Facility specification can vary greatly for good reason. For a new and uncertain market, it may be appropriate to choose the lowest  investment parameters. On the other hand, expansion of an existing production line might require incorporation of state-of-the-art plant and lower maintenance costs, thus dictating higher initial investment costs. Such decisions have a significant impact on subsequent design actions.

Typically, many large organizations have adopted different categories of characteristics and governing standards and specifications for a set of categories of facility quality and performance. These characteristics often include aspects such as reliability, product quality, process flexibility, operability, maintainability, life of plant & equipment, appropriate expandability. Each critical section of the facility has its own designated class of facility and is designed and constructed accordingly.