Record the operating mode in the diary (availability)

The Operating mode element records from when to when the plant was in which mode: Normal operation, Start-up, Shutdown, Maintenance, Reduced operation, Emergency shutdown — and why, if needed. This is the raw data behind the availability indicators (MA · OA · OSF). The diary only records: it does not calculate percentages — the Analytics module does that, based on classification.

Before you start

• The element must be switched on. It is off by default; your administrator switches it on per plant in the diary-element editor (see: Edit diary elements). Until then it does not appear in the diary.
• Permission: the right to edit the diary — shift_log:edit — and write access to the plant. There is no separate operating-mode permission: a period is part of filling in the diary.
• Open diary: you record operating modes in the live (editable) diary.
• The list of modes is maintained by your organisation on the Lists tab (see: Shared lists). Six values are provided by default.

What it looks like

Operating modes appear in one list, in time order from top to bottom — like a timeline. Each line is one span: the mode, from when to when, and for how long. The mode that is still running gets a yellow frame and an In progress label. Only one mode per plant can be in progress at a time.

Steps

1. If the top of the list shows a mode in progress marked “From the previous shift”, close it first. The previous shift left it open. On its card, enter the time in When did it end? (within the shift window) and press Close. The closed span goes into your diary’s list: from the start of your shift to the time you entered, marked From the previous shift.
2. Add the next mode with the New operating mode button at the bottom of the list. The Start field is pre-filled with the end of the previous mode, so the timeline has no gap — just choose the Operating mode and press Add. Use Note for the reason.
3. If the mode has already ended, enter its End too — or close it later on its card with Close. Then New operating mode is available again, and the next one starts where the previous one ended. The list grows downwards with every change during the shift.
4. If the last mode is still running at the end of the shift, leave it in progress. You do not need to close it: it appears at the top of the next shift’s diary, and they close it there.

Hours and minutes only, within the shift window

You enter the time as hours:minutes; the date comes from the diary. The time must be within the shift window; otherwise the app says: “The time falls outside the shift window.” On a night shift, hours after midnight belong to the following day.

Example: from normal operation to shutdown

The night shift left Normal operation in progress. In the morning shift the plant shuts down at 08:30. At the top of the list, on Normal operation, you enter 08:30 and press Close. The list now shows Normal operation 6:00 – 8:30. With New operating mode you add Shutdown — its start is already 08:30. At 10:15 you close it on its card: Shutdown 8:30 – 10:15. The next mode starts at 10:15. The timeline has no gaps.

You cannot add a new mode while one is in progress

While a mode is in progress, the New operating mode button is disabled, with the reason below it: “Close the open operating mode first — then you can record a new one, starting where the previous one ended.” The system does not save a second mode in progress even when the page is bypassed, nor when you clear the End of a closed line. Overlaps between closed spans are not blocked (reality must be recorded); Analytics shows them as a data-quality signal. Another plant’s operating mode does not get in the way.

Correcting and deleting

• Correct: while the diary is not closed, the pencil icon on the right of a line opens editing: mode, Start, End and Note can all be corrected. Save saves it, Cancel closes it.
• Delete: use the bin icon on the right of the line. Only a line of the same diary can be deleted.
• If you see this message: “This period has meanwhile been closed — reload the page.” — someone closed the same period in the meantime (or the form was submitted twice). Reload the page and check the current state.

If you did it right

Operating modes appear in time order in one list in the diary, one after the other without gaps; the one still running is labelled In progress, and one closed from the previous shift is marked From the previous shift. They appear in the PDF report when the report template includes the Operating mode block. In the Analytics module, the recorded times form the basis of the availability indicators; whether a shutdown was planned or unplanned is decided by the classification.