Understanding the outcomes of megaprojects: A quantitative analysis of very large civilian projects

Megaprojects--projects requiring huge physical and financial resources--have become relatively common in the past 15 years, as a result of demands for new remote mineral resources, needs for infrastructure in less-developed countries (LDCs), and the desire to exploit economies of scale. Despite the very great concerns of the actual and potential sponsors of such projects, no systematic empiracle analyses have previously been made of the costs, problems, and operations of megaprojects. This report explores those issues by examining 52 civilian projects ranging in cost from $500 million to over $10 billion (in 1984 dollars)