Grant,
Hold on there. You can't blame someone for trying to interpret a vague description. I've been to a few rodeos and fallen off a few potato trucks but even with that vast experience I have no clue what "business transformation" means. Perhaps if you explain yourself using non buzz word containing descriptors you would not be on the defensive. I'm more than happy to talk about maintenance philosophy.
Yes, as has been noted we do have strict regulatory requirements if working under FAA/EASA/CASA/JAR or what have you rules. If you are working for any sort of certificate holder there are likely required inspection items that must be signed off by approved inspectors. Everybody follows these rules to the letter....or at least that is their story and most try to stick to it. Of course, people deviate from the OEM procedures to save time or money. Not to say there is anything wrong with saving either but we all know how that goes. Everything moves along well until someone who may not know why the "shortcut" was started OR what the full procedure is gets something incorrectly assembled. Parts are not all "Murphy" proof (apologies to anyone named Murphy out there). It is also next to impossible to have a thick manual or laptop going while you are getting things done. So you tend to not reference the books when doing jobs you do on a regular basis. That habit gets expanded a bit to the point where you think you know all the steps, but you forget to put the seal on the fuel control shaft and boom, you have to pull it off and start again. Nobody dies(ed) but it makes (made) a mess (not that I've every done anything like that).
In theory, a mechanics inspection or overhaul check list is absolutely no different from one a pilot uses but for the time factor and perhaps not having anyone read it off for you and double check that you actually did or checked what it said. Single pilot EMS operators in my experience are notorious for not using written checklists because they were the last one to fly and they set everything up. As a mechanic, I've pulled a circuit breaker, failed to mention to the pilot that I did it, failed to reset it and had to run outside because they didn't have a light off. Whose fault is that? Mine to be sure, but also there can be no acceptable explanation why they didn't check that all breakers were in prior to hitting the start button. We all do it because we're human, lazy, forgetful, hurried, take things for granted and so on.
Lest I start sounding like the droning on of most maintenance safety talks we go to I will say the most valuable rule that has prompted me to "do the right thing" even though I was the only one it made happy, is that everything I do needs to pass the "straight faced" test of asking "what is the worst that could happen if I made a grave mistake?". Sounds kind of lame but it has worked (ok, almost worked) for 40 years.
The last thing I'll say is because I've lived going from pretty bare bones maintenance manuals to seeing laptop diagnostics and interactive manuals. The quantity of technical information needed to maintain a 3 ton helicopter, let alone a 7 or 8 ton machine is vast and there is no way one person can be good at using all of it.
" We can lick gravity, but sometimes the paperwork is overwhelming" -Wernher von Braun.
"Remember, there's a planet out there and it's pointed right at you"- me.