Developing a dataset of real projects for portfolio, program and project control management research

This article introduces a dataset comprising a portfolio of six projects each having a baseline consisting of a budget derived from a standardized first-principles, bottom-up estimation technique. The projects utilize a homogeneous set of resources, both consumable and non-consumable, which are inter-related in a highly complex, multi-dimensional manner with appropriate correlation between quantity, productivity rates and cost rates. The dataset also includes detailed time-phased actual costs and progress over the life of each project as well as the time-phased values of revenue claimed for each project. The collection and attribution of 12,139 actual costs and the measurement of progress over a period of just under 109 consecutive weeks is consistent and standardized across all six projects providing a unique differentiator to other datasets. The data is valid for research in portfolio, program, or project (PPP) management or control of multiple resource-constrained projects, where projects are managed collectively, generally in a standardized manner to support a strategic business aim.