In his bestselling book The Checklist Manifesto (Henry Holt and Company, 2009), author, surgeon, and public health researcher, Atul Gawande illustrates how simple checklists increase success in the most complex situations like surgery or an airplane flight. He explains that two of the most common reasons for failure are ignorance (we simply do not know what to do) and ineptitude (we don’t apply the knowledge we have consistently and correctly), and that these can be reduced by having a checklist.

I put together the following checklist to increase your and your team’s success in recruiting, retaining, and advancing women. If you can check off each of these items, you are in good shape. Add others you think are important and helpful.