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Escalation matrix template
An escalation matrix is a table that says who is called when a problem on the floor cannot be solved where it starts: for each type of issue, who responds first and how fast, and who is called next if the problem is not contained within a set number of minutes. It takes the guesswork out of escalation, so a problem reaches the person who can fix it in time and nobody is called for a problem the team can handle. Page 1 of this template is the matrix: six issue types (safety, quality, machine, material, people and other) against four tiers, from the first responder to an executive or customer contact, with response and escalation minutes, example severity rules, how to raise and log an escalation, and a contact list. Page 2 has a worked example and a weekly review of escalations. The Excel version holds the matrix and a 300-row escalation log: it works out response and contain minutes (past midnight too), the tier each escalation needed from the matrix and its severity, flags late responses and escalations not raised in time, and sums them up by issue type, tier and severity with a chart.
Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.
When to use it
When to use an escalation matrix
- When problems on the floor wait because nobody is sure who to call, or everything goes straight to the plant manager.
- When setting up an andon, tiered meetings or a daily issue process, to agree response times before it goes live.
- After a problem sat too long before the right person heard about it.
- To check every week whether escalations follow the agreed times and roles.
How to fill it in
- 1
List the issue types
Start with the six on the sheet and change them to what people actually raise. Keep the list short.
- 2
Agree who responds first, and how fast
For each type, name the role that responds first and agree a response time with the people in that role.
- 3
Set the escalation times
Write after how many minutes without containment tier 2 and tier 3 are called, counted from when the issue was raised. Write when tier 4 hears about it as a rule, such as suspect product shipped.
- 4
Define the severities
Agree what counts as high, medium and low. In the example, a high issue calls tier 2 at once and a low one waits for the next daily huddle.
- 5
Post it and log every escalation
Post the matrix where issues are raised and at every tier's board. Log the times raised, responded and contained, and the highest tier called. The Excel version checks each one against the matrix.
- 6
Review it every week
Look at the escalations not raised in time, the late responses and the repeats, and change the matrix when the times or roles no longer fit.
A filled-in example
Illustrative, not a benchmarkAn example: an assembly site's matrix and a week of escalations checked against it (illustrative; the minutes are examples the site set).
- The matrix: quality issues go to the team leader within 5 minutes, to the quality engineer if not contained in 30 minutes and to the quality manager after 120 minutes. Machine issues go to a maintenance technician within 10 minutes, with the same 30 and 120 minutes after that.
- Tuesday 10:05, a burr on bracket B-100, high severity: the team leader responded in 3 minutes, but containment took 145 minutes and the issue only reached tier 2. Past 120 minutes it needed tier 3, so it shows as not raised to tier 3.
- Wednesday 23:50, fasteners short at station 3: the response came at 00:05, 15 minutes against a 10-minute target, and the issue was contained at 00:20, 30 minutes after it was raised. Response late; tier 1 was enough.
- Friday 13:30, conveyor C3 jammed: a 22-minute response against 10, contained in 50 minutes at tier 2, so also a late response. A label misprint raised at 15:40 is still open.
Of the six escalations contained, three met the matrix (50%). The average response was 58 ÷ 7 = 8.3 minutes and the average time to contain 325 ÷ 6 = 54.2 minutes. The weekly review starts with the Tuesday burr, which should have reached the quality manager, and the two late responses.
Common mistakes
Names instead of roles
People change jobs and shifts. Write roles in the matrix and keep names and numbers in the contact list, and keep the list current.
Who, but not when
A matrix that names people but sets no times leaves the decision to whoever is under pressure. Agree the minutes.
Escalating instead of containing
Calling the next tier does not replace containment at the line. The first responder still makes the problem safe.
Never passing it back down
Every escalation needs a decision sent back to the team that raised it, or people stop raising issues.
Download the template
Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.
Run this template in LeanSuite
In LeanSuite rules route each issue tag to an owner by tag type, area, department and priority, due dates follow priority with reminders before and after the deadline, and a tag that cannot be fixed locally is escalated to tier 2 or tier 3 with its history.
In the lean glossary
FAQ
Escalation matrix template: common questions
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