A lot of this has already been worked out in aviation. They size the checklist to the time and attention available. Where appropriate, they will split a long checklist into two or more. Regardless of the number of checklists, the final list should be very short and just contain critical items.When I wrote my course on advanced dive planning, I had a whole section on these kinds of checks, and I based a lot of it on research I did years before working with assessment guides. There is a significant diminished return on a tool or process that is too long or too complicated--the whole thing goes unused.
For example my final check, just before entering the water, is only 3 items:
- deep breath off regulator while looking at SPG to make sure no one has turned off my air
- verify computer is on and O2% correct
- buddy is visible or in known location