SLA Deadlines and Escalation in UniAsset

An SLA (service level agreement) in UniAsset is the committed response window for a work order — the maximum time allowed from creation to resolution before the work order is considered overdue and escalation is triggered.

How SLA deadlines are calculated

UniAsset calculates the SLA deadline automatically at work order creation. You do not enter a deadline manually — the system derives it from two inputs: the work order's priority level and the linked asset's criticality level.

Step 1: Base deadline from priority

For Planned work orders, the SLA deadline is the date you explicitly set when creating the work order. For all other priorities, the deadline is calculated as: creation time + the default window for the selected priority.

Step 2: Adjusted by asset criticality multiplier

The base deadline is then multiplied by the criticality multiplier of the linked asset. Multipliers compress or extend the window depending on how operationally important the asset is.

The final deadline formula is:

SLA deadline = creation time + (base priority window × criticality multiplier)

Example: An Emergency work order on a Critical asset = 4 hours × 0.5 = 2-hour deadline.

Asset criticality and SLA multipliers

Asset criticality is set on the asset record itself (edit the asset → Criticality field). You can change it at any time — changes affect new work orders raised against that asset.

Practical guidance on setting criticality:

• Critical: Assets whose failure stops operations, creates safety risk, or directly affects patient care. Examples: ICU ventilator, production line conveyor, primary server.
• High: Assets that significantly degrade operations when down but have partial workarounds. Examples: surgical suite secondary equipment, backup generator, CNC machine.
• Medium: Standard operational assets. Most assets in a typical facility. Examples: office HVAC, delivery vehicle, general-purpose printer.
• Low: Non-essential assets with easy replacements or no operational impact when down. Examples: break room appliances, spare monitors, decorative signage.

Configuring SLA windows for your organisation

UniAsset ships with default SLA windows (4h / 24h / 72h), but every tenant can customise these.

Where to find it: Settings → Work Orders → SLA Configuration

What you can customise:

• Hours per priority level (Emergency, Urgent, Routine)
• Criticality multipliers (Critical, High, Medium, Low)

Important: Changes apply to new work orders only. Work orders already open at the time of a configuration change keep their original SLA deadlines. This preserves the integrity of compliance reporting — a breach that occurred under the old settings is not retroactively cleared.

SLA escalation matrix

When a work order's SLA deadline is breached, UniAsset does not just send one alert and stop. It triggers a tiered escalation chain that progresses automatically until the work order is resolved.

The escalation matrix has three levels. Each level notifies a different role and fires at a different delay after the breach.

The delay values (0 min, 60 min, 240 min) are the defaults. You can configure all three delays in Settings → Work Orders → Escalation.

Configuring who receives escalations:

Each escalation level maps to a role or a specific user in your organisation. You can configure these mappings in Settings → Work Orders → Escalation. If a Level 1 escalation should go to a specific named supervisor rather than the generic Supervisor role, you can set that.

What triggers each escalation:

Each level fires independently based on the elapsed time since the SLA breach, regardless of whether the previous level was acknowledged or acted upon. If the Supervisor at Level 1 does not respond, Level 2 fires automatically at the configured delay. The system does not wait for acknowledgement before escalating.

SLA breach indicators

Three visual and notification signals make SLA status visible at a glance:

SLA progress bar

Every work order detail page shows a progress bar tracking time remaining against the SLA deadline. The bar is green when time remains. It turns red the moment the deadline is breached. Any manager viewing the work order can see the breach state instantly.

CRITICAL in-app notification and email

On each escalation trigger, the relevant contact receives:

• A CRITICAL in-app notification (visible in their notification panel immediately)
• An email alert to their registered address

The notification includes the work order title, the asset name, the priority level, and how long the breach has been active.

Escalation log on the work order timeline

Every escalation event is recorded as a timestamped entry on the work order timeline. If a work order was escalated to Level 2 and eventually resolved, the timeline shows:

• When the SLA was breached
• When Level 1 fired and who was notified
• When Level 2 fired and who was notified
• When the work order was eventually resolved

This log is permanent and cannot be edited. It provides a complete accountability trail for every breach — useful for post-incident reviews and compliance audits.

Related articles

• Understanding work orders in UniAsset
• Work order lifecycle — from open to closed
• Assigning work orders to technicians
• Setting up preventive maintenance work orders
• Maintenance cost tracking