Mean Time to Repair (MTTR)
Description
In field service and manufacturing, time is the most valuable resource. When a machine stops working, every minute of downtime translates to lost revenue, reduced productivity or missed service level agreements (SLAs). MTTR tracks the total time spent on corrective maintenance divided by the number of repairs over a specific period. This calculation includes everything from the moment a fault is detected to the time the equipment is back up and running – covering diagnosis, technician travel, spare parts retrieval and the actual repair work.
While mechanical factors often influence repair speed, information availability plays a surprisingly large role. A significant portion of a technician's time can be wasted simply searching for the right manual, schematic or troubleshooting guide. If documentation is outdated, trapped in a PDF or hard to find on a mobile device, the "mean time" stretches longer. Reducing MTTR is therefore as much a content challenge as a technical one. Organizations that master structured content management can drastically lower repair times. By organizing technical information into granular, tagged components, companies ensure that technicians can find the exact answer they need instantly.
Example use cases
- Field service: Equipping mobile technicians with context-aware troubleshooting guides to speed up on-site repairs.
- Maintenance: Integrating Internet of Things (IoT) sensor data with content systems to trigger automatic delivery of repair instructions.
- Support: Providing remote agents with quick access to verified solutions.
- Training: Using modular content to deliver "just-in-time" learning.
- Aerospace: Ensuring maintenance crews have immediate access to mission-critical documentation.
Key benefits
RWS perspective
RWS approaches MTTR reduction by transforming how technical information is managed and delivered. We believe that a technician should never have to fight with their documentation while fixing a machine.
Through Tridion, our intelligent content platform, we help organizations break down massive technical manuals into smart, reusable components. This structured content is then delivered dynamically to any device – whether it's a ruggedized tablet, a smartphone or a hands-free AR headset. By integrating with field service management tools and IIoT systems, RWS ensures that the right information finds the technician the moment a fault occurs. This Human + Technology synergy removes friction from the repair process, turning content from a bottleneck into a productivity accelerator.