Building metrics are specific points of data used to measure and improve performance. Metrics are used for benchmarking, a process which compares two or more facilities or business processes to evaluate effectiveness and promote change. Choosing what to measure is critical, as is the integrity of the data gathering and recording process. The use of centralized IT infrastructures, CAFM systems, and relational databases enables the tracking and reporting on a wide variety of metrics. Some of the most frequently gathered metrics measure services such as:

These metrics are usually measured by the type of cost unit utilized:

Additionally, these metrics are gathered to reflect operations in a particular organization and can be evaluated by:

(See Figure 1)

Another category of metric measures the effectiveness of job performance, supported by data such as customer satisfaction surveys and interviews. Metrics such as work order completion time, uptime, and number of risk incidents are usually calculated by time increments such as days, months, or number of hours worked.

It is important when benchmarking that comparisons are made between similar facilities or processes. For example, metrics reporting the use of electricity per user in a laboratory environment should be benchmarked against electrical utility costs in a similar environment. An office or manufacturing site would have significantly different needs and operating parameters. Similarly, automotive manufacturing companies would benchmark their production capacity per unit per gross square foot against metrics in their particular industry.

Current trends in building metrics are pointing to the effectiveness of an occupant centered benchmarking approach. For example, instead of measuring the cost of custodial services for 100,000 sf of research space, greater efficiency can be attained by measuring the service needs of the 36 researchers that the facility accommodates. Alternately, a product-centered metric would measure the cost of manufacturing a product (ie, cost per automotive component or medical device produced.) These progressive building metrics enable the facility manager to allocate resources in alignment with the strategic goals and objectives of the organization. As metrics are benchmarked and operational effectiveness is monitored and improved, the goal of developing "Best Practices" can be achieved. Best practices, practices that improve performance and create cost savings, are then leveraged within a company to meet its strategic business goals. These goals are often quantified as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) or Key Success Indicators (KSIs).

Tradeline Inc. has developed Mission Complexity Scoring (MCS). Management Complexity Scoring is like credit scoring except the objective is to predict and compare staffing levels for different management missions instead of the credit worthiness of borrowers. MCS is a calculated number that reflects outsourcing, lease/own, portfolio mix, scope of services, percent non-seated workforce, number of sites, churn, and the use of technologies.

Companies that provide benchmarking consulting services and implementation training for benchmarking are Six Sigma; Cutter Consortium; and the Balanced Scorecard Institute.

Software platforms used for metrics tracking and benchmarking include ARCHIBUS; SAS; and Performance Prism.