Facility management deals with the management of built assets and incorporates controlling services necessary for the successful business operation of an organization. It should aim not only at simply reducing the operating expenses of an organization but also at enhancing the efficiency of the facility and its users as well. The physical environment has a major influence on the successful operation and efficiency of an organization; modifying this could lead to an organization’s desired efficiency being achieved. To gauge the effectiveness of facility management, therefore, it is necessary to reach an understanding of the current conditions of the facility and to postulate changes in facility management practices in order to achieve the desired performance. Poor facility management could result in an inadequate functioning of the facility which may also result in a lack of contribution to the organization’s mission, cost efficiencies, inadequacy, and general unavailability of facilities. On the other hand, a strong facility management approach provides needed support to the organization’s mission, the realization of future facility requirements, greater cost efficiency, and the ability to anticipate the results of current management decisions. We must therefore establish a process for ensuring that facility management provides a positive contributory effect to the business.

Performance measurement could be considered a key to calibrating the effectiveness of a built facility. Effective performance measurement is vital to an organization as it provides much-needed direction to management for decision making. Performance measurement extends opportunities to review past and present functioning and to derive future strategies for the successful operation of the organization and the fulfilment of its strategic goals.  

Major facility performance measurement practices include benchmarking, a balanced scorecard approach, post-occupancy evaluation, and measurement through metrics of key performance indicators (KPIs). Consequently, it is important to identify a set of KPIs to establish effective performance evaluation metrics for the facility under consideration. 

KPIs refer to a set of quantifiable measurements used to gauge a company’s short, medium and long-term performance. They specifically help determine a company's strategic, financial, and operational achievements, especially compared to other businesses within the same sector. 

KPIs are the critical (key) indicators of progress toward an intended result. KPIs provide a focus for strategic, tactical and operational improvement, they create an analytical basis for decision making and help focus attention on what matters most.