How to take events into account correctly in a model?

[#1]

Hello everyone,
I would like to consult you for a modeling.

I have a process with a response Y and parameters X1, X2, X3, etc.
The analysis of the process took place over a long period of 3 years. I would now like to gather all the data to analyze the process as a whole. The problem is that the machine associated with the process has experienced some changes and even some hazards during these 3 years. All of them were identified as Evt_A, Evt_B, Evt_C at a specific date. In order to get a good modeling of Y, I would like to take into account not only the parameters X1, X2, X3, etc. but also the events A, B, C, etc. to know if they had a real influence and to quantify their influences. For the time being, I have introduced the events as categorical columns with the values -1 and +1, -1 meaning "before the event" and +1 "after the event".

I ask myself the following questions:
1. Is this the only way to proceed?
2. Is this the right way to proceed?
3. How to introduce correctly these events in the Fit Model platform? Should I use specific attributes? Are interactions possible?

I thank you in advance for all the help you can give me.
Sincerely,
Stéphane GEORGES

[#2]

The description of the problem strikingly similar to the ones that Reliability Growth tries to address. Click the link and see the introductory plot in the documentation. The plot depicts a lengthy design+improvement+test process which involves three phases: Initial, Revised, and Final. There were two design changes made to the system: the transition points between the consecutive phases.

The data records time-to-event, where events in the example are system failures.So the resulting model can describe failure rate changes from phase to phase.

The events can be associated with severity. For example repair cost at failures can represent severity. In such case, the resulting model can describe maintenance cost changes from phase to phase.

Please take a look at the tool, and let us know whether it can address your problem.