Articles
Practical writing on maintenance & reliability
In-depth pieces on planning, preventive maintenance, defect elimination, and the leadership habits that make reliability stick.
62 articles found
FeaturedArticleHow much does Maintenance Planning & Scheduling training cost?
Maintenance planning training costs roughly $20 to $8,475+. Full pricing for every major provider, hidden costs, volume discounts, and how to budget well.
FeaturedArticleThe best Maintenance Planning & Scheduling training courses (for 2026)
The best maintenance planning and scheduling training courses for 2026, compared: pricing, implementation focus, support, and how to choose the right one.
ArticleWhy should you train your team in their native language?
Language barriers cause errors, safety risks, and poor training ROI. Discover why native-language maintenance training improves safety, retention, and productivity.
ArticleWhy most Maintenance Planning & Scheduling efforts fail
Avoid the common mistakes that cause planning and scheduling programs to fail, and learn what it really takes to succeed.
ArticleWhat is Corrective Maintenance?
Corrective maintenance is a vital part of any PM program. Learn what it is, when to use it, and how to manage cost and risk effectively.
ArticleThe critical role of wrench time in maintenance and reliability
Wrench time is more than a buzzword. Learn what it means, why it matters, and how to improve it through better planning and scheduling.
ArticleWhat are maintenance strategies?
Learn the difference between maintenance philosophy, strategy, and maintenance type, and why using the right mix is key to reliable plant performance.
ArticleWhat is Predictive Maintenance?
Predictive maintenance helps prevent unexpected failures. Learn how it works, when to use it, and how it fits into a modern reliability strategy.
ArticleA complete guide to Condition-Based Maintenance
Find out what condition-based maintenance is, how it works, and when it’s the right strategy for optimising reliability.
FeaturedArticleEscaping the vicious cycle of reactive maintenance
The 4 essential steps on the Road to Reliability to break free from reactive maintenance and shift your team to a proactive, planned approach that drives real results.
ArticleHow to prioritise maintenance work requests
Learn the two proven methods (RIME and RAM) for prioritising maintenance work requests objectively. Reduce emergencies, cut costs, and keep your weekly schedule under control.
ArticleStandardise your process before automating it
Automation can’t fix broken processes. Learn why standardising your maintenance workflow first is critical for real efficiency and reliability gains.
ArticleThe Waddington effect
The Waddington Effect shows how too much maintenance can actually lead to more failures. Learn how to optimise PM for reliability, not disruption.
ArticleHow to stay reliable DESPITE maintenance budget cuts
Facing maintenance budget cuts? Learn practical ways to protect reliability, cut waste, and keep your plant running smoothly, without overspending.
ArticleWhy do we reward poor behaviour?
Rewarding overtime heroes fuels reactive culture. Learn why fixing fast isn’t enough, and how to build true reliability instead.
ArticleHow to choose the right CMMS
Choosing a CMMS? Discover 10 essential factors to find the right fit for your maintenance team, without wasting time or money.
ArticleRCM’s bad reputation
RCM often gets a bad reputation, but not because it doesn’t work. Discover the real reasons why RCM fails and how to make it deliver results.
ArticleCBM efforts fail without Planning & Scheduling
CBM won’t work in reactive environments. Learn why Planning & Scheduling must come first to make your CBM program deliver real results.
ArticleRoot cause failure analysis using the 5 Whys method
The 5 Whys is a simple, powerful tool for root cause analysis. Learn how to use it to stop repeat failures and fix problems for good.
ArticleUnlock leadership support for maintenance
Struggling to get leadership buy-in? Learn how to earn lasting support for maintenance by speaking their language and showing real business value.
ArticleRisk-based criticality: a time waster
Risk-based criticality takes time but gives little value. Learn a simpler, faster way to identify critical assets without wasting resources.
ArticleMaintenance planners deserve BETTER.
Maintenance planners improve productivity yet remain undervalued. Learn why recognising, training, and rewarding them is key to maintenance success.
FeaturedArticleThe reliability culture ladder
Climb the Reliability Culture Ladder and transform your team from reactive to proactive through cultural and operational change.
ArticleMaster the basics: your key to tech success
Technology won’t fix poor maintenance. Learn why mastering the basics is essential to plant reliability and long-term success.
ArticleYou can’t maintain your way to reliability
Doing more maintenance doesn’t guarantee reliability. Learn why smart strategy, not just more work, is the key to building a reliable plant.
Article5 mistakes in Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM)
Avoid these 5 common mistakes in RCM that derail your maintenance strategy. Learn how to apply Reliability Centered Maintenance the right way.
ArticleWhat is Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM)?
Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) helps you build a safe, cost-effective PM program. Learn how it works and when to apply it in your plant.
ArticleWhat is Risk-Based Maintenance (RBM)?
Risk-Based Maintenance helps you prioritise limited resources. Learn how it works and when to use it to reduce failure risk and improve reliability.
ArticleHow to close out maintenance work orders
Learn how to properly close out maintenance work orders to drive improvement, capture history, and improve reliability in your plant.
Article3 major sources of waste in maintenance
Discover 3 major sources of maintenance waste, and how to eliminate delays, bad PMs, and repeat failures to run a more reliable plant.
FeaturedArticleThe 9 types of maintenance: how to choose the right maintenance strategy
Discover the 9 types of maintenance and how they fit into preventive and corrective strategies. Learn when each applies in practice.
ArticleWhat is Time-Based Maintenance (TBM)?
Time-based maintenance isn’t always effective. Learn when to use it, when to avoid it, and how to apply it correctly to protect your assets.
ArticleHidden failures in maintenance
Hidden failures can go undetected for years. Learn how to identify these silent threats and prevent them from undermining plant reliability.
ArticleFailures vs. functional failures vs. failure modes vs. failure mechanism
Confused by failure terms? Learn the difference between failures, functional failures, failure modes, and mechanisms, explained simply and clearly.
ArticleStop trying to fix everything
Not every failure needs fixing. Learn how to focus your maintenance efforts on what truly matters to improve reliability and reduce wasted effort
ArticleThe 5 types of Preventive Maintenance
Explore the 5 types of preventive maintenance, when to use each, and how they help reduce failures, cut costs, and improve equipment reliability.
ArticleInformation overload in maintenance training
Too much information can overwhelm your team. Learn how to simplify maintenance training so it sticks and leads to real on-the-job improvement.
ArticleWhy should we bother with maintenance scheduling?
Discover why maintenance scheduling is essential for reducing downtime, avoiding chaos, and boosting plant reliability long-term.
Article5 steps to manage maintenance backlogs
Use these 5 steps to take control of your maintenance backlog, improve team productivity, and stay ahead of costly breakdowns.
Article5 common mistakes in maintenance planning
Avoid 5 common planning mistakes that reduce efficiency and reliability, and learn how to plan for better maintenance outcomes.
ArticleThe one KPI every maintenance planner should be using
Find out the single most important KPI for maintenance planners, and how it can drive productivity, reduce waste, and improve planning.
ArticleHow to deal with emergency maintenance
Emergency maintenance is chaotic and costly. Learn how to manage it effectively, reduce stress, and prevent it from becoming your daily norm.
ArticleMaintenance vs. production
Maintenance and production often clash, but they don’t have to. Learn how to align both teams to reduce downtime and improve plant performance.
ArticleOvertime is E.V.I.L
Overtime hides deeper issues in your maintenance process. Learn why it's not the solution, and how to fix the real problems dragging you down.
ArticleHigh-cost ≠ high reliability
Spending more doesn’t mean better reliability. Learn why high costs often hide inefficiencies, and how to achieve reliability without overspending.
Article3 ways to find money in maintenance
Discover 3 practical ways to uncover hidden savings in your maintenance budget, without cutting corners or sacrificing reliability.
ArticleMaintenance planning is NOT a desk job
Great planning doesn’t happen behind a desk. Learn why effective maintenance planners must engage with the field to drive real reliability results.
ArticleWhy do engineers insist on making things complicated?
Discover why engineers often choose complex solutions over simpler ones, and how complexity bias can hurt your reliability improvement efforts.
ArticleOne extra hour for your maintenance crew
Give your crew an extra hour a day, without overtime. Learn how Planning & Scheduling can improve productivity and morale.
FeaturedArticleIs your Preventive Maintenance even worth doing?
Not all PM tasks add value. Learn how to evaluate and improve your preventive maintenance program to stop wasting time and resources.
ArticleHow to get more work done faster
Improve maintenance productivity by reducing delays. Learn 6 steps to get more work done faster, through better planning and scheduling.
ArticleMTBF: Mean Time Between Failure
MTBF is one of the most misunderstood reliability metrics. Learn what it really means, how to use it, when to avoid it, and why it matters.
FeaturedArticleHow to reduce maintenance costs sustainably in 4 simple steps
Learn how to reduce maintenance costs without cutting corners, 4 practical steps to maximise asset performance & improve reliability.
FeaturedArticleWhy the FMEA is my equipment not reliable?
Learn how to use FMEA to analyse failure modes and prevent equipment breakdowns with targeted, effective maintenance tasks.
ArticleHow to improve Preventive Maintenance programs in 6 steps
Discover 6 practical steps to improve your preventive maintenance program and reduce failures, costs, and unplanned downtime.
FeaturedArticle9 principles for effective PM programs - based on Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM)
Learn the 9 core principles derived from Reliability Centered Maintenance and how to use these to create effective and efficient PM programs. Less maintenance, more reliability.
ArticleWhy are we so bad at maintenance management?
Discover 8 reasons why maintenance management fails, and what to do about it. Learn how to lead change and drive reliability in your organisation.
FeaturedArticleWhat effective Defect Elimination looks like
Discover what effective defect elimination looks like. Learn how culture, process, and the 1% rule drive reliability improvements.
FeaturedArticleDefect elimination: why you can't do without
Defect elimination is a must for reliability. Learn what it is, why it works, and how to apply it in your maintenance strategy.
FeaturedArticleWithout Planning & Scheduling you will fail
Without planning and scheduling, reliability is impossible. Learn the key steps, roles, and mistakes to avoid for lasting maintenance success.
FeaturedArticleHow to sell Planning & Scheduling to your CEO
Learn how to get leadership buy-in for planning and scheduling by speaking your CEO’s language: data, dollars, and long-term results.
FeaturedArticleImplementing Maintenance Planning & Scheduling
Step-by-step guide to successfully implementing maintenance planning and scheduling in your organisation—no fluff, just results.