One page of terms. Preferred source is a named standard’s catalogue abstract, a free primary PDF, or a labelled industry-usage note. No invented ISO 55000:2024 clause 3 text. 2014 wording appears only where clearly labelled historical (IAM Anatomy v3 public quotes). Paid-standard bodies were not copied.
| Term | Short meaning | Source / caution |
|---|---|---|
| Asset | Item, thing or entity that has potential or actual value to an organisation (2014 wording). IAM public homepage (2026 fetch): “Assets are anything with actual or potential value to an organization.” | Do not treat as ISO 55000:2024 clause 3 (paywalled, not licensed). 2014 wording quoted in IAM Anatomy v3 from ISO 55000:2014 3.2.1 — historical. IAM homepage is IAM’s public gloss. Catalogue: https://www.iso.org/standard/83053.html · Anatomy v3: https://theiam.org/media/1781/iam_anatomy_ver3_web.pdf · IAM: https://www.theiam.org/ |
| Asset management | Coordinated organisational activity to realise value from assets (2014 wording). IAM homepage: “an organization’s activity to realize value from its assets.” ISO 55000:2024 is the vocabulary / overview / principles document (ed. 2, 2024-07) — not a software spec. | Same caution as Asset. Anatomy v3 quotes ISO 55000:2014 3.3.1 + notes (balance costs, risks, opportunities, performance; “activity” can include approach, planning, plans, implementation) — historical. 2024 clause 3 not verified. |
| Asset management system (AMS) | A management system for asset management: interrelated elements that establish policies, objectives and processes. Typically people, processes, policy, SAMP, plans, and AM data / information systems — not a software SKU. | GFMAM Landscape v3 subject 2.2 (free PDF, quoted in ch. 1 and 4). ISO 55001:2024 is the requirements specification. Certification, where used, is of the organisation’s AMS. https://gfmam.org/sites/default/files/2024-06/GFMAM_AM_Landscape_v3.0_English_2024.pdf · https://www.iso.org/standard/83054.html |
| SAMP | Strategic asset management plan. GFMAM 3.1: the Asset Management Strategy “is contained in the Strategic Asset Management Plan (SAMP)”; it translates organisational objectives into AM objectives and describes the whole-life-cycle approach for assets in scope of the AMS. | GFMAM Landscape v3 subject 3.1 (free PDF). ISO 55000:2024 clause-level definition not copied (paywall). ISO 55012:2024 catalogue abstract refers to the SAMP as the source of operational requirements and policies. |
| EAM | Enterprise asset management: industry / software-market label for systems (and sometimes the discipline) covering physical-asset hierarchy, work, materials and often finance across more of the life than a single-site CMMS. | Not an ISO term. ISO/TC 251 speaks of asset management and an AMS. Gartner Peer Insights (EAM software market, updated June 2026) and IBM Think (vendor) are industry usage. Do not write “ISO 55000 is the EAM standard.” |
| CMMS | Computerized maintenance management system: software modules and equipment databases for facilities/plant maintenance management (inventory, history, work input/control/scheduling, PM/PdM, materials, corrective work). | NASA NPR 8831.2F Appendix A (US agency procedure, not ISO), fetched 28 Aug 2026. https://nodis3.gsfc.nasa.gov/displayDir.cfm?Internal_ID=N_PR_8831_002F_&page_name=AppendixA . Vendor “CMMS vs EAM” charts are not standards. |
| APM | Asset performance management: market label for condition, risk and remaining-life intelligence that feeds work. | No ISO/IEC/IAM/GFMAM product-class definition fetched. Map technically to ISO 17359:2018 (CM programme), ISO 13374 (CM&D architecture), ISO 13381-1:2025 (prognostics), and GFMAM 6.3 Integrated Reliability. Octave FAQ (vendor) draws EAM = execution / APM = intelligence — labelled industry usage, not a definition. |
| EHS | Environment, health and safety. In the standards sense, neighbouring management-system families (OH&S and environment), not an EAM module. | OH&S: ISO 45001:2018 (confirmed 2024; Amd 1:2024; DIS in progress — 2018 not withdrawn). Environment: ISO 14001:2026 published 15 Apr 2026; 2015 withdrawn. Numeric `/standard/NNNNN.html` for 14001:2026 not confirmed. EHS software ≠ the MSS. |
| OH&SMS | Occupational health and safety management system — the ISO 45001 object. | ISO 45001:2018 catalogue: https://www.iso.org/standard/63787.html . Certification is of the organisation’s OH&SMS, not of a permit-to-work screen. |
| Work order (WO) | Control document and history record directing a maintenance/service task (labour, materials, instructions, admin/finance). | NASA NPR 8831.2F Appendix A: “The document directing shops to perform certain items of maintenance work…” IBM Think work-order topic (vendor): system of record for maintenance/service activity. Types are plant-defined, not an ISO list. https://nodis3.gsfc.nasa.gov/displayDir.cfm?Internal_ID=N_PR_8831_002F_&page_name=AppendixA · https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/work-order-management |
| Job plan | Reusable task list plus labour, materials and HSE content for repetitive work. | Product language (IBM Maximo “job plan”; other products: procedure, standard job). Not an ISO 55000 term. IBM Maximo Manage Preventive Maintenance docs: PM records attach job plans. https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/masv-and-l/maximo-manage/cd?topic=module-preventive-maintenance |
| PM | Preventive maintenance: recurring work to assess or mitigate degradation / reduce probability of failure. In an EAM, a PM record is a template that generates work orders on elapsed time, meter units, or both. | EN 13306:2017 family (CEN/TC 319) is the usual European vocabulary (predetermined vs condition-based as preventive families). IBM Maximo Manage PM topic (product). Not a synonym for PdM. Catalogue: https://knowledge.bsigroup.com/products/maintenance-maintenance-terminology |
| CBM | Condition-based maintenance: tasks triggered by assessed condition. Planned, not reactive. | EN 13306 family (catalogue-level). ISO 17359:2018 is the machine condition-monitoring programme standard. Do not dump CBM into “emergency.” |
| PdM | Predictive maintenance: analytics or condition used to forecast remaining useful life and trigger work. | Industry usage, not identical to CBM and not a synonym for PM. Technical stand-in: ISO 13381-1:2025 prognostics. Catalogue: https://www.iso.org/standard/88029.html |
| Failure mode | Observed effect of failure, from a controlled vocabulary per equipment class. | ISO 14224:2016 catalogue: failure modes in the normative part as a “reliability thesaurus.” Not the same as mechanism or cause. Consultancy navigator (iFluids, labelled): technician at close-out is the intended recorder for mode. Buy the PDF before quoting annex tables. https://www.iso.org/standard/64076.html |
| Failure mechanism | Physical / chemical process that produced the mode (e.g. wear, fatigue, corrosion). | ISO 14224 catalogue abstract names “failure events and failure mechanisms” among uses of the data. iFluids (labelled secondary) assigns mechanism to reliability analysis. Do not collapse into one free-text box. |
| Failure cause | Root condition that initiated the mechanism. | ISO 14224 catalogue: min. failure data include failure cause and consequence. Cause is an RCA object, not a technician’s first code. |
| RCM | Reliability-centred maintenance: a process for deciding what to do about a failure mode. Only if it meets SAE JA1011. | SAE JA1011 AUG 2009, Evaluation Criteria for Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) Processes (https://www.sae.org/standards/content/ja1011_200908/) (origin: Nowlan & Heap, 1978). Does not prescribe software. Conscious Reliability restatement is a labelled secondary — buy SAE for the legal text. Not “add more PMs.” |
| FMEA | Failure modes and effects analysis (and FMECA variant): systematic identification of how items/processes fail and the effects of those modes. | IEC 60812:2018 webstore abstract (fetched 28 Aug 2026): how FMEA/FMECA is planned, performed, documented and maintained; applicable to hardware, software, processes including human action. Ed. 3, replaces 2006. https://webstore.iec.ch/en/publication/26359 . Distinct from SAE J1739 (automotive) and from RCA (after the event). Do not invent worksheet steps from blogs. |
| MTBF | Mean time between failures — operating time / failures for repairable items. Needs a defined population (ISO 14224 denominator). | Reliability-engineering / SMRP / EN 15341 usage. ReliaMag restates the repairable vs non-repairable split. Do not compute on a register that never records install/remove. |
| MTTF | Mean time to failure — same shape, non-repairable items. | Do not swap with MTBF. Same sources as MTBF. |
| MTTR | Mean time to repair (or mean time to restore — define which). Boundary conditions differ by standard. | Skipping INPROG on the work order loses the start clock. NASA NPR / IBM Think (vendor) treat actual start/end as part of the work record. |
| LOTO | Lockout/tagout: control of hazardous energy during servicing/maintenance. | In US general industry: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.147. Jurisdiction-specific; do not globalise. https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.147 · overview https://www.osha.gov/control-hazardous-energy/ . Not an EAM feature list. |
| PTW | Permit-to-work: formal, time-limited authorisation that specified work may proceed under stated precautions (often with isolations). | Industry/regulatory usage, not ISO 55000. Public guide: UK HSE HSG250 Guidance on permit-to-work systems (petroleum, chemical and allied; 2005) — https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg250.htm . OSHA 1910.147 does not require a work-authorisation permit as such (OSHA interpretation 12 Aug 1994). Product PTW modules are software, not the OH&SMS. Intersects ISO 45001 as a control, not as an identity. |
| PAS 55 | BSI Publicly Available Specification for the optimised management of physical assets. Predecessor of ISO 55000/55001/55002. | PAS 55-1:2008 published 15 Sep 2008; withdrawn 30 Jan 2015. First published 2003/2004 (BSI page uses both). Not a current certification scheme. https://knowledge.bsigroup.com/products/pas55-2008-1-2008-specification-for-the-optimized-management-of-physical-assets |
| GFMAM Landscape | The Asset Management Landscape (GFMAM). Third edition, English, June 2024, ISBN 978-1-7774676-8-5. Conceptual map of the asset-management discipline (seven subject groups, including Delivery 6.1–6.8). Complements ISO 5500x; not a compliance standard. | Free PDF, credit GFMAM. Maturity “is not limited to … ISO 55001.” Do not collapse Landscape subjects with 55001 clauses. https://gfmam.org/sites/default/files/2024-06/GFMAM_AM_Landscape_v3.0_English_2024.pdf · index https://gfmam.org/publications |
| IAM Anatomy | IAM, Asset Management — an Anatomy. Professional-body introduction to the discipline. v4 dated 1 Jul 2024 on IAM pages (10-box capabilities model; maps GFMAM Landscape subjects). v3 (Dec 2015) is superseded; it is the public source of ISO 55000:2014 clause 3 quotes used in this pack. | v4 body not opened / not quoted (T&Cs). Cite landing + news, not a paraphrased 10-box list from memory. https://theiam.org/knowledge-library/asset-management-an-anatomy/ · https://theiam.org/AMA · news https://theiam.org/news/release-of-version-4-of-the-iam-asset-management-anatomy/ · v3 PDF https://theiam.org/media/1781/iam_anatomy_ver3_web.pdf |
Ops terms added with chapters 5–8 (same source/caution rule).
| Term | Short meaning | Source / caution |
|---|---|---|
| RCA | Root cause analysis: after-the-event investigation of why a failure occurred (cause), distinct from recording the observed mode. | Industry usage. ISO 14224 distinguishes mode / mechanism / cause. IEC 62740:2015 is the RCA standard (IEC/TC 56 listing); body not quoted. Not a synonym for FMEA. |
| RAV | Replacement asset value: denominator used in some maintenance-cost KPIs (e.g. maintenance cost as a percentage of RAV). | SMRP / ReliaMag KPI reference. Do not invent a 1–3% “world-class” target; the numeric sheet is member-gated. https://reliamag.com/guides/maintenance-reliability-kpi-reference/ · https://smrp.org/learning-resources/smrp-library/best-practices-metrics-guidelines/ |
| MRO | Maintenance, repair and operations (or overhaul): spare parts, consumables and related stores that support work, not finished-goods inventory. | Industry usage. NASA NPR 8831.2F lists materials management among CMMS functions. Link the item master to the work order via a bill of materials. |
| BOM | Bill of materials: the parts list that should be reserved or issued against a work order for that asset/job. | Industry / product usage. Without a BOM, storeroom policy is guesswork. |
| VED | Vital / essential / desirable: spare-parts classification by consequence of stock-out, used with ABC (value) and XYZ (demand variability) before setting min/max. | Industry usage (ops pack). Not an ISO 55000 term. |
| ROP | Reorder point: stock level that triggers replenishment, after classification. | Industry / inventory usage. Do not set ROP from habit or quoted lead times alone. |
| SLOB | Slow-moving or obsolete stock. | Industry usage. Typical storeroom owner plus planner input (ch. 6). |
| P-F interval | Time from a detectable potential failure to functional failure; sets how often a condition-based task must be done. | RCM literature (Nowlan & Heap / SAE JA1011 practice). Not an ISO 55000 term. |
| Functional failure | The asset cannot meet a specified function to the required performance standard (user-desired, not nameplate). | SAE JA1011 evaluation criteria (buy SAE for legal text). Conscious Reliability restatement labelled secondary. |
| Failure-finding task | A scheduled check that detects whether a hidden function has already failed (protective / standby devices). | SAE JA1011 task family. Distinct from on-condition / overhaul / discard. |
| Predetermined maintenance | Interval-based preventive work done without investigating present condition. | EN 13306:2017 family (catalogue-level). Distinct from CBM. |
| Bad actor | An asset or class that dominates failures or cost; reliability focus list. | Industry usage. Not an ISO term. |
| Criticality | Ranking of assets (or parts) by consequence of failure or unavailability; input to priority, PM content, and VED. | Industry / GFMAM 6.3 artefacts. Not a single ISO 55000 formula. |
| Wrench time | Hands-on time / available time. | SMRP work-management pillar (definition). Palmer uses modelled wrench-time lifts to justify planning — not a multi-plant RCT. Do not reprint unpublished SMRP numeric targets. |
| Planned maintenance percentage | Planned hours / total maintenance hours. | SMRP work management. ReliaMag: commonly cited targets — verify in the SMRP document; do not invent. |
| PM compliance (SMRP 5.4.14) | PM/PdM work orders completed by due date ÷ PM/PdM work orders due (count, not hours). | ReliaMag verified against SMRP 6th ed.: best-in-class above 90% is a prescribed target, not a measured industry average. On-time rule must be locked. 7th ed. member PDF not opened. Distinct from 5.4.10. |
| PM work-order compliance (SMRP 5.4.10) | Overdue variance bands; “10% rule” as a recommended goal (complete within 10% of interval). | Distinct from 5.4.14. Practitioners have asked SMRP to reconcile 10% vs 20%. State which metric you use. |
| PM/PdM yield | Corrective hours found via PM/PdM ÷ PM/PdM hours. | SMRP: no universal target; investigate both very low and very high. |
| Backlog | Outstanding estimated hours / weekly craft capacity (crew-weeks), unless another formula is stated. | SMRP work management. Distinguish ready backlog (plannable) from total open work. |
| SMRP | Society for Maintenance & Reliability Professionals. Best Practices (7th ed. observed 28 Aug 2026) define 70+ metrics; member-gated PDF. | https://smrp.org/learning-resources/smrp-library/best-practices-metrics-guidelines/ — cite metric IDs, not unpublished numeric tables. |
Adjacent names the chapters use, not expanded here. ISO 14224:2016 (RM data, oil/gas origin); EN 13306:2017 (maintenance terminology); SAE JA1011 (RCM criteria); IEC 60300-1:2024 (dependability, points at ISO 55001); ISO/TS 55010:2024; ISO 55011/55012/55013:2024; ISO/CD TS 55014 and ISO/CD PAS 55035 (unpublished).
Sources
- ISO 55000:2024 / 55001:2024 / 55002:2018 / 55012:2024 / 55013:2024 catalogues — as chapters 3–4.
- GFMAM Landscape v3 PDF — as chapter 3.
- NASA NPR 8831.2F Appendix A — CMMS and work-order definitions.
- IBM Think, CMMS vs EAM; IBM Think, work-order management; IBM Maximo Manage Preventive Maintenance — vendor / product, labelled.
- EN 13306: BSI https://knowledge.bsigroup.com/products/maintenance-maintenance-terminology · SIS SS-EN 13306:2017 Valid https://www.sis.se/en/produkter/standardization/vocabularies/services/ss-en-133062017/
- ISO 17359:2018 https://www.iso.org/standard/71194.html · ISO 13381-1:2025 https://www.iso.org/standard/88029.html · ISO 14224:2016 https://www.iso.org/standard/64076.html
- ISO 45001:2018 https://www.iso.org/standard/63787.html · OSHA 1910.147 as above · HSE HSG250 https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg250.htm · OSHA LOTO/work-permit interpretation https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/1994-08-12-1
- SAE JA1011 via Conscious Reliability restatement (labelled secondary): https://consciousreliability.com/sae-ja1011-standard-evaluation-criteria-for-reliability-centered-maintenance-rcm-processes/
- IEC 60812:2018 webstore: https://webstore.iec.ch/en/publication/26359 · IEC/TC 56 listing: https://tc56.iec.ch/dependability-standards/
- iFluids ISO 14224 navigator (consultancy): https://ifluids.com/standard/iso-14224-reliability-failure-data-guide/
- BSI PAS 55-1:2008 product page — as chapter 4.
- IAM homepage public gloss: https://www.theiam.org/
- ReliaMag KPI / PM compliance / staffing: https://reliamag.com/guides/maintenance-reliability-kpi-reference/ · https://reliamag.com/guides/pm-compliance-rate-benchmarks/ · https://reliamag.com/guides/maintenance-staffing-ratios/
- SMRP Best Practices: https://smrp.org/learning-resources/smrp-library/best-practices-metrics-guidelines/
- Gartner Peer Insights EAM software (industry usage of EAM): https://www.gartner.com/reviews/market/enterprise-asset-management-software
All URLs in the table plus:
Not used as definitions. Vendor ROI tables; Twiniti pages; invented ISO clause 3; Anatomy v4 body; iteh/pirate full-text PDFs.