The building industry delegates power to resolve complex situations. This is important when there are problems that are difficult to plan for. Gawande says, “In response to risk, most authorities tend to centralize power and decision making.” This typical response was disatrous for New Orleans when Katrina hit. State and Federal officials refused to cede power to local officials. Supplies were even turned away due to lack of communication. Still, private groups such as Walmart were able to continue operations by delegating decision-making power to their local representatives. In one case, a manager gave away water, diapers, and other essentials. In another, facing complete loss of product due to flood, the store manager gave away everything, and even risked life and limb to save medicines. The lesson is not that private is better than public, but that complexity requires delegation of power and responsibility.

David Lee Roth of Van Halen explained a clause in his contract that required a bowl of M&Ms without any brown pieces. He used it as a way to break a contract if he found the equipment and stage setup to be dangerous. The idea was that lack of attention to detail could be signaled by the presence of a brown M&M, and that would lead the band to run through their own checklist of items to guarantee safety.

Jody Adams, chef and owner of Rialto, uses checklists in her kitchens. Aside from the recipies, which are themselves checklists, she also had “Kitchen Notes,” her observations about food from previous nights. They also use checklists for each customer, listing table and seat, preferences, and allergies. The sous chef asks for confirmation of each ticket item as she shouts it out to the kitchen. Finally, either Adams or the sous chef performs a final review before each dish leaves the kitchen.