Performance measurement applications in facilities management: An investigation into the future directions

Facilities Management (FM) is very frequently described as, “an integrated approach to
operating, maintaining, improving and adapting the buildings and infrastructure of an
organisation in order to create an environment that strongly supports the primary objectives of
that organisation”. The practical and strategic relevance of FM to organisations in all sectors of
the economy is now increasingly recognised. Accordingly, organisations seek to improve their
competitiveness by introducing a core business philosophy and restructuring to release senior
management time and improve effectiveness. Managements have begun to realise that for
organisations to benefit from their enormous investment in facilities, they have to begin
managing them actively and creatively with commitment and a broader vision. Formulation of
techniques that are capable of assessing “facilities performance” in terms of quality, cost and
effectiveness, is therefore critical for “Organisational” and “FM” advancements. Research has
emphasised that there is a clear need to measure FM performance which would integrate both
the business and facilities domains. Accordingly, this paper summarises a literature review of
current leading-edge performance measurement and management practices within facilities
management organisations and conceptual models of performance measurement and
management from other industries. Accordingly, the paper identifies the directions to develop
performance measurement systems in FM with specific links to measure facilities relationships
with those of the core business.