The original version of this paper was published here in May 2009:
See S-curve/intro.htm

This 4th Edition was submitted for publication in January 2019.
It is copyright © Midori Media.
Published here July 2019.

Editor's Note and Introduction | What is an S‑curve? |
Types of S‑curvesBaseline, Target, Actual, Man Hours vs Time
Cost vs Time | Value and Percentage | PART 2

Types of S-curves

An S-curve is graphed on an X-Y graph with the X axis representing time, and the Y axis representing a quantity, usually Man Hours or Cost. The three basic types of S‑curves this White Paper will cover include:

  1. Baseline S-curves
    These S-curves are generated from the Baseline Schedule and/or Baseline Fields in the Production Schedule.
     
  2. Target S-curves
    These S-curves are generated from the Production Schedule, assuming all Tasks are completed as scheduled.
     
  3. Actual S-curves
    These S-curves are also generated from the Production Schedule, using Task % Complete values to date. Actual S‑curves may also be referred to as Progress or Progress To Date S‑curves.

S-curve Quantities

Each of the above S-curves may represent any of the following on the Quantity (Y) axis:

  • Any measurable quantity, such as volume of concrete placed, piles driven, etc.
  • Man Hours planned/spent
  • Cost budgeted/incurred

S-curve Quantity Units

Each of the above S-curves may use one of the following units for the values on the Quantity (Y) axis:

  • Absolute Values for Man Hours and/or Cost
  • Percentage Values for Man Hours and/or Cost
What is an S-curve?  What is an S‑curve?

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