5.3 Support Model (L1/L2/L3), Incident Response, Monitoring

A deployed system without a defined support architecture is a dormant failure waiting for a trigger. Operational stability requiresIn a structured24/7 filtrationmanufacturing mechanismenvironment, "Call the developer" is not a scalable strategy. You must build a tiered defense system that resolves routine80% frictionof atissues without waking up the lowestSystem level while preserving high-level engineering capacity for architectural triage. Treat support not as a helpdesk, but as a continuity engine.Architect.

The Tiered Support Structure

ImplementOrganize asupport rigidby tieredCompetency, systemnot tojust preventjob engineering fatigue. The objective is to filter "Noise" (User Error/Config) from "Signal" (Code Defects).title.

TierLevel 1: The Frontline (HelpdeskService Desk / SuperLocal Users)IT)

• Scope: HardwareHardware, connectivityConnectivity, (scanners,User printers),Access, user access reset, basicBasic "How-to" questions.To".
• Resolution Target:Goal: 60–70%First ofCall allResolution incoming(FCR).
• Capabilities: tickets.Restart Services, Replace Scanners, Clear Printer Queues, Reset Passwords.
• Logic:Rule:
  •  If the issue is "Userphysical cannot(broken logscreen) in"or account-based (locked out) → Reset Password / Check AD Group.
  • IfThen scannerL1 isowns unresponsive → it.Replace Battery / Check Wi-Fi Profile.
  • If issue is unknown → Gather Screenshots & Logs -> Escalate to L2.

TierLevel 2: The Application SupportAnalysts (SystemMES Analysts)Team)

• Scope: Data inconsistencies,Integrity, masterConfiguration, dataLogic configuration,Gaps, SQLMaster dataData patches, workflow logic validation.errors.
• Resolution Target:Goal: 20–25%Root ofCause tickets.Analysis (RCA) or viable Workaround.
• Logic:Capabilities:
   SQL Data Patching, Recipe Configuration, Interlock Overrides, Log Analysis.
  • Rule: If "OrderL1 notcannot visibleresolve onwithin line"15 minutes → Verify ERP-MES Interface logs.
  • IfThen dataEscalate requiresto correctionL2 → immediately.Apply Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) fix.

TierLevel 3: EngineeringThe Architects & Vendors (DevelopersDev / Architects)R&D)

• Scope: Code bugs,Bugs, performanceArchitecture bottlenecks,Failures, architecturalDatabase failure, security patches.Corruption.
• Entry Gate:Goal: Hotfix / Patch.
• Capabilities: Source Code modification, Schema changes, Vendor Ticket management.
• Rule: If the system behaves illogically (Bug) → Then Escalate to L3. L3 acceptsnever ticketstakes onlydirect withcalls reproductionfrom stepsthe andshop log extracts provided by L2.floor.

Triage Rules: The Severity Matrix

Pro-Tip:Classify Empowerincidents L1by withBusiness aImpact, "Knownnot Errorby Database" (KEDB). If a fixwho is documented, it belongs in L1, regardless of technical complexity. This shiftsshouting the load left.loudest.

Service Level Agreements (SLA)

Define SLAs based on business impact, not user urgency. A "Line Down" event supersedes all other engineering tasks. Severity	Definition	Response DefinitionsSLA	Update Cadence
Sev 1 (Critical):	Factory Down. ProductionERP/MES Halt.totally Noinaccessible. workaroundShipping available. Financial loss is immediate.stopped. Response:	15 min. Update Freq:Mins	Every 130 hr.Mins
Sev 2 (High):	Line Down. ProductionCritical degradedstation or(e.g., workaroundLabel isPrint) painful.failed. PerformanceNo issues.workaround. Response:	30 Mins	Every 2 hours. HoursUpdate Freq: Every 4 hrs.
Sev 3 (Standard):Medium)	Single Station Down. SingleRedundancy userexists error,(e.g., cosmetic1 bug,of or3 non-blockingTesters featuredown).	4 failure.Hours	Daily Response:
Sev 4 (Low)	Minor Annoyance. 8Cosmetic hoursglitch, (NextReport Businessformatting, Day).Feature Request.	24 Hours	Weekly

PrioritizationDrift LogicControl:

• If Linea UtilizationSev =2 0%issue persists > 4 Hours → DeclareThen Auto-escalate to Sev 1 (The "Pain Accumulation" rule).

Incident Response Workflow & Escalation

Adopt a "Sunrise/Sunset" logic for tickets. A ticket must never sit stagnant.

The "15/60" Escalation Rule.

• T+0: Incident Reported. L1 Engaged.
• T+15m: If 1L1 Userhas isnot blockedidentified butthe Line is runningfix → DeclareThen Warm Transfer to L2 (On-Call).
• T+60m: If L2 has not identified the fix → Then Wake up L3/Vendor.
• T+2h (Sev 31 only): If Unresolved → Then Activate Disaster Recovery (DR) Protocol (See Page 5.4).

On-Call & Vendor Escalation

Fatigue causes errors. Structure on-call rotations to ensure engineers are rested and rational during crises.

On-Call ProtocolGovernance

• Rotation: Weekly rotation.rotation Primaryfor andL2 Secondary engineers must be defined.Engineers.
• Alerting:Tooling: ConfigureUse monitoring tools (e.g., Datadog, Nagios) to page On-Call only for Sev 1/Sev 2 events.
• Compensation: Formalize "Time Off in Lieu"PagerDuty or financial stipends to prevent burnout.

Vendor Escalation Strategy

External vendors (ERP providers, Hardware suppliers) typically charge for support or have strict SLAs.OpsGenie. Do not burn creditsrely on invalid claims.

email.
• Pre-EscalationThe Checklist:"Sleep" Check:
  1. Reproduce the issue in the QA/Staging environment.
  2. Isolate the variable (Standard Product vs. Customization).
  3. If CustomOn-Call CodeEngineer isdoes thenot rootAck causewithin 15m → InternalThen FixAuto-call the IT Manager.

Monitoring Signals: The Pulse

Do not wait for the user to call. The system should scream before the user notices.

Infrastructure (L3)The Plumbing)

• Disk Space: Alert at 80% Full. (Logs fill up fast during errors).
• CPU/RAM: Alert at >90% for >5 mins.
• Ping: Watchdog for PLCs and Edge Gateways.

Application (The Heartbeat)

• Message Queues: If RabbitMQ/MSMQ depth > 50 messages → Alert. (Indicates processing bottleneck).
• API Latency: If Response Time > 200ms → Warning.
• Failed Jobs: Count of failed ERP-MES synchronization messages.

Business Logic (The Symptoms)

• Label Printing: If Standard0 ProductLabels failsprinted in 15 mins (during active shift) → OpenSev Vendor2 TicketAlert. (Something is wrong physically).
• Login Failures: If > 10 failed logins in 1 minute → Security Alert.

Support KPIs

Pro-Tip: When opening a vendor ticket, provideMeasure the "support Businessteam Impact"on in currency (e.g., "$50k/hour downtime"). This bypasses their L1 supportefficiency and routesstability.

directly

KPI	Definition	Target
MTTA to(Ack)	Mean theirTime escalationTo engineers.Acknowledge. "I am looking at it."	< 5 Mins (Sev 1)
MTTR (Resolve)	Mean Time To Resolve. "System is back up."	< 2 Hours (Sev 1)
FCR Rate	First Call Resolution. % of tickets fixed by L1.	> 60%
Backlog Age	Average age of open tickets.	< 5 Days
Noise Ratio	% of Alerts that are False Positives.	< 10%

Final Checklist

Category	Metric / Control	Threshold / Rule
Triage	L1Severity Resolution RateMatrix	≥ 60%100% of totaltickets volumeassigned Sev 1–4 based on Impact, not User Rank.
Speed	Response SLA	Sev 1 requires Ack < 15 mins (24/7).
Escalation	The Timer	Auto-escalate to L2 after 15 mins of L1 stagnation.
Monitoring	Queue Depth	Alert triggers if Message Queue > 50 pending items.
Access	On-Call	Active On-Call Engineer defined in Pager system 24/7.
Process	Escalation QualityHandover	100%"Shift ofHandover" L2→L3email ticketsmandatory havefor Logsany +open ReproSev Steps1/2 tickets.
ResponseAnalysis	Sev 1 Response TimePost-Mortem	≤Mandatory 15RCA Minutes (24/7)
vendor	External Tickets	Onlydocument for Standardevery ProductSev defects
Access	Privileged Access	Only L2/L3 have Write access to DB
Documentation	KEDB Updates	1 New Article per confirmed Bug Fix
Availability	On-Call Coverage	100% Shift Coverage (Primary + Secondary)incident.