What is an automation?
Automations set the parameters (time or metric) for when a new task should be auto-generated, using one of your existing task templates. It's therefore the appropriate tool for triggering preventive maintenance tasks (PM's).
On any single asset, you can have multiple automations that each auto-generate a task using a set of rules, defined in advance, with each automation able to use the same or different task templates.
Some characteristics of an automation:
The sole purpose of automations is to define when and under what circumstances a task should be automatically created on an asset.
An automation can be used for either recurring preventive maintenance (PM) tasks on a time-based schedule or a metric reading (eg. car odometer, oil level, temperate gauge, etc.), or for one-off preventative maintenance (eg. a 10-year major service that will occur once on an asset and will never we repeated again).
Automations can also be used for one-off tasks that might not be considered preventative but are nonetheless known in advance (eg. commissioning an asset, a warranty expiration, or decommissioning an asset).
NOTE: We do not recommend using automations for a future reactive task. Specific functionality for automations + reactive tasks is coming soon.
When an automation generates a task, it will populate the new task with the data contained in the nominated task template. For example, the work procedure to be followed, the material kit to be used, the estimated work time and downtime, and any documentation that might be required to complete the task.
What's next?