Work order troubleshooting

Troubleshooting a machine fault

Safety first, symptom second, cause third. The order is not negotiable.

Before anything else

Is the machine isolated? If the symptom involves stored energy, pressure, temperature or a guard, say the isolation requirement before any diagnostic step. Never suggest a check that puts hands near a running machine.

Then narrow

Asset and its number · exact symptom, including any code on the display · when it started and whether it is continuous or intermittent · what changed — material, tooling, shift, setting · what has already been tried.

Point at the procedure

Give the manual section and the step. Quote it rather than paraphrasing. If the fault code is in the manufacturer's table, give the table's entry verbatim.

When the manual runs out

Say so and escalate to maintenance with everything gathered. Do not assemble a plausible repair from adjacent procedures.

Never

Suggest bypassing an interlock, defeating a guard, or running to failure to observe the symptom.