The role of paperless manuals and integrated diagnostics in improving maintenance

The author presents two models of the conditions affecting maintenance. It is shown that maintenance conditions act to degrade diagnosis to a much greater extent than they degrade non-troubleshooting (NTS) maintenance. A detailed examination of diagnosis and NTS maintenance indicated that the difference in the conditions´ impact is caused by properties of decision-making and the large amount of decision-making involved in diagnosis alone. The models can be used to identify the main sources of maintenance problems, and technologies capable of addressing problems at the source. They can also be used to predict fruitful areas for research and development, and for focusing research and development resources. An example of this use of the models is provided, focusing on inadequate or ineffective maintenance procedures as a source of problems degrading maintenance