What Is Work Performance Data?

Work Performance Data is the raw, unprocessed observations and measurements identified during project execution activities — the direct, uninterpreted facts about project work. In PMBOK 8, Work Performance Data is collected during the Direct and Manage Project Work process and serves as the primary input to work performance reporting. It includes raw data such as: percent of work completed for each activity, actual costs incurred, actual start and finish dates, defects found, quality measurements, and number of change requests submitted. Work Performance Data is distinct from Work Performance Information (analyzed data) and Work Performance Reports (formatted communications) — it is the raw numbers before analysis or interpretation.

What's Inside This Work Performance Data Example

This Work Performance Data example covers Project Phoenix — MCG's $72,250 website launch, March 17 to June 13, 2025. The spreadsheet captures weekly raw data across five data categories:

• Schedule Data: Actual start/finish dates, percent complete per activity, activities completed this week, activities behind schedule
• Cost Data: Actual costs incurred by cost account, cumulative actual cost, vendor invoices received and paid
• Scope Data: Deliverables completed, change requests received, scope changes pending/approved/rejected
• Quality Data: Defects found per work package, defects resolved, quality control measurements recorded (raw numbers)
• Resource Data: Hours worked per team member per week, overtime hours, vendor hours billed

Total data entries: 786 individual data points across 13 weeks × 5 categories × 6 team members + vendor data.

How Alex Morgan Used This Work Performance Data

Work Performance Data was collected by Alex Morgan through three channels: the project management tool (task completions and time logging), the finance coordinator (actual cost reports from accounting), and the QA Analyst (defect log entries). Each Friday, Alex compiled the week's raw data into the spreadsheet before performing EVM calculations and writing the status report.

The discipline of separate raw data collection before analysis prevented a common failure mode: "updating the plan to match reality" rather than measuring performance against the plan. When the Week 6 content migration data showed only 40% completion against an 80% plan (triggering the SPI dip), the raw data made the underperformance undeniable. Alex did not adjust the baseline percent-complete targets to make the data look better — he reported the raw data, analyzed it honestly, and proposed CR-002.

The resource hours data revealed one unexpected insight in Week 4: the UX Designer was logging 110% of planned hours on design iterations due to feedback volume from the MCG Marketing Manager. Alex identified this in the raw data before it became a timeline risk, facilitated a scope boundary conversation with the Marketing Manager, and prevented the design phase from extending into the development window.

Download and Customize

This Work Performance Data example is available as a free download. Use it as a reference to build your own performance data collection framework, or start with the blank template and adapt it to your project's tracking categories.

• Download the Work Performance Data Template — PMBOK 8 (blank, ready to use)
• Read the article: Work Performance Data in PMBOK 8 — Guide and Best Practices

Work Performance Data Example: Key Takeaways

Work Performance Data is the foundation of the entire PMBOK 8 performance reporting chain: Data -> Information -> Reports. Its value depends entirely on the discipline of collecting raw, unmodified observations before interpretation begins. The UX Designer hours anomaly in Week 4 was invisible in any status report — it was only visible in the raw resource hours data. By the time an issue like that surfaces in a weekly report, it has often already become a delay. Raw data collection, reviewed before report writing, is the early warning system that operates one layer below the status report. Collect it every week. Review it before you analyze it. Never adjust raw data to fit expectations — that is the moment project management becomes project theater.

Want to go deeper? The PMBOK Guide 8th Edition is the definitive reference for modern project management. Get your copy and use it alongside these examples to build a solid, practical understanding of every performance domain.