AM Step 5 — Autonomous Inspection

By the time a team reaches AM Step 5, they have built something substantial.

They have a CIL standard that maintains the equipment's basic conditions. They have tentative inspection standards for fasteners, drive systems, fluid systems, and electrical components. They have Centreline standards for the operating settings that matter most. They have visual controls that make the condition of the equipment readable at a glance.

What they do not yet have is one routine.

They have several. A cleaning cycle. A lubrication round. A fastener check. A drive system inspection. Each one was built at a different stage, for a different purpose, by a team that was learning as they went. Together, they cover everything that needs to be covered. But they are not yet a system. They are a collection.

AM Step 5 turns the collection into a system.

Every check, cleaning, lubrication, inspection, safety, quality, is brought together into a single integrated standard. The team visits one location and completes all the checks for that location before moving to the next. The route is marked on the floor and on the equipment. The standard is timed, tested, and refined until it is both effective and efficient.

And then the team runs it. Not because they were told to. Because they understand why it matters, they built it themselves, and it is now simply how they work.

Autonomous Maintenance is built in sequence, step by step, using a structured development process confirmed by audit at each stage. AM Step 5 is the second and final step in the Prevention phase. If you are new to the system, the AM Pillar page explains how it works before you begin.

AM Phase 2 — Prevention

AM Step 5 is the second of two steps in the Prevention phase. The goal of this phase is to build the structured knowledge and inspection routines that stop deterioration from returning.

The two steps build on each other in sequence:

• AM Step 4 — General Inspection. The team receives structured training on the components of their equipment by category. Centreline is introduced. Tentative inspection standards are developed for each category.
• AM Step 5 — Autonomous Inspection. All standards are consolidated into a single integrated inspection routine. The routine is made efficient. The team runs it independently as daily work.

The Prevention phase is complete when the team no longer needs to be directed to inspect. They do it because they understand why it matters and because the routine is theirs.

Working with the Maintenance function

By AM Step 5, the knowledge transfer that defined the earlier steps is largely complete. The operating team understands their equipment. They can inspect it by component category. They know what the early signs of failure look like.

The Planned Maintenance function's role in AM Step 5 is different from what it was in AM Steps 3 and 4. It is no longer primarily about transferring knowledge. It is about two things.

The first is boundary confirmation. As the integrated inspection standard is developed, the team and the Maintenance function review the boundary between what the operating team owns and what remains with maintenance. The integration work in AM Step 5 sometimes surfaces tasks that have been sitting in an unclear middle ground, checks that maintenance has been doing informally, or tasks that the team has been performing without the Maintenance function's knowledge. The integrated standard is the moment to make that boundary explicit and agreed.

The second is problem analysis support. Every breakdown or incident investigated during AM Step 5 is an opportunity for the Planned Maintenance function to contribute technical knowledge, failure modes, component history, engineering context, that the operating team may not yet have. The problem analysis loop that drives the condition monitoring capability in AM Step 5 works best when both teams participate. The Maintenance function brings the technical depth. The operating team brings the operational observation. Together they produce a finding that neither could reach alone.

The Planned Maintenance function is also beginning to rebalance its own workload at this stage. As the operating team takes ownership of the integrated inspection routine, maintenance capacity is freed for higher-level technical work, planned overhauls, reliability engineering, and improvement projects that require specialist knowledge. AM Step 5 is where that rebalancing becomes visible in practice.

Purpose

The purpose of AM Step 5 is to consolidate all inspection standards into a single integrated routine, improve the efficiency of that routine, and embed it as daily work that the team owns and runs independently.

Three things happen together in AM Step 5.

The first is integration. Every check the team performs, cleaning, lubrication, inspection by component category, Centreline monitoring, safety checks, quality checks, is brought into one standard. Duplication is removed. Checks at the same location are combined. The result is a single integrated inspection standard that covers everything, in the most efficient sequence.

The second is efficiency. The integrated standard is then improved. The number of inspection points is reduced. The time required to complete the routine is reduced. The route is optimised. The intent is not to cut corners, it is to make the standard sustainable. A routine that takes too long will not be completed. A routine that is well-designed will be.

The third is condition monitoring. The team develops the ability to detect early symptoms of failure, not just by following a checklist, but by using all their senses, connecting what they observe to what they know about their equipment, and acting before a failure occurs. This capability is built through participation in problem analysis: every breakdown, incident, or quality defect is investigated, and the findings feed back into the integrated standard.

Objectives

AM Step 5 has two sets of objectives running in parallel. Ensuring we are building capabilities in both your equipment and your people.

For the equipment

Develop a single integrated inspection standard

All routine checks performed on or around the equipment are collected and consolidated into one standard. This includes the CIL standard from AM Step 3, the tentative inspection standards from AM Step 4, Centreline checks, and any safety or quality checks that are currently performed separately.

The principle is simple: go to one location on the equipment and complete all the checks for that location before moving to the next. No revisiting the same area twice. No separate rounds for different check types. One route, one standard, one visit.

Improve the efficiency of the integrated standard

Once the integrated standard is working effectively, the team is completing it, it is catching abnormalities, and the equipment condition is being maintained, the standard is improved for efficiency.

This is a process improvement activity. The same thinking that applies to any work process applies here: remove duplication, combine steps where possible, reduce unnecessary motion, and simplify the method of checking. The Process Improvement pillar covers this approach in detail.

The targets for AM Step 5 are specific:

• 50% reduction in the number of inspection points from the AM Step 5 baseline
• 60% reduction in the total time required to complete all inspections from the AM Step 5 baseline

The AM Step 5 baseline is the total of all inspections at the start of AM Step 5, CIL, all AM Step 4 inspection standards, safety checks, quality checks. Not the CIL alone.

Establish a marked inspection route

The sequence in which the team moves through the inspection is as important as the checks themselves. An efficient route minimises travel between points and ensures the team completes all checks at one location before moving to the next.

The route is physically marked, on the floor and on the equipment. Any team member, including someone new to the line, should be able to follow the route and complete the integrated standard without guidance. The route is part of the standard.

Drive unplanned interventions toward zero

By AM Step 5, the team's inspection routine should be catching deterioration before it causes a failure. The target is 90–95% reduction in minor stops and unplanned interventions from the AM Step 1 baseline. The focus shifts from reducing failures to preventing them entirely.

A useful measure at this stage is Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF), the average time the equipment runs between unplanned stoppages. The goal is for MTBF to be at least equal to the planned intervention interval. When that is achieved, the team's inspection routine is preventing failures, not just responding to them.

Maintain the work done in AM Steps 1 through 4

The CIL standard, the Centreline standards, and the tentative inspection standards from AM Step 4 continue to be followed throughout AM Step 5. The equipment condition does not drift while the team focuses on integration and efficiency work.

For our people

Develop genuine autonomy

AM Step 5 is the step where the team stops needing to be directed. The integrated standard is theirs, they built it, they understand it, and they run it as part of daily work. The leader's role shifts from coaching the team to follow the standard to confirming that the standard is working and removing barriers when it is not.

This is the transition the whole AM journey has been building toward. It does not happen automatically. It is the result of four steps of progressive capability development, confirmed by audit at each stage.

Develop condition monitoring skills

The team develops the ability to detect early symptoms of failure, before the failure occurs. This is built through two routes.

The first is learning from problems. Every breakdown, incident, or quality defect is investigated by the team. They participate in the analysis, contribute to identifying the cause, and implement countermeasures. Critically, they ask: why was it not possible to detect the symptoms of deterioration earlier? The answer to that question drives changes to the integrated standard.

The second is learning to detect symptoms early. The team fine-tunes all their senses, sound, vibration, temperature, smell, visual, to detect abnormal conditions during the inspection routine. A change in cycle time. An unusual noise from a gearbox. A vibration that was not there last shift. These are the signals that, if acted on, prevent failures. The team learns to read them.

Develop cross-team working

The integration work in AM Step 5 requires the team to work across functions. Safety checks, quality checks, and reliability checks that were previously managed separately are brought into the integrated standard. This requires coordination with quality, safety, and maintenance functions. The team learns to work across those boundaries, not just within their own line.

Measures of success

AM Step 5 uses the same measurement framework as AM Steps 1 through 4, with two new efficiency measures added.

Baseline measures — carried forward from AM Steps 1 through 4

• Output Measure: Number of unplanned stoppages. The target by the end of AM Step 5 is 90–95% reduction from the AM Step 1 baseline. The integrated inspection routine is the mechanism.
• Efficiency Measure: Routine inspection time. A new baseline is established at the start of AM Step 5, the total time for all inspections across all standards. The target is 60% reduction from this baseline by the end of the step.
• In Process Measure: Number of defects identified. Should be low and stable. Defects found during the integrated inspection are still tagged, recorded, and escalated.

Pillar progress measures — track as you go

• Integration progress. How many sections of the equipment have a completed, location-based integrated standard? Track as a percentage of the total scope. This is the primary in-flight measure for the first half of the step.
• Number of inspection points, trend. Baseline established at the start of AM Step 5. Track the count as the efficiency work progresses. The direction matters throughout, the target of 50% reduction is confirmed at audit.
• Integrated inspection time, trend. Baseline established at the start of AM Step 5. Track the time required to complete the full routine as the efficiency work progresses. Target of 60% reduction confirmed at audit.
• MTBF trend. Mean Time Between Failure tracked and moving upward. The goal is MTBF at or above the planned intervention interval. Track the trend, a flat or falling MTBF during AM Step 5 means the inspection routine is not yet preventing failures.
• Problem analyses completed. Count of breakdowns, incidents, and quality defects investigated by the team, with findings fed back into the integrated standard. A failure that has not been analysed is a failure that will happen again.
• CIL and Centreline compliance rates. Both continue from AM Steps 3 and 4. Must remain at 90% or above throughout AM Step 5. If either drops, address it before continuing efficiency work.
• One Point Lessons developed and taught. Count of OPLs developed from problem analysis and integration work, and the number of people trained on each.

By the time the AM Step 5 audit is conducted, the team should be able to demonstrate:

• Single integrated inspection standard documented and in use, covering all checks from CIL, AM Step 4 inspections, Centreline, safety, and quality
• Number of inspection points reduced by 50% from the AM Step 5 baseline
• Integrated inspection time reduced by 60% from the AM Step 5 baseline
• Standard timed and confirmed to fit within the target window agreed with the line organisation
• Inspection route physically marked on floor and equipment, any team member can follow it without guidance
• MTBF at or above the planned intervention interval
• Every breakdown and incident investigated, findings documented and fed back into the integrated standard
• Team trained on the final standard, including the reasoning behind each check
• CIL and Centreline compliance maintained at 90% or above throughout
• Minor stops reduced by 90–95% from the AM Step 1 baseline
• One Point Lessons developed from AM Step 5 learnings and taught to the team
• Integrated standard on the Tiered Accountability Meeting agenda at every tier and being reviewed daily

Systems required before you start

All systems from AM Steps 1 through 4 must be sustained. The defect handling process, the data collection and review system, the improvement tracking system, the One Point Lesson process, the capability matrix, the CIL standard, the Centreline standards, the Process Confirmation schedule, and the step audit process are all still running. AM Step 5 adds to them, it does not replace them.

The AM Step 5 process

AM Step 5 follows a defined sequence. Each stage builds on the one before it.

Preparation

Verify readiness for AM Step 5

Before AM Step 5 begins, confirm that the AM Step 4 audit has passed and that all AM Step 4 conditions are being maintained. The integrated standard is built on the foundation of AM Steps 1 through 4. If that foundation is not solid, the integration work will not hold.

Establish the AM Step 5 baseline

Collect all current standards and checks performed on or around the equipment. Count the total number of inspection points. Time the total inspection effort. This is the AM Step 5 baseline, the starting point for the 50% and 60% reduction targets.

Set AM Step 5 goals and targets

Based on the baseline, set specific targets for the step: the target number of inspection points, the target inspection time, and the target MTBF. These targets are agreed with the line organisation, they must be consistent with what the business needs from the team in terms of available time.

Train the team on the AM Step 5 process

Before integration work begins, the team is trained on the AM Step 5 approach: what integration means, how the ECRRSE improvement method works, what the inspection route is and why it matters, and what the audit criteria are. The team knows what they are working toward from day one.

Clarify roles and responsibilities

Who leads the integration work for each section of the standard? Who coordinates with safety, quality, and maintenance to collect their checks? These assignments are clear before work begins.

Maintain Steps 1 through 4 work

All existing standards continue to be followed throughout AM Step 5. The CIL standard, the Centreline standards, and the tentative inspection standards from AM Step 4 are all still running. The equipment condition does not drift while the team focuses on integration.

Abnormalities found during the daily routine are still tagged, recorded, and escalated. CIL and Centreline compliance are still tracked and reviewed at every tier. The Line Activity Board is updated for AM Step 5, showing integration progress alongside continuing compliance data.

Collect all existing checks

The team collects every routine check currently performed on or around the equipment, from every source:

• The CIL standard (cleaning, inspection, lubrication)
• The tentative inspection standards from AM Step 4 (fasteners, drive systems, fluid systems, electrical)
• Centreline checks
• Safety checks
• Quality checks
• Any other routine checks performed by the team or by other functions

For each check, the team records: what is checked, how, how often, how long it takes, and where on the equipment it is performed.

This collection exercise often reveals duplication — the same component being checked twice by different standards, or the same location being visited multiple times in a single shift. It also reveals gaps, checks that should be in the standard but are not. Both findings are addressed in the next stage.

A baseline route map is developed, showing the current path of all inspections across the equipment. This is the starting point for the optimised route that will be developed later.

Develop the tentative integrated standard

With all checks collected, the team develops the tentative integrated standard. This is the first version of the single routine that will replace all the separate standards.

Integrate by location

The primary organising principle of the integrated standard is location, not check type. All checks at a given point on the equipment are grouped together, regardless of whether they are cleaning, lubrication, inspection, safety, or quality checks. The team visits the location once and completes all checks before moving on.

Improve efficiency

Once the integrated standard is drafted, it is improved for efficiency. This is a process improvement activity, the same thinking that applies to any work process. The Process Improvement pillar covers the full approach.

Establish the inspection route

The sequence in which the team moves through the inspection is optimised to minimise motion between points. The route follows the most efficient path through the equipment, ideally following the material or process flow. The route is mapped and then physically marked on the floor and equipment before the tentative standard is trialled.

Balance the workload

The integrated standard specifies not just what is checked, but when, daily, weekly, monthly. The workload is balanced across the available time so that the daily routine is consistent and manageable, and the weekly and monthly checks are planned and resourced. What can be done at start of shift, mid shift, end of shift?

Conduct autonomous inspection activities

The team runs the tentative integrated standard. This is the trial and refinement stage, the standard is tested in practice, and adjusted based on what the team finds. The standard should change, this is not a failure of the step but a requirement to show that standards are the current best approach and should be constantly challenged.

Execute and verify

The team follows the tentative integrated standard on every shift. They track whether the standard is preventing equipment losses, failures, assists, unplanned touches. If a loss occurs that the standard should have caught, the team investigates why it was not caught and adjusts the standard.

Participate in problem analysis

Every breakdown, incident, or quality defect is investigated by the team. The investigation asks: what happened, where, why, and, critically, why was it not possible to detect the symptoms earlier? The answer to that last question drives changes to the integrated standard. A failure that could have been detected earlier is a failure that the standard failed to prevent. The standard must change.

This feedback loop, from problem to analysis to standard update, is the mechanism by which the team's condition monitoring capability develops. It is not optional. A team that investigates failures but does not update their standard has not completed the loop.

Refine the standard

Based on the results of running the tentative standard and the findings from problem analysis, the team refines the standard. Checks are added where gaps are found. Checks are removed or reduced where the data shows they are not needed. The route is adjusted where the sequence can be improved. The standard is updated and the team is trained on every change before it is implemented.

Track time and inspection points

The time required to complete the integrated standard and the number of inspection points are tracked throughout the trial period. The team can see whether the efficiency targets are being met and where further improvement is possible.

Finalise the AM Step 5 integrated standard

When the tentative standard has been trialled, refined, and confirmed to be meeting the efficiency and effectiveness targets, it is finalised.

The inspection route is confirmed and marked. The standard is trained to every team member, including the reasoning behind each check and the connection between the check and the equipment condition it is monitoring.

The standard is also shared with adjacent teams working on similar equipment. Improvements made in AM Step 5 are documented for re-application. Improvements made by other teams are reviewed for applicability here.

This is the current best version of the standard. It will continue to be refined as the team learns from problem analysis and as the equipment changes.

The standard is integrated into the daily management system, it appears on the Line Activity Board, it is confirmed through Process Confirmation, and it is reviewed through the Tiered Accountability Meeting at every tier.

Track results

Results are tracked daily throughout AM Step 5.

The team reviews integrated inspection completion, CIL and Centreline compliance, defects found, and MTBF trend at the start of each shift. The trend is visible on the activity board. The team can see whether the system is working.

Both process measures (inspection points, inspection time, problem analyses completed, OPLs developed) and output measures (minor stops, MTBF, CIL compliance, Centreline compliance) are tracked. The process measures tell you whether the team is doing the right things. The output measures tell you whether those things are working.

Behaviours

AM Step 5 produces a specific set of behaviours in the team and in leadership. These are not aspirational, they are observable. If you walk the line during AM Step 5 and you do not see these behaviours, the step is not running correctly.

AM Step 5 audit

The AM Step 5 audit is a formal confirmation that the expected capability has been achieved. It is not a surprise inspection, the team has known the criteria since the preparation stage. It is the moment where the team's work is recognised and their readiness to move to AM Step 6 is confirmed.

The audit is requested by the team and conducted by a qualified assessor, typically the AM Pillar leader or an external facilitator. It is done with the team present. It covers the equipment condition, the team's capability, and the systems and standards in place.

The AM Step 5 audit is also the gateway to Phase 3 — Optimisation. A team that passes the AM Step 5 audit has completed the Prevention phase. The equipment is being maintained by a team that understands it, inspects it efficiently, and responds to early symptoms before they become failures.

What the audit checks

Equipment condition

• The equipment is in the condition the integrated standard requires. No abnormalities at the component level.
• All recurring defects and problems have been investigated and countermeasures are in place.
• Every inspection point is quickly visible from the marked route. No difficult-to-inspect areas remain.
• The inspection route is physically marked on the floor and equipment and is easy to follow.
• Centreline standards are in place and visual controls are correct.

Integrated standard

• A single integrated inspection standard exists, covering all checks, CIL, AM Step 4 inspections, Centreline, safety, quality.
• The number of inspection points has been reduced by 50% from the AM Step 5 baseline.
• The total inspection time has been reduced by 60% from the AM Step 5 baseline.
• The standard has been timed and fits within the target window agreed with the line organisation.
• The team has been trained on the final standard, including the reasoning behind each check.
• One Point Lessons have been developed from AM Step 5 learnings and the team has been trained on them.

Team capability

• Team members can follow the inspection route independently and complete the integrated standard within the target time.
• Team members can detect and describe symptoms of deterioration, not just record a checklist result, but explain what they observed and what it indicates.
• Team members can explain the connection between specific checks in the standard and the failures or losses those checks are designed to prevent.
• Team members have participated in problem analysis and can describe a finding that led to a change in the standard.
• Minor stops have been reduced by 90–95% from the AM Step 1 baseline.
• MTBF is at or above the planned intervention interval.

Systems and standards

• The integrated standard is in the daily management system and is reviewed through the Tiered Accountability Meeting at every tier.
• CIL and Centreline compliance are being tracked and reviewed at every tier.
• Process Confirmation of the integrated standard is in place and being conducted by the frontline leader on a defined schedule.
• The problem analysis process is in place and every breakdown and incident has been investigated. Findings have been fed back to the standard.
• Baseline results for all process and output measures have been updated to reflect the AM Step 5 starting point for AM Step 6.

If the audit passes

Celebrate the success. The team has completed the Prevention phase. They are running their equipment as genuine Technical Operators, inspecting it with knowledge, detecting symptoms early, preventing failures before they occur, and continuously improving the standard based on what they learn. That is a significant achievement. Recognise it publicly.

Then begin AM Step 6 preparation. The Optimisation phase starts here. The focus shifts from equipment condition to workplace organisation, quality management, and the continuous improvement of standards.

If the audit does not pass

The audit identifies the specific gaps. The team develops countermeasures for each gap and implements them. When the countermeasures are closed, the audit is repeated. There is no fixed timeline for the re-audit, it happens when the gaps are genuinely addressed, not when a calendar date arrives.

A failed audit is not a failure of the team. It is information. It tells the team and the leader exactly what still needs to be done. The discipline is in addressing it properly, not in moving on before it is ready.

Do not move to AM Step 6 until AM Step 5 is genuinely complete. The self-directed management of AM Steps 6 and 7 is built on the autonomous inspection capability established in AM Step 5. If that capability is not solid, the Optimisation phase will not hold.

What next?

AM Step 5 completes the Prevention phase. The team has a single integrated inspection routine that they own and run independently. They understand their equipment. They detect symptoms early. They learn from every failure and update their standard. The equipment is running closer to its design capability than it ever has.

AM Step 6, Standardise the Workplace, begins the Optimisation phase. The focus expands beyond the equipment itself to the wider workplace. Standards are reviewed and improved. Non-value-adding activity in the maintenance routine is identified and eliminated. The connection between equipment condition and product quality becomes the team's primary focus.

The capabilities are solid. The next phase builds on it.