A method is provided for updating a fault tree used in diagnosis of a
condition of a machine. The fault tree is a sequence of test modules.
Each of the test modules is assigned a confidence score indicating the
likelihood that the test module will lead to a diagnosis. The method
comprising the steps of obtaining service data from a plurality of
service occasions for like machines, revising the confidence score for at
least one test module in the fault tree based on the service data; and
revising the sequence of the test modules in the fault tree based on the
revised confidence score(s). The sequence is revised such that the most
likely modules to result in a diagnosis are listed first, and the least
likely ones are listed last. The re-ordering is based on feedback from
actual service instances in the field, and thus is more likely to reflect
real-world conditions. The result is that service technicians using the
revised fault trees work more efficiently, at least on a statistical
basis.