Creating A Recommendation

1. Strategy Assessments: An evaluation process to suggest appropriate responses to asset failure, conducted at an asset class level. 
2. RCM (Reliability Centered Maintenance) Assessments: A systematic process to determine the maintenance requirements of physical assets in their operating context. 
3. Recommendation Workbench: A feature within APM where users can create, manage, and review recommendations. 
4. Recommendation Status: The current state of a recommendation, indicating its progress from creation to potential release for use. 
5. Planning Plant: An organizational unit within APM where maintenance planning activities are performed. 
6. Failure Data Profile: A collection of data related to how and why assets may fail, which can be linked to recommendations. 
7. Failure Data: Information pertaining to the causes and effects of asset failure. 
8. Proactive Type and Subtype: Categories within a recommendation that define the nature of the suggested action, such as preventive maintenance. 
9. Operating Context and Condition: Specific conditions under which an asset operates, which can affect its failure risk and the applicability of recommendations. 

Jessica Martin will gain the capability to devise practical recommendations from her assessments at CRT Manufacturing, making sure they are in step with the company's asset management goals and the best practices of the industry.

Recommendations are used within Strategy Assessments and RCM Assessments within APM to suggest an appropriate response to asset failure. These are not definitive responses, however. Users within APM can evaluate Recommendations and determine if they are valid responses, are not valid responses, or need further improvement. Recommendations can fall under multiple status types. The Recommendation statuses are listed below. 

• Created - Recommendation just made with no further changes made 
• In Process - Recommendation has some changes made to it but has not been evaluated yet 
• For Review - Recommendation is ready for another colleague to evaluate 
• On Hold - Recommendation is in reserve but is not currently being looked at for evaluation 
• Rejected - Recommendation will not be used 
• Ready for Release - Recommendation accepted and needs final review before release 
• Released - Recommendation is accepted for use 

In addition to changing Recommendation Status, users can make various modifications to a Recommendation, such as adding in additional information pertaining to the Recommendation, assigning and removing Technical Objects from the Recommendation, and viewing the Associated Failure Data in a Recommendation. 

Video Summary

Learn how to manage risk and criticality assessment in SAP Asset Performance Management. Follow along as Mark demonstrates the process of creating an RCM assessment.

On the main page of APM, choose the Recommendation Workbench tile. The tile is in the Assessment Management tab and should be the fifth tile in the row. If not present, you should also be able to locate the tile by going to the search bar at the top, typing "Recommendation Workbench" in the search field, and then hitting the search button. 

In the Recommendation Workbench page, you can see the recommendations previously made. Recommendations can be created from a Strategy Assessment, an RCM Assessment, or just on its own. To create a Recommendation by itself, choose the Create button on the right side of the page underneath the filters. 

Fill out the Recommendation, Description, and Type fields for your Recommendation. If a Proactive Type is chosen as the Recommendation type, an additional Subtype needs to be selected as well. With all necessary fields filled in, choose the Create button at the bottom of the pop up. 

Modify Recommendation Fields: 

The Recommendation will now be created and should open to the edit page. In this page, we have significantly more fields that we can add into the assessment. In this page, implement all necessary additions and changes to the General Data of the Recommendation. Once finished, choose the Save button on the right of the page to apply all new changes.

We can go back and make further changes if desired by choosing the Edit button on the right of the page. If Financial Risk and Cost Impact are added into the assessment, we can see a graphic for each at the top of the page. One thing we should also do is change the status of the Recommendation to In Process to denote that work is currently being done on it. The status of the Recommendation also needs to be set to In Process for it to be later set to other statuses. Choose the Change Status button on the top right of the page and choose the In Process sub button that appears underneath it.

We can also assign a Technical Object to the Assessment as well. Choose the Assignments tab to assign a Technical Object to the Recommendation. 

In the Assignments tab, we need to add a Technical Object to the Recommendation. Choose the Assign Technical Object(s) button at the center of the page to add in a new Technical Object. 

A list of Technical Objects should now appear on the page. If a Planning Plant was selected in the General Data Tab for the Recommendation, it will automatically be applied to the filter here. If no Technical Objects appear, either remove or change the Planning Plant in the Technical Object. 

Assuming Technical Objects do appear on the page, check the Technical Objects you wish to use and then choose the OK button on the bottom left of the page to assign them to the Recommendation. Use other filters as well to locate a specific Technical Object. 

The Technical Object is now assigned to the Recommendation. We can assign more Technical Objects to the Recommendation by choosing the Assign button on the right of the page. We can remove a Technical Object by checking the box to the left of the Technical Object and choosing the Remove button. 

In the General Data tab, the Planning Plant field is automatically assigned to the same one associated with the Technical Object we are working with.

Change Recommendation Statuses: 

Recommendations can be set to one of the many different statuses that were discussed at the beginning of this guide. Note that if not done so already, change the status of the incident from Created to In Process. With the Recommendation set to In Process, we can again set it to other statuses from there. Depending on the status, you can change to a certain group of other statuses or no other statuses at all. The first status we are going to change to is For Review. Choosing the Change Status button and then the For Review sub button underneath it. 

The status of the Recommendation has now been changed to For Review. The status of the Recommendation is noted on the top left of the page underneath the Recommendation name and description. We can change the status again if we want to. Choose the Change Status button again. You will notice that there are new options to change the status to. In the For Review Status, we can now change it to Ready for Release, In Process, On Hold, or Rejected. The In Process and For Review statuses have swapped with one another and the Ready for Release status has been added here. Change the status to On Hold.

Again, the status has been changed. Notice that the Edit button in the Recommendation has disappeared. It is not possible to edit a Recommendation under this status. Looking back at the Change Status button again, it can only be changed to two options now, In Process and Rejected. If we want to edit the Recommendation again, the status must be changed back to In Process. We are going to change the Recommendation here from On Hold to Rejected. Choose the Change Status button and then choose Rejected. 

With the Recommendation Rejected, it is no longer possible to edit the Recommendation and the status cannot be changed anymore. Technical Objects also cannot be assigned to this Recommendation anymore. The Recommendation will remain in APM under this status. 

Failure Data Tab and more Recommendation Statuses: 

Here is another Recommendation I previously created from an RCM Assessment. Because I created this Recommendation from an Assessment, there is a new tab that to choose from, the Failure Data tab. In this tab, there is a visual displaying the Failure Catalogs that are associated with this Recommendation. Choose the Failure Data tab on the left side of the page to the right of the General Data tab.

In this tab, the specific Failure Catalogs that were assigned to the Assessment in which this Recommendation was created appear in the graphic. For my Recommendation, I show the Function, Functional Failure, Failure Mode, and a grouping of Failure Data that was assigned under the Failure Mode here.  

Choosing the Expand/Collapse button on the Failure Mode Data graphic shows me the specific Failure Catalogs I assigned here. I only have two Failure Catalogs assigned within my Failure Mode, the Failure Mechanism, and the Cause, with the Failure Effect not being assigned as I didn't assign it here in my Assessment.

Assuming that the Recommendation is now good for release, the status of the Recommendation must be changed to reflect that. Assuming that the status of this Recommendation is set to For Review, choose the Change Status button and set it to Ready for Release. 

Choose the Change Status button again and set the status to Released to actually finalize the Recommendation for official use. 

The Recommendation has now been released. Like a rejected Recommendation, the status cannot be changed any further and the Recommendation cannot be edited.

Additional Resources

Manage Recommendations

Think back to a time when you were responsible for making an important decision based on various pieces of information. How did you go about evaluating the data to come up with actionable steps? Reflect on how this process parallels with creating recommendations in SAP Asset Performance Management after conducting assessments.

Expert Response to Personal Reflection Question:  

When faced with making a significant decision, I start by gathering all relevant data, much like the initial stages of forming recommendations in APM. I then prioritize the information based on its impact and urgency, akin to categorizing the status of a recommendation as 'Created' or 'In Process'. This helps me to focus on what requires immediate attention and what can be reviewed or put on hold. 

In APM, as in personal decision-making, it's crucial to have a clear workflow. For instance, setting a recommendation to 'For Review' is similar to seeking a second opinion, ensuring that the decision is sound before moving forward. This mirrors the peer review we often undertake in our personal lives, seeking validation or improvement suggestions. 

Moreover, the steps of modifying and assigning technical objects to recommendations in APM are like considering the resources at our disposal and aligning our actions with specific goals. And just as we move a recommendation to 'Ready for Release' when it's been refined and approved, personally, we commit to a decision once we're confident it's been thoroughly vetted and is the best course of action. 

This reflective process underlines the importance of a structured approach to decision-making. It emphasizes the value of clear stages and statuses, both in asset management and personal scenarios, to guide actions that are methodical and aligned with objectives. 

Objective:

To understand how to create and manage recommendations in Asset Performance Management (APM) for responding to asset failures, and to learn how to navigate through various recommendation statuses and modifications.

Overview:

Recommendations guide responses to asset failures and their status indicate the stage of development or implementation within an organization. A recommendation can progress through several statuses from creation to release.

Steps:

1. Creating a Recommendation:
   • Access the Recommendation Workbench from the Assessment Management tab.
   • Create a new Recommendation independently or from within an existing Strategy or RCM Assessment.
   • Fill in the Recommendation details, including type and subtype for proactive measures.
2. Modifying Recommendation Fields:
   • On the Recommendation edit page, input all necessary data.
   • Save the information to preserve the changes.
   • Adjust the Recommendation status to In Process indicating active development.
3. Assigning Technical Objects:
   • Go to the Assignments tab to link Technical Objects to the Recommendation.
   • Apply filters to find and select the correct Technical Objects, then assign them.
4. Changing Recommendation Statuses:
   • Progress the Recommendation through various statuses such as For Review, On Hold, or Rejected based on internal evaluations.
   • Each status change may alter the available actions, such as editing or assigning Technical Objects.
5. Failure Data Tab:
   • For Recommendations linked to an Assessment, the Failure Data tab visualizes the associated failure catalogs.
   • Review the assigned Failure Catalogs to ensure they align with the Recommendation's intent.
6. Releasing the Recommendation:
   • Once a Recommendation is validated, update the status to Ready for Release and then to Released.
   • A Released Recommendation is finalized for use and cannot be edited or have its status changed.

• Created: Newly generated, no edits made.
• In Process: Under development, changes being made.
• For Review: Ready for peer evaluation.
• On Hold: Reserved, not actively reviewed.
• Rejected: Deemed unsuitable for use.
• Ready for Release: Approved, pending final review.
• Released: Officially approved for use.

Outcome:

Understanding the flow from creation to release of Recommendations allows users to systematically evaluate and implement strategies for asset failure responses. The status of each Recommendation reflects its stage in the lifecycle and determines the actions that can be taken.