This paper reviews the basic concepts of several maintenance approaches and discusses the increasing needs of effectiveness-centred maintenance (ECM). It discusses the principles and relates them to the measurement of ECM performance. The development and implementation of the ECM approach is elaborated based on a pilot program in the radio unit of an electricity company in Hong Kong. Two ECM performance indices (i.e. individual system effectiveness (ISE) and overall system effectiveness (OSE)) were introduced to monitor the ECM process in the company. Being an integrated maintenance approach, ECM focuses on system functions and customer service, and may contribute to the continuous improvement of maintenance management practices in organizations irrespective of their business nature and size.