A rehearsal checklist IS a list of things that you do before and after rehearsal. For example, sweep the stage, mop, make coffee... etc. It's important so that you don't forget anything like, "oh crap! I need those prop balloons for the scene with the clowns! Assistant, go run next door to the place and grab those!" while clowns are all waiting around impatiently for their ever necessary balloons.
That said, I've never actually made one. Should I have? You bet! I've forgotten things on occasion (like shutting off the compressor so it doesn't make a tremendously loud noise while the actors are trying to talk...), which would have been taken care of had I created a checklist.
For a rehearsal checklist, rather than a show checklist, I might even break down props etc that you need by scene that way you can say, "I need a table, lamp and chairs SL for when we get to scene 5, but then we're jumping to scene 7 so I should put the balloons SR because they normally get moved there after scene 2" Whereas the balloons may usually start the show SL (and that's that you're Pre-Production checklist would say), but they're moved during the show so they have a different starting place for a different scene. Generally, I would have that information elsewhere that I reviewed before rehearsal to make sure that we had all the rehearsal props (or even rehearsal prop-stand ins) needed in the right place.
Hope that makes sense and also explains why a pre-production checklist is a little bit different. If you've got a small show with a limited number of props and very easy daily set up, it may not be necessary, but if you've got a lot of things happening (and if you have assistants so you're not all working on the same project) it can be useful.
