Final answer:
Metrics are used by organizations to measure performance in areas such as failure rates, availability, and reliability, providing a means to set targets and assess outcomes over time.
Step-by-step explanation:
Metrics allow organizations to measure their performance in certain areas--such as failure rates, availability, and reliability--and compare them over time or with other organizations. These are quantifiable measures that organizations use as standards for performance evaluation. Metrics can be related to any aspect of the business, like financial metrics, customer service metrics, or internal process metrics. They enable organizations to establish performance targets and assess if these targets are being met over time.
Metrics can be considered within the field of Business or Management because they are essential for strategic planning and operational improvement. Metrics could also be tied to the concept of measurement in Mathematics, particularly when considering how to quantify business outcomes for analytical purposes.