Pausing a procedure can be performed by Admins, Editors, and Operators.
Pause a run
If you would like to PAUSE a run at any point, click the pause button at the top of the screen.
A window will pop up and you may enter comments for the pause.
When you are finished entering comments, click the Pause button.
You will see a banner at the top of the screen indicating who paused the run.
Hover over the i icon to see any pause run comments that were entered.
The status of the run will display as PAUSED.
To resume the run, click the RESUME button.
Configure Pause Reasons
Admins can configure a curated list of pause reasons for runs, sections, and steps. This helps standardize why work is being paused and makes pause activity easier to review later.
To configure pause reasons, go to Settings > Rules & Automation > Runs and locate the Pause Reason section.
Choose how pause reasons should behave:
Off keeps the existing pause workflow without a reason selection.
Optional allows users to select a reason when pausing, but does not require one.
Required requires users to select a pause reason before the pause can be submitted.
Add each pause reason using the New pause reason field, then click Add.
Pause reasons can be reordered using the drag handle next to each reason. The order shown in settings is the order users will see when selecting a pause reason.
Common examples may include reasons such as Safety, Critical failure, Shift change, waiting on hardware, waiting on engineering review, or any other pause categories your team wants to track consistently.
Pausing with a Required Pause Reason
When pause reasons are set to Required, the pause dialog includes a required Pause Reason dropdown. The user must select one of the configured reasons before the Pause button becomes available.
After selecting a reason, the user can optionally enter a pause comment for additional context. Click Pause to confirm.
Once the run, section, or step is paused, Epsilon3 displays the paused banner as usual. The pause event is also recorded in the activity feed with the selected reason, who paused it, and when it was paused.
Pausing with an Optional Pause Reason
When pause reasons are set to Optional, users can choose from the configured pause reason list or pause without selecting a reason. The optional comment field remains available for additional context.
Use this setting when your team wants to encourage consistent pause categorization without blocking users from pausing quickly.
Viewing Pause Reason Activity
Pause reasons are included in the pause activity record. Open the Activities panel to review when the run, section, or step was paused, who paused it, and the selected reason.
This provides a clearer audit trail and makes it easier to understand pause trends across operations, shifts, blockers, and exceptions.
Pausing and Resuming Individual Steps or Sections
In addition to pausing an entire procedure, you can pause individual steps or sections within a running procedure. This feature is useful when you need to temporarily halt progress on a specific step or section without affecting the rest of the workflow.
How to Pause a Step
Open your procedure and navigate to the step you’d like to pause.
Click the three-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the step card.
Select Pause Step from the dropdown menu.
A dialog box will appear prompting you to add a required comment. Enter a short note explaining why the step is being paused.
Click Submit to confirm.
Once paused, the step will be highlighted in yellow and labeled as Paused. A comment noting who paused the step, when it was paused, and any accompanying message will appear in the Activity section of the step.
Resuming a Paused Step
When you’re ready to continue work on the step:
Click the Resume button at the top of the paused step.
The step will return to its normal state, allowing actions, signoffs, and updates to proceed as usual.
All pause and resume events are logged in the step’s activity feed for full traceability.
Viewing Paused Steps in the Procedure List
When a step (or the entire procedure) is paused, the Status column in the Procedures list will display a Paused tag. This helps teams quickly identify paused procedures in progress.
Tips for Using Pause Step
💡 Tip: Use Pause Step when an individual task is blocked (for example, waiting on test equipment, part delivery, or signoff clarification) without needing to pause the full procedure.
⚠️ Note: While a step is paused, no further updates, signoffs, or comments can be made until it is resumed.