divide the tasks into weekdays, to be signed and dated by the respective supervisors.