Management
Equipment criticality: how to decide what comes first
A simple criticality matrix with four questions, an A/B/C example, what each class gets and how to combine criticality with equipment condition.
There are 50 assets asking for attention and time to look after 15. Who gets left out? Without an agreed rule, the decision goes to whoever shouts loudest or to the machine that broke last week. Criticality ranking exists so that this conversation happens before the emergency.
Criticality isn't price or size. An expensive motor with two spares ready to go can be low criticality. A cheap pump that is the only path through the process can stop the whole plant. What defines criticality is what happens when the equipment stops.
The four questions
For each asset, answer with a score from 1 to 3:
| Question | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety and environment: can the failure hurt someone or cause environmental damage? | No | Controlled risk | Yes |
| Production or service: does the stop affect the output? | No effect | Reduces it | Stops everything |
| Backup: is there another unit that takes over? | Yes, automatic | Yes, manual or slow | No |
| Repair: how much time and money to get it back? | Hours, part in stock | Days | Weeks or imported part |
Add up the scores and classify:
- A (critical): total of 10 or more, or a 3 in safety and environment, regardless of the rest.
- B (important): total of 7 to 9.
- C (standard): total of 6 or less.
You can adjust the weights and cut-offs to fit your operation. What matters is that the rule is written down, the same for every asset and known to the team.
Example
| Equipment | Safety | Prod. | Backup | Repair | Total | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The plant's only air compressor | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 | A |
| Boiler | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 10 | A |
| Outfeed conveyor (single path) | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 8 | B |
| Recirculation pump with backup | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | C |
| Office air conditioner | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | C |
The outfeed conveyor is simple and cheap, but it lands in B because there's no alternative path. The recirculation pump may cost more, but it has a backup and drops to C.
What each class gets
| Class | Strategy | Parts | Response |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Preventive and predictive, frequent inspection, root cause analysis on every failure | Critical spares in stock | Top priority |
| B | Preventive, periodic inspection | Parts from a fast-delivery supplier | Medium priority |
| C | Simple inspection or run to failure, when the failure is cheap and safe | Buy on demand | Normal queue |
Run to failure isn't neglect when it's a conscious decision: if the failure is safe, cheap and stops nothing, spending preventive work there just takes labor hours away from the equipment that matters.
A sign that the ranking is too loose: more than a quarter of the assets in A. If everything is critical, nothing is. Review the scores with operations at the table.
Criticality is not today's priority
Criticality tells you how much the failure hurts. It doesn't tell you whether the equipment is close to failing. When deciding what goes into the planned shutdown or what to attend to first, combine the two:
- Class A equipment showing a problem (rising vibration, noise, a leak): first in line.
- Class A equipment in good condition: keeps the normal plan.
- Class C equipment showing a problem: goes in when there's slack.
For field service teams
For companies that serve many customers, such as elevator or HVAC contractors, the same logic applies per site. The only elevator in a residential building is A; one of four elevators in an office building may be B. The contract and the response time agreed with the customer go into the production or service question.
Review the ranking
Criticality gets old. An asset that was the only one gets a backup; a line changes product; a parts supplier closes. Review the list at least once a year and whenever there's a change in layout, process or contract. A ranking from eight years ago usually protects the wrong equipment.
In taskfield, every asset has its criticality class, which sets the default priority of the work orders opened for it and shows up for the technician in the app.
Summary
- Criticality measures what happens when the equipment stops, not what it costs.
- Four questions: safety and environment, production, backup and repair.
- A 3 in safety puts the equipment in A, whatever the rest.
- Each class gets a strategy: A gets preventive and predictive, C can run to failure.
- More than a quarter of the assets in A means the rule is too loose.
- Combine criticality with condition to decide what comes first, and review the list every year.
Calculate it now. Run the numbers with your own data in the free calculators:
