How to Improve and Calculate MTTD

Incident management is an important part of any maintenance strategy. Ensuring that you can get operations moving quickly again after a failure incident is critical for maintaining efficiency within your organization. 

In this article, we’ll walk you through the importance of measuring and improving Mean Time to Detect (MTTD) so you can continue to improve your processes and streamline operations. 

What is Mean Time to Detect (MTTD)?

Mean Time to Detect (MTTD) is a metric that measures the average amount of time it takes a team to discover a system failure after it occurs. In essence, it’s the number of hours or minutes between a failure taking place and the discovery of that failure. 

MTTD offers essential information about the timeliness and effectiveness of an organization’s incident response methods. It helps organizations improve their processes, catch failures quicker, and reduce system failures altogether while minimizing the costly downtime that can come with them.   

How to calculate MTTD

MTTD is a measurement of elapsed time. Time to detect can be measured for a single incident but mean time to detect is an average for a group of incidents. Incident detection times can be grouped and analyzed across teams, assets, locations, production lines, or any other categorization that is important to your organization. 

Because MTTD is a simple average, it can be calculated by dividing the total time between incident and detection for all incidents, by the total number of incidents being measured. It requires capturing both the time the incident occurred and the time it was detected for all incidents.

MTTD = Total Time Between Failure & Detection for All Incidents / Total # of Incidents

Let’s use an example to illustrate how this could be helpful in a maintenance setting. 

A manufacturing facility that operates machinery essential for production tracks the time it takes to detect failures in its machines. 

Suppose over a month, the following incident detection times (in hours) were recorded for five incidents: 

To calculate the MTTD of these incidents, we’ll follow these steps: 

1. Add up all of the detection times: 2.32+15.38+3.28+0.37+1.95=23.3 hours
2. Count the number of failures or incidents: 5 
3. Divide the total detection time by the number of incidents: 23.3 hours / 5 incidents = 4.66 hours

The MTTD for this particular month is 4.66 hours. 

That means that, on average, it takes 4.66 hours to detect a failure or defect after it occurs. This metric can help the facility’s maintenance team understand their detection efficiency and identify areas for improvement. Reducing the MTTD can lead to quicker responses and shorter downtimes, ultimately improving overall operational efficiency. 

Why you should start measuring MTTD

MTTD is a key performance indicator (KPI) that helps organizations improve the first critical step in their incident management process. Particularly in facility maintenance, tracking MTTD can help companies improve uptime with quicker failure detection. 

Here are some additional benefits of tracking and working to minimize MTTD: 

• Reduced downtime: Monitoring MTTD will help you identify patterns and take proactive measures to prevent future failures, thereby reducing the length of failure-related downtime events. 
• Cost savings: Quicker failure detection equates to less time spent on repairs and lower costs associated with unplanned downtime. 
• Improved customer satisfaction: Quick failure detection and resolution leads to better product reliability and production times, enhancing customer satisfaction. 
• Data-driven decisions: MTTD metrics provide data that can guide strategic decisions in resource allocation, training, and process improvements.

Practical benefits of improving your organization’s MTTD

Improving and reducing MTTD brings tangible benefits that can significantly enhance operational performance. Check out these benefits and use cases of MTTD across various maintenance scenarios.

Faster response times

Improving MTTD results means quicker response times when failures are detected, resulting in better adherence to production schedules and less downtime. 

Example: In a manufacturing plant, improving MTTD means failures are detected within 2 hours instead of 4. This quicker detection allows maintenance teams to respond quickly, reducing the time machines are out of operation. 

Increased operational efficiency

Reducing MTTD contributes to better overall operational efficiency. When organizations can detect failures quicker, be more prepared to fix them, and even start to prevent them, their operations become more productive. 

Example: A large manufacturing facility produces automotive parts using multiple assembly lines. By measuring and improving MTTD, the facility detects conveyor belt misalignments within 30 minutes of the problem occurring, rather than 3 hours which it had been taking previously. This shorter detection time increases the production line’s operational availability, allowing it to maintain optimal production rates, utilize resources more efficiently, and contribute to a more profitable operation. 

Enhanced predictive maintenance

MTTD can enhance predictive maintenance strategies by allowing you to start automating failure detection, receive alerts earlier, and begin recognizing signs that a failure is imminent even before it occurs. 

Example: A logistics company operates a large fleet of delivery trucks. By implementing regular inspections and tire pressure monitoring sensors to help improve MTTD, they detect tire wear issues within 1 hour of the problem occurring, rather than their previous average of 5 hours. These measures have not only improved their MTTD but also helped keep their fleet running, reduce costs, and improve safety, ultimately leading to better service for their customers.

Reduced maintenance costs

Reducing failure detection time results in cost savings across maintenance operations. The longer it takes to detect a failure, the more it can cost to repair a machine, particularly if it’s running with a defective part. 

Example: An airline that improves MTTD through more thorough and timely inspections can detect potential aircraft issues during routine checks rather than in-flight, significantly reducing the high costs associated with emergency landings and unscheduled maintenance.

Improved safety

Safety is critical for compliance and maintaining a good work environment for employees. Improving MTTD can help you more quickly find and fix issues that may pose a risk to machine operators. This makes operations safer for employees and the environment and reduces the risk of safety incidents or OSHA non-compliance. 

Example: In a chemical plant, quicker detection of equipment malfunctions can prevent hazardous situations such as leaks or exposures, ensuring the safety of employees and compliance with safety regulations.

How to reduce MTTD

Organizations can employ multiple tools and strategies to reduce MTTD and optimize operations. Here are some effective methods to start with:  

Leverage automation in incident response processes

Consider using real-time monitoring systems to continuously check for early signs of failure and automatically alert the maintenance team immediately when problems occur. Automation reduces the likelihood of human error and speeds up the detection process. 

AI and machine learning (ML) integrations also have the power to predict potential failures or outages before they happen. 

Maintain good communication within the maintenance team

Clear communication is essential in any effective operation. Establish clear and efficient communication channels between team members and key stakeholders and remove barriers from failure response workflows. Tools such as dedicated messaging apps enable quick collaboration and information sharing, fostering teamwork and more effective repairs. 

Consider conducting regular meetings to provide real-time updates and ensure the entire team is aware of current and potential issues so they can respond quickly. 

Keep accurate records of incidents

Maintain detailed records of every incident that occurs. This should include detection time, response actions, and outcomes. These records provide important data that can be analyzed to find patterns and determine areas for improvement. 

Store and manage all incident records in a centralized database or Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) for easy access and analysis. 

Conduct regular training for maintenance personnel

Ongoing education is important for keeping teams up to date on the latest detection technologies and processes. Conduct simulation drills to practice responding to different types of failures and improve your team’s readiness for addressing incidents. 

Implement condition-based monitoring

Condition-based monitoring and predictive maintenance allow you to track machinery with sensors that trigger real-time alerts when things like temperature, vibration, and pressure deviate from the norm. Set specific thresholds for each parameter you wish to monitor so that you can immediately investigate any unusual readings. 

Predictive maintenance management tools use historical and condition data to predict when equipment might fail, allowing for early detection and prevention of failures. Other tools like infrared cameras and ultrasonic detectors can identify potential issues that are not visible to the naked eye. 

Foster a culture of proactive maintenance

Encourage employees to report any unusual signs or symptoms of equipment issues, even if they seem minor. Make it a point to recognize and reward employees who proactively identify and report potential problems. 

Analyze and improve detection processes regularly

After an incident occurs, conduct a post-incident review to analyze detection times and identify areas for improvement. Use the insights from your reviews to continuously refine and improve detection processes within your organization. 

Use Limble CMMS to improve MTTD

Leverage the capabilities of a CMMS to detect and address failures quickly. With maintenance management features like a centralized data hub, real-time analytics and reporting, asset management, and much more, you can achieve low MTTD in your operations. 

Schedule a free demo to learn more!