Mean time to repair (MTTR) is the average time from when a piece of equipment fails, or is reported failed, to when it is working again. It measures how quickly repairs are completed across many incidents.
MTTR is an equipment measure. It is often tracked by the customer as well as by the service company, so agree on the definition before you report it.
How to calculate MTTR
MTTR = Total repair time across incidents ÷ Number of incidents
Say you handled 25 repairs on a customer's equipment last quarter, and the total time from report to restored was 150 hours. MTTR is 150 ÷ 25, or 6 hours.
The important decision is what "repair time" includes. Two common versions:
- Hands-on MTTR: from technician arrival to fix confirmed. This measures diagnostic and repair skill.
- End-to-end MTTR: from failure reported to fix confirmed. This includes waiting, travel, parts and any return trips.
End-to-end MTTR is what the customer experiences. Hands-on MTTR is what your technician controls. Track both and keep them labeled.
Why it matters
End-to-end MTTR breaks down into pieces you can manage separately:
End-to-end MTTR ≈ Time to dispatch + Drive time + Diagnosis + Waiting for parts + Repair
Most of the variation usually sits outside the repair itself. A job that needs a second visit for a part adds the whole gap between visits. A truck that has to cross the territory adds the drive time. Improving first-time fix rate and sending a truck that is already nearby both shorten MTTR without anyone working faster.
That is the one place scheduling enters this measure. If dispatch picks the technician by who is free, not by who can arrive soonest from where they are, the drive leg grows. The dispatch software page explains how CrewLink computes travel from each truck's previous job.
A common mistake
Mixing incidents of very different sizes in one average. A one-hour reset and a two-day compressor replacement in the same MTTR hide both. Report MTTR by equipment type or job category so the number means something.
Related terms
- Mean time between failures measures how long equipment runs between failures.
- Resolution time is the service-ticket version of end-to-end MTTR.
- Response time is the first part of the MTTR clock.
Common questions
What is a good MTTR?
There is no universal figure. It depends on equipment type, contract terms and territory. Compare your MTTR to your own past results and to what your SLAs require.
Is MTTR the same as resolution time?
They overlap. Resolution time is usually measured on a ticket or work order. MTTR is measured on equipment. For a single-asset failure they can be the same number.
Does MTTR include travel?
End-to-end MTTR does. Hands-on MTTR does not. State which one you are reporting.