The Checklist Manifesto
The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawandeby Atul Gawande
Shares rank 30 of 152 nonfiction books by recommenders
Recommended as a clear, practical guide to building good checklists and getting things done with higher quality. Critics say the material is thin for its length.
Recommended as a clear, practical guide to building good checklists and getting things done with higher quality. Critics say the material is thin for its length.
8 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 7
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 88%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 7 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 7 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Excellent book on checklists
“I highly recommend The Checklist Manifesto for a excellent guide on how to construct good checklists.”
Comment from 18 Dec 2025 in “How SQLite is tested” “Shoutout to Dr. Atul Gawande's excellent book The Checklist Manifesto”
Comment from 18 Dec 2025 in “How SQLite is tested” Advice on higher-quality work and systems
“It's a great book that has some excellent advice about getting things done with higher quality”
Comment from 15 Jul 2026 in “Prioritize mental health, and why communication is so important” “both talk, in detail, about how to build systems even in very dynamic environments”
Comment from 5 Jul 2026 in “Papa Johns Can Predict When Your Fridge Is Empty”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Padded, much thinner than its length
“a pamphlet's worth of material inflated to fill about 250 pages”
Comment from 18 Dec 2025 in “How SQLite is tested” “My suspicion is there is 5 good pages of material stretched out 20-50x.”
Comment from 18 Dec 2025 in “How SQLite is tested”
Other nonfiction books people recommend
The four most recommended other nonfiction books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Cuckoo's Eggby Cliff Stoll | 40 | 0 | 100% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Amusing Ourselves to Deathby Neil Postman | 36 | 0 | 100% | 9 | 1 yr3 owners | Approved |
| The Anxious Generationby Jonathan Haidt | 24 | 12 | 67% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Bullshit Jobsby David Graeber | 20 | 12 | 63% | 8 | — | — |
| The Checklist Manifestoby Atul GawandeThis page | 7 | 1 | 88% | 5 | — | — |
What people said
All 9 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“It's a great book that has some excellent advice about getting things done with higher quality”
“both talk, in detail, about how to build systems even in very dynamic environments”
“If you enjoyed this you'll likely enjoy the checklist manifesto”
“The double edged sword of the checklist manifesto, though I overall think it has been beneficial.”
“Shoutout to Dr. Atul Gawande's excellent book The Checklist Manifesto”
“My suspicion is there is 5 good pages of material stretched out 20-50x.”
“a pamphlet's worth of material inflated to fill about 250 pages”
“I highly recommend The Checklist Manifesto for a excellent guide on how to construct good checklists.”
“checklists give nurses the power to challenge doctors”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.