In order to provide a method for fault analysis in an industrial-method plant, for example a painting plant, by means of which fault situations are analysable simply and reliably, it is proposed according to the invention that the method should comprise the following: in particular automatic recognition of a fault situation in the industrial-method plant (101); storage of a fault situation data set for the respective recognised fault situation, in a fault database (136); automatic determination of a cause of the fault for the fault situation and/or automatic determination of process values that are relevant to the fault situation, on the basis of the fault data set of a respective recognised fault situation.