Condition-Based Maintenance CBM Programme Development Training Course

Course overview

Unplanned failures are rarely caused by a lack of maintenance activity; they result from applying the wrong task, collecting condition data without decision rules, or failing to convert findings into timely work. This course addresses the practical challenge of building a condition-based maintenance (CBM) programme that targets critical failure modes, selects appropriate monitoring technologies, defines alarm limits, and routes actionable findings into the maintenance management system. Participants learn to move from reactive inspections and calendar-based routines to evidence-led intervention decisions.

The course covers the full CBM programme-development process: asset criticality ranking, failure-mode analysis, P-F interval logic, monitoring technique selection, data collection routes, baseline creation, alarm-setting methods, diagnostic workflows, and work-order integration. Participants practise using FMECA, RCM decision logic, condition-monitoring matrices, inspection task sheets, and KPI definitions. They learn how to match vibration analysis, infrared thermography, ultrasound, oil analysis, motor-current testing, and operator inspections to the degradation mechanisms that each technique can reliably detect.

Delivery combines instructor-led technical sessions with equipment-intensive case work, failure-data analysis, and facilitated design workshops. Working from a realistic plant asset portfolio, participants build a CBM programme pack containing an asset-criticality model, failure-mode-to-monitoring matrix, monitoring routes, alarm-response rules, CMMS workflow requirements, and implementation measures. This provides a practical template that can be adapted for a production line, utilities system, fleet, rotating-equipment area, or process plant.

The course is designed for experienced maintenance, reliability, operations, and engineering professionals who must establish, improve, govern, or justify a CBM programme rather than simply perform individual condition-monitoring tests.

Course objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Prioritise assets for CBM using an asset-criticality ranking model and consequence criteria
• Analyse dominant failure modes using FMECA and P-F interval reasoning
• Select vibration, thermography, ultrasound, oil analysis, and inspection methods against specific degradation mechanisms
• Create a failure-mode-to-monitoring matrix with measurable condition indicators and collection intervals
• Set baseline, alert, and alarm limits using trend data, statistical thresholds, and engineering limits
• Design condition-monitoring routes, task instructions, data-quality controls, and acceptance criteria
• Configure a finding-to-work-order decision workflow for CMMS integration and maintenance planning
• Produce a phased CBM programme implementation plan with governance roles, KPIs, and business-case assumptions

Benefits of attending

Target competencies

Who should attend

• Reliability Engineers — who must translate failure analysis into predictive maintenance strategies
• Maintenance Managers — who need to reduce avoidable downtime while controlling maintenance labour and contractor spend
• Maintenance Planners and Schedulers — who must convert condition findings into planned, executable work orders
• Condition Monitoring Engineers and Technicians — who need a structured programme framework beyond individual test techniques
• Asset Managers — who require defensible asset-risk and lifecycle decisions for critical equipment
• Operations and Production Managers — who depend on reliable equipment availability and coordinated intervention windows

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have practical exposure to maintenance operations, equipment reliability, production assets, or engineering support activities. They should understand basic maintenance terms such as preventive maintenance, corrective maintenance, work orders, failure modes, downtime, and critical equipment. Familiarity with a CMMS or EAM system, such as IBM Maximo, SAP PM, or Infor EAM, is helpful but not essential. Participants should be comfortable reviewing simple equipment data, maintenance histories, and trend charts. This is not a certification course in vibration analysis, thermography, oil analysis, or ultrasound, and no prior instrument operation or advanced statistics is required.

Training methodology

The programme uses short technical briefings followed by structured application workshops. Participants work with a plant case featuring rotating equipment, electrical assets, lubrication systems, and production constraints. They analyse maintenance histories, rank asset criticality, conduct FMECA, select monitoring methods, interpret sample trends, and define alarm-to-work-order workflows. Small groups challenge each other’s monitoring choices against failure mechanisms and cost consequences. Each day adds to an end-of-course CBM programme pack, followed by an individual implementation-planning session focused on the participant’s own asset environment.

Course outline

Day 1: CBM strategy, asset risk and programme scope

• Condition-based maintenance within preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance strategies
• ISO 55000 asset-management context for maintenance decision making
• Asset hierarchy, functional locations, and equipment-boundary definition
• Asset criticality analysis using safety, production, quality, environmental, and cost consequences
• Bad-actor identification from downtime, maintenance-cost, and repeat-failure data
• CBM programme charter, scope statement, governance roles, and escalation paths
• Baseline maturity assessment for current monitoring practices and data availability

Workshop: Participants create an asset-criticality ranking and draft a CBM programme scope for a simulated manufacturing site.

Day 2: Failure analysis and monitoring strategy design

• Functional failures, failure modes, failure causes, and failure effects
• FMECA worksheets and risk-priority evaluation for maintainable assets
• P-F curve interpretation and selection of practical detection intervals
• RCM decision logic for identifying applicable and effective condition-based tasks
• Failure-mode-to-monitoring-method mapping
• Detectability limits, false positives, and missed-detection risk
• Condition-monitoring matrices linking assets, failure modes, indicators, and task frequencies

Workshop: Participants complete an FMECA and monitoring matrix for a critical pump-and-motor train.

Day 3: Condition-monitoring technologies and data quality

• Vibration analysis applications for imbalance, misalignment, looseness, and bearing defects
• Infrared thermography for electrical connections, insulation, refractory, and mechanical friction
• Ultrasound monitoring for compressed-air leaks, bearings, valves, and steam traps
• Oil analysis for lubricant condition, contamination, wear debris, and machine health
• Motor-current signature analysis for electrical and driven-equipment fault detection
• Operator care inspections and sensory checks as first-line condition monitoring
• Data-quality controls for measurement points, repeatability, operating state, and route discipline

Workshop: Participants select the most suitable monitoring method, collection interval, and data-quality requirement for six equipment failure scenarios.

Day 4: Thresholds, diagnosis and maintenance workflow integration

• Baseline development from healthy-equipment readings and operating-condition records
• Alert and alarm limit methods using statistical, trend-based, and engineering thresholds
• ISO 13374 diagnostic data-processing concepts and condition-state classification
• Trend interpretation, rate-of-change analysis, and remaining-useful-life judgement
• Diagnostic confidence levels and evidence requirements before intervention
• Finding notification, defect coding, and work-order creation in IBM Maximo Application Suite Manage
• Planning, scheduling, verification, and close-out workflow for condition-directed work

Workshop: Participants interpret sample condition trends and design a finding-to-work-order workflow with decision thresholds and assigned accountabilities.

Day 5: CBM governance, performance measurement and implementation

• CBM KPI design for compliance, findings, planned-work conversion, defect elimination, and avoided failures
• Leading and lagging indicators for programme health and maintenance value
• Data governance, naming conventions, master-data requirements, and audit trails
• Competence requirements for operators, technicians, analysts, planners, and reliability engineers
• Contractor management and quality assurance for specialist monitoring services
• Implementation sequencing, pilot selection, resource planning, and change-management actions
• Business-case development using avoided downtime, maintenance cost, risk reduction, and investment assumptions

Workshop: Participants present a phased CBM implementation plan and final programme pack for peer review and instructor feedback.

Tools & standards covered

ISO 17359, ISO 55000, ISO 13374, IBM Maximo Application Suite Manage

A typical training day

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in the East Africa Time zone, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

How you can take this course

Certification

Participants who complete the full five days receive the Skillset Development Certificate of Completion, stating the course title, course code, dates and delivery format — suitable for professional-development records and employer reimbursement.

Frequently asked questions