You might have seen it or experienced this before. A technician finishes a repair. He closes the work order. The machine runs for two hours. Then it stops again.
Same symptom. Same part. Same guy. Sounds familiar, right?
But this time, he swears: “I did everything right.” So what went wrong?
At one food processing plant we visited last year, this was happening every week. Motors failing. Bearings seizing. Downtime piling up. When we interacted with the team we found that their team wasn’t lazy. They weren’t untrained. They just didn’t have a system.
- No checklist.
- No standard way to do the job.
- Just memory, habits, and hope.
Across town, another plant who is our very old and reputed client — same size, same equipment, same production load — had almost zero repeat failures. Then we tried to examine what was different? One thing: they used checklists inside their CMMS.
Not paper. Not mental notes. Completely operating on digital, step-by-step guides — built into every work order. And the result?
- Fewer breakdowns.
- Less overtime.
- Smoother audits.
- Faster training.
It wasn’t magic nor new machines. It was a structured approach they are practicing and nailing it.
After visiting over 60 plants in the past few years, one pattern stands out: The best maintenance teams don’t work harder. They work smarter — and one thing is common in all of them is that every high performing maintenance team always works with digital checklists.
Let’s break down what we’ve seen — and how you can use it.
What Could Be The Cost of Skipping the Checklist in Maintenance Management?
We’ve walked through workshops and big plant where:
- A bearing failed because someone forgot to grease it after replacement
- A conveyor burned up because alignment wasn’t checked
- A safety audit turned into a crisis — no proof that PMs were done
All preventable.
But here’s what’s worse:
These weren’t rookie mistakes. They were made by experienced techs, under pressure, where they feel rushed and distracted.
Memory fails.
Habits drift.
Even the best people miss steps.
At one facility using paper-only checklists, we found:
- 40% of PMs missing at least one critical step
- 1 in 3 repairs repeated within 30 days
- Techs spending 2+ hours per week just filling out forms
No surprise they were burning through overtime. Then they implemented TeroTAM and shifted whole maintenance management operations to it with digital checklists attached to every work order.
Three months later, when we visited again and taken feedbacks, we found that:
- Repeat repairs dropped by 62%
- PM compliance jumped from 58% to 94%
- New techs were doing full repairs solo in under 4 weeks
And, how did this happen? – No new hires. No new tools. Just a better process.
What High-Performing Teams Actually Do Differently
We’ve compared plants that struggle with those that run smooth. Here’s what sets them apart.
They Don’t Rely on Memory — They Use Checklists for Everything
Most teams only use checklists for big jobs. Smart teams use them for all tasks:
- Daily inspections
- Motor swaps
- Lubrication rounds
- Shift handovers
- Startup procedures
At a pharmaceutical plant using our software, every preventive task opens with a checklist.
For Example: Bearing replacement on a mixer motor.
Instead of just “Replace bearing,” the checklist says:
- LOTO applied — tag verified
- Old grease cleaned from housing
- New bearing pressed evenly — no hammering
- Shaft runout < 0.002”
- Coupling gap set to 0.005”
- Torque bolts to 30 ft-lbs (star pattern)
- Run 10 min — check temp & vibration
- Sign + timestamp
Simple. Clear. Hard to skip.
And yes — they take photos at each step. Proof it was done. No guessing. No arguments. Just results.
They Use Digital — Not Paper
One manager showed us his “PM binder.” Thick. Water-stained. Half the pages are torn out.
“How do you know if it was done?” we asked.
He shrugged. “I trust my guys.”
That’s nice. But trust isn’t data. Plants using digital checklists get:
- Auto-time stamps when each step is completed
- Photo uploads linked to the work order
- Alerts if a step is skipped
- Reports showing who’s consistent, who needs help
One supervisor said:
“I used to chase people down to see if a PM was done. Now I open the system — boom — I see it was completed at 9:17 a.m., with pictures and a signature.”
That’s control.
They Let Techs Help Build the Checklists
Top-down checklists fail. Why? Because they don’t match reality. The best sites involve their techs in creating checklists.
At a beverage bottling plant, we watched a senior mechanic walk through a valve rebuild. He pointed out three steps the old checklist missed:
- Draining residual pressure before disassembly
- Checking seat wear with a feeler gauge
- Testing actuator response before reinstallation
Those got added — instantly.
Now every tech uses that updated checklist and the outcome? – No more surprises.
When checklists are built with the team, they’re more likely to be used – properly and dedicatedly.
They Review and Update Them Regularly
Checklists aren’t set-and-forget. One plant changed their motor replacement procedure after a VFD kept tripping. Turns out, the checklist didn’t include verifying VFD settings post-install.
Later they fixed it and the problem was gone.
So, what’s the catch? – Smart teams review checklists every 90 days — especially after a failure. If the machine changed, the checklist should too.
How TeroTam Helps Teams Turn Checklists Into Results
We don’t just sell software. We help teams build better habits. In every implementation, we focus on three things:
1. Make It Easy to Use
If it’s hard, they won’t do it.
- TeroTAM checklists pop up automatically with the work order.
- It works everywhere, on tablets. On phones. On shop-floor kiosks.
- Tap each box. Add a photo. Hit “Done.”
No extra login. No printing. No hunting. Just complete focus on the job.
2. Make It Visual
Words alone don’t stick. We help teams add:
- Photos of correct vs. incorrect setups
- Short video clips of tricky steps
- Links to manuals or torque specs
One plant added a QR code on each pump.
Scan it → Open the checklist.
Techs love it. Supervisors love it more.
3. Make It Actionable
Data should drive decisions. With TeroTAM, you can see:
- Which checklists are skipped most
- Which assets have the most incomplete steps
- Who’s doing great — and who needs coaching
One manager found that 70% of missed lubrication steps happened on Friday afternoons. Turns out, the crew was rushing to leave.
Based on this insightful data, they fixed the schedule and fixed the problem.
What This Means for You — Whether You’re a Tech, Supervisor, or Owner
You’re not looking for fluff. You want fewer breakdowns. Less overtime. Fewer headaches. Checklists deliver that — especially when they’re built into your CMMS.
Here’s what we consistently see:
| BEFORE CHECKLISTS | AFTER TEROTAM IMPLEMENTATION, WITH DIGITAL CHECKLISTS |
| 3–4 repeat repairs/month | 0–1 repeat repairs/month |
| 50% PM completion rate | 90%+ PM completion rate |
| 8+ hours weekly on paperwork | 2 hours weekly |
| Audit prep takes days | Ready in minutes |
| New techs take 3+ months to contribute | Productive in 4–6 weeks |
This isn’t a theory. It’s what happens when you give your team a clear, repeatable way to do the job.
How to Start Without Overhauling Everything
You don’t need to change your whole system tomorrow.
Try this:
- Pick one problem machine — the one that breaks all the time.
- Sit with your top tech — watch them fix it. Write down every step.
- Build a 6–8 step checklist — plain language, no jargon.
- Load it into TeroTAM CMMS — attach it to the asset.
- Run it for two weeks — track: Did it break again? Did techs follow it?
- Adjust and expand — once it works, do it again on the next machine.
In 60 days, you’ll have 4–5 solid checklists. And your downtime? It’ll start dropping.
Final Thought
A digital checklist protects your equipment, your team, your uptime, and of course your reputation. The best teams aren’t the ones with the fanciest tools. They’re the ones who do the basics — right — every single time. And a digital checklist makes that possible.
Want to See How It Works? – We’ll show you how to build your first digital checklist in TeroTAM — live, in 15 minutes. Just schedule a free 1-on-1 Demo with our team backed by a quick free trial and experience it yourself.
Want to know more or discuss some specific points? – Drop us a line at contact@terotam.com
