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Glossary · Management

MTTR

Mean Time to Recover

In plain language

The average time it takes to get something working again after it breaks.

The metaphor

Like how long the repair shop usually takes to give your car back.

Going deeper

How it works

  • It counts from the failure to full recovery.
  • Spare parts and good documentation shorten it.
  • It is tracked by IT teams to see how quickly problems get fixed.
  • Treat it as an expectation to track.

What can go wrong (example scenario)

A shop's card machine failed on a Saturday and the replacement took until Tuesday. They changed their plan and kept a spare on site.

In practice
  • A team reviews how long server outages lasted.
  • A provider reports average time to restore service.
  • A manager keeps a spare router to cut downtime.

A question owners ask

How do I shorten it?

Keep spares for critical gear, write down how things are set up, and make sure backups restore quickly.

Related terms
ALEAnnualized Loss ExpectancyAROAnnualized Rate of OccurrenceAUPAcceptable Use PolicyBackupBCPBusiness Continuity PlanningBIABusiness Impact AnalysisBPABusiness Partners AgreementBYODBring Your Own Device

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