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What is CAFM? CAFM, IWMS and workplace analytics compared

By Zoë Kschamer, Business Development Intern ·

Two strongly overlapping circles and a smaller circle in the accent colour that only touches them at the edge.

CAFM is software that supports the operation of buildings, for example by managing space and scheduling maintenance. An IWMS combines these tasks with lease and project management on a single platform. Workplace analytics measures how space is actually used.

This article explains the three systems, compares them in a table and uses an example to show why CAFM and the lease report different floor area data for the same site.

What is CAFM?

In Germany, the German Facility Management Association (GEFMA) sets out what CAFM software should do in its guideline GEFMA 400. The core applications it lists include space, maintenance, inventory and move management. Everything revolves around the building: its floor plans, rooms and technical equipment, and the tasks attached to them. That covers the next inspection of a fire door as well as the cleaning schedule for a floor.

For many organisations, CAFM is their main space management software. Floor plans and room schedules are usually kept there. A room schedule lists every room in a building with its area, use and fittings, and it stays reliable only if it is updated after every refurbishment. In Germany, CAFM usually calculates areas according to the DIN 277 standard.

What is IWMS?

IWMS stands for integrated workplace management system. The term comes from English-speaking markets and describes platforms that combine space and maintenance management with lease and project administration. If you have many leased sites, an IWMS keeps lease data and building data in one place.

The line between IWMS and CAFM is blurred. IBM describes its product Maximo Real Estate and Facilities, formerly TRIRIGA, as an IWMS. IBM TRIRIGA also appears on GEFMA's list of CAFM software certified under GEFMA 444 (as of June 2026). The label alone therefore tells you little about what a system can do.

What is workplace analytics?

Workplace analytics looks at how space is actually used. The data comes, for example, from sensors that detect occupancy in a room, from booking systems for desks and meeting rooms, or from access control systems. It produces metrics such as utilisation over the course of the week or occupancy on peak days. Our article on real estate portfolio KPIs shows how to calculate utilisation and combine it with other metrics.

CAFM and IWMS describe what space exists. Workplace analytics shows how it is used. Decisions about space usually need both views.

As soon as utilisation data can be linked to individuals, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies. In Germany, technical systems designed to monitor employees' behaviour or performance are subject to co-determination by the works council under section 87(1) no. 6 of the Works Constitution Act (Betriebsverfassungsgesetz). Measuring per room instead of per desk reduces the link to individuals. Whether a specific system needs works council agreement has to be assessed case by case.

CAFM, IWMS and workplace analytics compared

The functions of CAFM and IWMS overlap considerably. Workplace analytics adds a separate source of data.

System Focus Typical data Typical question
CAFM Building operations Floor plans, rooms, equipment, maintenance How large is each room, and when is the next service due?
IWMS Real estate, space and operations on one platform Leases, space, projects, maintenance Which leases are expiring, and which spaces are affected?
Workplace analytics Actual use of space Sensor, booking and access data How heavily is space used across the week?

Why floor area figures in CAFM and the lease differ

West Plant shows how far floor area data can drift apart. The plant is fictitious, with production, offices and an unheated warehouse, and its annual costs come to €820,000. Finance divides the costs by the lettable area and reports €90 per square metre. Facility management takes the area from CAFM and arrives at €98. Five systems hold a floor area for the plant:

Source Reported area Cost per m² per year
Energy performance certificate (net floor area) 6,200 m² €132.26
ERP (assigned to cost centres) 7,900 m² €103.80
CAFM (usable area) 8,400 m² €97.62
Lease (lettable area) 9,100 m² €90.11
Service charge statement (allocation area) 9,350 m² €87.70

The 8,400 m² in CAFM is the usable area (Nutzungsfläche, NUF) under DIN 277, the space where people work, store goods or produce. Corridors, stairwells and plant rooms are not included. The 9,100 m² in the lease follows the guideline on lettable area published by the German Society of Property Researchers (gif), MF-GIF 2023, available in English as RA-GIF. It asks who uses a space and includes a share of corridors or foyers used jointly. A corridor can therefore be circulation area under DIN 277 and still count towards lettable area. There is no fixed conversion between the two, particularly as the gif guideline no longer refers to DIN 277 since its 2023 edition.

The other figures have their own reasons. Under the German Building Modernisation Act (Gebäudemodernisierungsgesetz, GModG), the energy performance certificate covers only the heated or cooled part of the area, so the warehouse is left out. The ERP system, the central finance and cost accounting software, only knows areas assigned to a cost centre. The allocation area in the service charge statement can include outdoor or shared areas.

Each figure is right for its purpose. Even so, the largest is just over 50 per cent above the smallest. If one plant uses the area from its energy certificate and a second uses its lettable area, the cheaper plant can look like the more expensive one in the report. Different names make matching harder: the warehouse is “Hall 3” in the lease, “WP-BLD-03” in CAFM and 4711 in cost accounting. Without a shared site and building ID, every analysis starts with a mapping table.

Bringing together floor area data from CAFM and other sources

A shared ID for each site and a fixed reference area for each metric usually make existing floor area data comparable before any new system is introduced. For comparisons, a consistent reference area matters more than the last decimal place: if every site uses lettable area, the ranking stays stable even when individual values are a few per cent out.

With spaciv’s CAFM+, you build on your existing CAFM or IWMS, add utilisation data from other sources and link everything to floor area and site data, without replacing anything.

Frequently asked questions

What does CAFM stand for?

CAFM stands for computer-aided facility management. Facility management covers the operation and upkeep of buildings, such as maintenance and cleaning.

Is SAP a CAFM system?

SAP is primarily an ERP system. For real estate, SAP offers the Flexible Real Estate Management (RE-FX) component, which covers buildings, rental objects and leases and is closely integrated with financial accounting and controlling. Maintenance runs through the Plant Maintenance component, which according to SAP's documentation can be linked to the real estate objects in RE-FX. SAP does not appear on GEFMA's list of certified CAFM software (as of June 2026).

Which CAFM software is available?

In Germany, GEFMA provides a vendor-neutral overview. It certifies CAFM software under its guideline GEFMA 444 and publishes a list of products with a valid or pending certificate. The list dated 18 June 2026 contains 22 products. It is not a ranking. For each product, it shows which of 20 criteria catalogues it meets, such as space, move or contract management. This lets you check whether a system covers the tasks that arise in your organisation.

Sources

Retrieved on 11.11.2026 and 12.11.2026. Sources available in German only are marked.

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