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Escalation Chain

Governance & Workflows
process

Definition

A predefined hierarchy of responsibility that determines who is notified and in what order when an issue exceeds the authority or capability of the current handler. Escalation chains ensure that critical issues receive attention from increasingly senior or specialized personnel, with defined time limits for response at each level.

Context

In Reliatic, escalation chains are configured for risk threshold breaches, overdue inspection actions, and unresolved critical findings. They ensure that no critical item falls through the cracks by automatically escalating to the next level if not addressed within the defined timeframe.

Examples

  1. A critical RPN (>=500) triggers an escalation chain: immediate notification to asset engineer (Level 1), escalation to reliability manager if no action within 48 hours (Level 2), and escalation to plant manager if no action within 7 days (Level 3).
  2. An overdue inspection action escalates from the inspector (Day 0) to the inspection coordinator (Day +7) to the asset integrity manager (Day +14) to the plant manager (Day +30).

Applicable Standards

  • ISO 55001:2014

Related Terms

Approval Gate

A checkpoint in a governed workflow where an authorized person must review and explicitly approve before the process can proceed to the next stage. Approval gates enforce segregation of duties, ensure that decisions are made by personnel with appropriate authority, and create auditable decision points. Each gate has defined entry criteria, review requirements, and authority levels.

Governance Event

A discrete, auditable event in the lifecycle of a governed artifact (asset, risk, MOC, inspection) that records a decision, approval, status change, or significant action. Governance events capture who did what, when, why, and with what authorization. They form the backbone of the audit trail and provide the evidence chain for regulatory compliance.

Action Lifecycle

The progression of an action item through defined stages from creation to closure: Open (created, assigned), In Progress (work started), Completed (work finished, pending verification), Verified (effectiveness confirmed), and Closed (formal closure with evidence). Each transition is a governance event with audit trail, ensuring that actions are tracked to completion and their effectiveness is verified.

Where this appears in Reliatic

This concept is used in the Governance module.