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What is an S-Curve?

22 replies [Last post]
Tue, 2007-09-04 09:52
Chris Austin
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What is an S-Curve?
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Sun, 2008-06-15 09:33
#1
Tarek Barham
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It is a Smooth liner curve represneting the progress devlopement in such a project.

and you can generated by all versions of Primavera and also manually you can get it by Excel.

Finally it’s useful garphical tool to represent the project progress.
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Thu, 2007-09-20 06:50
#2
David Bordoli
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Trevor…

I wonder if we have both been fooled by Chris’s apparently innocuous post?

As I said in my previous excuse I had difficulty understanding why a Forensic Claims Analysis would ask such fundamental questions.

After a very small amount of checking (prompted by that other thread) I find Chris is probably more likely a Recruitment Consultant, hence the apparently dumb questions:
Gold Group are a specialist technical recruitment agency supplying the Planning, Engineering, Construction and High-tech market places. With more than 6 years experience in Engineering recruitment, Gold Group is well placed to find you your next contract or permanent job. Whether you’re looking for jobs in Engineering, jobs in Planning, Defence jobs or Construction jobs you can rest assured that we have a number of interesting vacancies to discuss with you.

David
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Thu, 2007-09-20 06:35
#3
David Bordoli
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Trevor

Thanks for that... hoisted by my own petard?

Okay, guilty as charged – skimining instead of reading - but I hope you get the general gist of my post. As I said I must have got out of bed the wrong side today but there does seem to be more questions like ’what is planning’ and so on. In another thread somewhere it was pondered whether someone was trying to elicit interview answers (see http://www.planningplanet.com/forum/forum_post.asp?fid=1&Cat=7&Top=37995).

It does make me a bit concerned for our discipline when someone who is a Forensic Claims Analyst needs to ask such fundamental questions. I dunno, but I would have though to be in such a role one ought to be pretty clued up, better than the average bear, about planning and programming stuff.

I don’t know if it is good or bad. Would I like to have someone without elementary knowledge preparing, lets say, a claim for me? Probably not. But it would be really good if I was on the receiving end of claim that was produced by someone who did not know the difference between a histogram and an s-curve. Likewise I am sure you would be please to be up against someone who had merely skimmed the papers and not read them!

David
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Thu, 2007-09-20 05:25
#4
Trevor Rabey
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David,
Erroneous nonsense isn’t confined to this forum. I checked ou that website at http://www.visitask.com/s-curve.asp and it contains numberous errors.

eg 1, it says MS PROJECT can’t graph S curves but it definitely can plot cumulative cost and work with the Analysis Toolbar.

eg 2, "-Target S Curve;(This S Curve reflects the ideal progress of the project if all tasks are completed as currently scheduled)" - this is nonsense, does not say what is being plotted cumulatively against time.

eg 3, "-the Baseline - contains information about Actual Start date and finish date." - this is nonsense.

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Thu, 2007-09-20 04:25
#5
Chris Austin
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David,

Thank you. I will look at these websites over lunch and post a few more exciting and thought provoking threads.

Chris
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Thu, 2007-09-20 04:21
#6
David Bordoli
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Chris

I am glad that you have derived some use from the responses to your original thread - Having read them all (including my valued contributions) I would tend to be a bit wary about asking such basic questions in this forum. Some of the information you have been given is downright incorrect but, if you really were so unaware as to what an S-Curve is, you would not be able to separate fact from fiction.

My advice, if I may be so bold, would be to do some basic research first before posing such fundamental questions. For instance I put “S-Curve” into Google and the first couple of hits were http://www.visitask.com/s-curve.asp which gives a basic overview and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigmoid_function which gives the complex mathematical stuff. Armed with this knowledge you would be able to ask a more focused question which, in my opinion, would be more likely to yield more constructive responses.

Heck, I must have got out of bed on the wrong side again today.

David
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Thu, 2007-09-20 04:08
#7
Chris Austin
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Thank you for your contributions. That helps me considerably.
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Thu, 2007-09-20 04:01
#8
David Barker
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When using the cashflow to measure progress (and depending on the payment terms), do not forget that money in is usually 1 to 3 months behind real progress, also big items of plant/material delivery will throw your progress assessment out
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Thu, 2007-09-20 04:01
#9
David Bordoli
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Clive - I thought that was a F-bend?
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Thu, 2007-09-20 03:52
#10
Clive Randall
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An expeletive used when approaching a corner too fast???
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Mon, 2007-09-17 02:17
#11
A D
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S Curve and Histogram are totall different,

Its like TOM & JERRY, totally two different characters but part of same movie.

Histogram are not normally used to represent the cumulative values, whereas S Curve is used to represent the cumulative values only.

Shape of HISTOGRAM will be like series of tall buildings, whereas S-Curve is having S-Shape.

it is nothing like histogram are more often used for manpower and machinaries alone and S-Curve for cash flow.

All Baseline curves like time and cost are type of S-Curves on which progress is monitored.
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Mon, 2007-09-17 01:57
#12
ashraf alawady
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I think there is differences between the S- Curve and Histogam .
S- curve is used to show the project cash flow monthly and accomnlatve.
The histogam is used to represent the manpower separetly and the Machineries separetly and the shap of histogram not nesseccary to be in S shap or S curve.
this is my own opinion.
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Mon, 2007-09-17 00:28
#13
A D
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Larry,

Histogram is the graphical display of the tabulated frequencies.

X & Y axis may remain same either for histogram or for S Curve.

Say, X - axis represents weeks/months, then histogram will represent the value of (cost/work done/manpower) category weekwise or monthwise.

Histogram will not show the cumulative progress achieved at the end of every week/month.

S Curve are used to show the cumulative value of that category. It can be manpower / cost / work done etc.

Hope I am clear

Cheers,
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Sun, 2007-09-16 23:41
#14
ashraf alawady
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Hi, after preparing ,checking and approving the work program and all the resources and related costs have been loaded.
Then we can work and get the proper S- Cure cash flow for the project.
Which can demonstrates cost over the contract period .
The X-axis is to show time monthly and the Y-axis is to show the amount.
Typically, in projects, when tracing cost in relation to time, an elongated S-shape curve appears.
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Sun, 2007-09-16 10:18
#15
Larry Bjorn
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Raviraj,

I’m no real expert in Statistical terminology. Might have a bad habit calling time related charts for histograms. Please elaborate further.

Regards,
Larry
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Sun, 2007-09-16 08:48
#16
A D
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Larry,

You said, its a HISTOGRAM??

Is it?? :-(
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Sun, 2007-09-16 08:21
#17
Larry Bjorn
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Chris,

It is a Histogram that demonstrates cost or output quantities over a period of time. The X-axis is to show time and the Y-axis is to show a quantative measure.
Typically, in projects, when tracing cost or output in relation to time, an elongated S-shape curve appears. This is because costs/outputs will be; slow in the start up; increase during; and slow-down at the end of a project.
S-curves are a popular means for illustrating progress. This is done by tracing an Actual s-curve against the Planned s-curve.

Best Regards,
Larry
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Sat, 2007-09-15 08:23
#18
Shahzad Munawar
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Not to show Financial Impact only we can also use it for progress measurement against the original/contractual programme
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Thu, 2007-09-13 05:25
#19
A D
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Check this:

http://www.planningplanet.com/forum/forum_post.asp?fid=1&Cat=5&Top=35629
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Wed, 2007-09-12 16:38
#20
isa tohidi
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It is financial progress of the project ( comparison of progress at different time to the original program.
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Wed, 2007-09-05 06:10
#21
David Bordoli
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A curve shaped like the letter S

:-)
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Tue, 2007-09-04 10:40
#22
David Barker
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same as an ogive;

It is the cumulative effect of a series of numbers
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