By Dovydas Kersys · Chapter 5 of 58 in Machine Commissioning.
Before you begin: Follow the machine documentation, risk assessment, site procedures and lockout/tagout requirements. Commissioning can expose personnel to electrical energy, stored pressure and unexpected motion. Never defeat a safety function merely to make a test easier. Examples and diagrams are generic and must be checked against the actual machine.
A punch list converts startup problems into controlled work. Good entries describe the symptom, location, impact, owner, required action and retest result.
Every change during commissioning should have a traceable before-and-after state.
Why this matters during commissioning
Commissioning becomes chaotic when faults are kept in personal notebooks or chat messages. Change control prevents one correction from creating a new undocumented baseline.
Commissioning procedure
- Create one shared punch list with unique IDs.
- Separate safety/critical items from convenience or cosmetic items.
- Before changing software or parameters, capture the current baseline.
- Record what changed, why, who approved it and which tests must be repeated.
- Close an item only after verification.
Common failure patterns
- Closing an item because a change was made, not because it was retested.
- Changing several parameters at once.
- No way to restore the previous software state.
- Leaving temporary test logic in the final project.
Evidence to record
- Punch ID
- Symptom and location
- Root cause if known
- Corrective action
- Retest evidence
- Final status
FIELD RULE: One change at a time is slower for five minutes and faster for the next five hours.
Appendix G. Commissioning Fault Log Template
Print or duplicate this page as needed. Record actual measurements and references rather than relying only on check marks.
| ID | Symptom / condition | Evidence | Root cause / action | Owner | Retest / status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Continue the series
- Previous chapter: Documentation and Drawing Control: Commissioning Guide
- Next chapter: Startup Readiness Reviews: Commissioning Guide
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Adapted from Machine Commissioning for Maintenance and Automation Technicians, by Dovydas Kersys. © 2026 Dovydas Kersys. Featured cover image is an AI-generated editorial illustration.