Mind Tools E-book
	The key tools on the Mind Tools site, brought together into one easily downloadable, easily printable PDF. More>>

Using Aides Memoire

How to Use the Tool:

An Aide Memoire (Memory aid) is a structured list of points or headings that should be considered when solving a particular problem. It tends to be specific to the type of problem being faced.

A good aide memoire or checklist can be a very powerful planning tool, as it will contain a great deal of the experience of the people who developed it. If you use a good aide memoire effectively, you can be reasonably confident that you will have considered all relevant factors. Often this makes the difference between carrying out a task effectively and making a mess of it, particularly when you are under pressure.

Aides Memoire are routinely used in areas as diverse as computer systems analysis, construction of financial proposals and military planning.

Developing an Aide Memoire

If you are solving a common problem, then a good aide memoire may already exist for it. If you cannot find a good pre-prepared one, then you may have to develop it for yourself. This is worthwhile where you need to plan a number of similar jobs.

Developing an aide memoire is an ...

Full text of this article is available to members of the Mind Tools Career Excellence Club. If you're a member, please click here for full text, or sign in below.

Key points:

An aide memoire is a standard list of points or headings that show what you should consider while you are planning to solve a problem. By using an aide memoire you ensure that you do not forget important factors.

Aides memoire should be improved continuously. If you find that have not included an important point, then update the list appropriately. This ensures that the next time you use the aide memoire you will remember to think about the point. This will improve the quality and depth of future planning that you carry out.

In our next article we look at how you can start applying these memory techniques: By using them when you learn a foreign language. To read this, click "Next article" below. Other relevant destinations are shown in the "Where to go from here" list underneath.

Where to go from here:		Join Mind Tools		Free Newsletter
		Download & Print		Next Article

New Articles (Not included in the Mind Tools E-book.)
* Shows articles available in full only to Career Excellence Club members

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) - Spotting problems early on*
TRIZ - A powerful methodology for creative problem-solving
The Straw Man Concept - Build it up, knock it down, create a solid final solution
Heuristic Methods - Using rules of thumb*
Writing a Procedure - Making sure things are done without mistakes and omissions.
Swim Lane Diagrams - Mapping and improving organizational processes*
5 Whys - Getting quickly to the root of a problem
Root Cause Analysis - Tracing a problem to its origins
CATWOE - Understanding the different elements that contribute to a problem*
Inductive Reasoning - Drawing good generalized conclusions*
Avoiding Logical Fallacies - What they are, and how to avoid them*

A full list of Mind Tools articles is available here.

return to top

Learn to manage the stress in your life with our sister site, stress.mindtools.com.

Online Training
Mind Tools Store: Mind Tools Ebook, Make Time for Success
 Stress Management Masterclass, How to Lead
 Relaxation MP3s

© Mind Tools Ltd, 1995-2010, All Rights Reserved

We welcome appropriate reprinting and reuse of Mind Tools material,
however, you must get our permission first!
To do this, please visit our Permissions Center.

Store · Search · Newsletter · Downloads · Advertisers · Affiliates

MindTools.com is one of the Internet's most-visited career skills resources.
Click here to see analysis.