27 Write the timeline before asking for the cause

What people usually ask

My agitator motor trips every few hours, what's wrong?

What comes back

One favourite cause stated as the answer, usually an overload setting, with a fix offered before anyone has looked at the motor.

Ask this instead

Do not give a cause yet. Here is the timeline for today:
08:10 started at 600 rpm, 200 L of slurry at 20 percent solids; ran 3 h 40 min
11:50 tripped on overload; reset after 10 min; restarted; ran 2 h 15 min
14:05 tripped again; rested 30 min; restarted; ran 1 h 20 min
After each trip the motor casing was hot to the touch, the drive display still worked, and the bearing was quiet.
Nothing in the recipe or the vessel changed this week.
The nameplate photo is attached: read the rated current, service factor, insulation class and duty from it and quote them before anything else.
Then list the possible causes, ranked. For each one give the single observation or measurement that would separate it from the others: what to read, where, and at what point in the run.
Do not assume anything the timeline does not say. If a cause needs a fact that is missing, ask for it instead of filling it in.

Attach: The timeline written out as above, and a photo of the motor nameplate.

Why it works: With runs, stops and rests in order the shortening run time is visible, and each ranked cause comes with the one test that would confirm or rule it out.