Best Practices When Defining Your React Downtime Categories and Downtime Reasons

When Arch Systems is setting up ArchFX React for you, Arch staff members will send you a template spreadsheet for you to fill in the Downtime Categories and Downtime Reasons you intend to use. This article explains some guidelines for customers who are defining their Downtime Categories and Downtime Reasons.

Overview of React Downtime Categories and Downtime Reasons

React has a two-level downtime tracking model.

• Downtime Categories are the "big buckets." Typically these are high-level categories like Manpower, Machine, Method, Materials, Other.
• Within each Downtime Category, the customer defines granular Downtime Reasons that are specific to that Category. For example, the "Machine" Downtime Category might contain "Feeder Jam" and "Nozzle Problem" Downtime Reasons.

Categories and Reasons should fit on the Edit Downtime dialog without scrolling

Since operators will frequently be labeling the root cause for a downtime event manually, it's important to enable them to label a downtime quickly. Operators should be able to see the list of Downtime Categories at a glance and quickly pick the Downtime Category for the downtime event. Then, when they display the list of Downtime Reasons within that Downtime Category, that list of Downtime Reasons should all display on the screen without requiring the operator to scroll. Therefore, Arch recommends:

• It's best to keep the list of Downtime Categories limited to no more than twelve Downtime Categories, although more can be used if desired.
• Arch strongly recommends that customers not have more than twenty-five Downtime Reasons within a single Downtime Category to make sure that the list of Downtime Reasons can be displayed on the Edit Downtime dialog's Downtime Reason dropdown menu without requiring the operator to scroll. 

Have an "Other" Downtime Category that contains a "Minor" Downtime Reason

When the "Minor Downtime" feature is enabled, React will automatically label any downtime event that is shorter than a duration chosen by the customer as a "Minor Downtime." For example, customers often start off a pilot saying that they want all downtime shorter than five minutes to be automatically labeled as "Minor Downtimes" so that operators can focus on labeling the root causes for the longer downtime events.

ArchFX React will label the minor downtimes with the Downtime Reason chosen by the customer and the Reason's enclosing Downtime Category. The Downtime Reason and Downtime Category can have any names the customer wishes. Arch typically recommends Downtime Category = "Other" and Downtime Reason = "Minor" for this purpose if the customer has no other preference.  

Do not give a Downtime Reason the same name as a Downtime Category

To prevent confusion when viewing Downtime Categories and Downtime Reasons within ArchFX GLO, avoid giving any Downtime Reason the same name as a Downtime Category.