Citation Excel (C560XL)
Maintenance Airframe; Maintenance Powerplant
Training / Qualification; Workload; Confusion; Distraction; Fatigue; Time Pressure
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural MEL / CDL; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR
General Maintenance Action; General Flight Cancelled / Delayed
Staffing; Procedure; Company Policy; Human Factors; MEL
During roll out of [logbook program] with many contradictions confusing processes and inability to accomplish the processes as written between in GMM (General Maintenance Manual)/ SOP (Standard Operating Procedures) and Processes; poor training; and lack of manpower I became distracted. When the Site Manager called and wanted to apply MEL (Minimum Equipment List) to release the aircraft I referenced the MEL book. I was aware there has been an MEL for the toggle switch covers. I looked in the MEL; and found the NEF (Non-Essential Furnishings) 25-20-XX-XXXX. I then confirmed and applied the MEL. After review today I found that I had referenced the incorrect MEL book. I looked in the XL book where this NEF lives and not in the XLS book where it has been removed.[My suggestion is to] mitigate the distractions to maintenance control; add more manpower to accomplish all of the work load being imposed onto 50 controllers covering all shifts and all aircraft 24/7 /365. Weekends; holidays; sick-time and other holes in the manpower planned. Or have the Management of the company/programs be held accountable for the materials they produce and dictate; when it is forced to be used by the end user.There is no say in what we have to sign our names to; as long as someone in management does not have too! Apply the same level of Integrity; accountability; to the work that is produced in the back ground and pushed to the End user. The processes are knee- jerk reactions; critical thinking does not go into any of the junk pushed to maintenance. The task cards; policies; processes; GMM and SOP are hastily put out without thinking thru cause and effect; leaving the continued operation solely upon the [maintenance] controllers to figure out how to work around to get the job done and maintain the flights we are providing to the clients and customers. This is very apparent over the years; but even more so for an example; after a year of [program] work; it gets rolled out and the guidance is what I have come to expect. No one is doing their job but pushed to [maintenance] and have a let the guys figure out how to achieve; then second guess the direction and decisions made by the controllers.
Maintenance Technician reported they inadvertently applied incorrect MEL item to defer an inoperative aircraft component.