What is an s-curve?

An s-curve is a graphical display of cumulative man-hours, cost, progress, or other quantities plotted
against time.

An s-curve aims to represent the utilization of resources over the proposed time of the project.

S-curves are also called, “s-plots”, “cumulative distribution charts”, “velocity diagrams”, and
“Performance Measurement Baseline (PMB).”

The shape of the s-curve reveals information about the project

The term S-Curve denotes the tendency of the cumulative curve to form a shallow ‘S’ shape; flatter at
the start, steeper in the middle, and flattening off again towards the end.

This shape is typical for most projects as they start slowly, ramp up during the main execution phase,
and then wind down again towards the project’s completion, as productivity declines and work runs out.

 
 Although the s-curve drives from the S-like shape of the curve, don’t be surprised if your s-curve is not
in the shape of an “S”. The shape of an s-curve depends on the nature of your project:

Front-Loaded S-Curves

You may find a front-loaded s-curve, where the curve starts up steeply and then flatten out.

The graph below illustrates how a front loaded s-curve may look like:
As demonstrated here, front loaded curves have a rapid start. More resources assumed to be consumed
early in the project. This may happen for repetitive projects that need little planning and preparation
time. Other examples of front loaded curves are for projects that have been accelerated from the
beginning, or projects that need urgent repair of damage early on. Mobilization costs and deposits will
also lean toward a front-loading s-curve.

The questions that need to be asked on front loaded curves are what the basis for this plan is and
whether the resources are available.

Back-Loaded S-Curves

Curves that start out with a lower slope and increasingly steep towards the end of the project are
typically back-loaded.

In the back-loaded curves, most resources assumed to be consumed late in the project.

A back loaded s-curve could indicate a large planning or design in the beginning and a reduced
construction time.

Here is an example of a back-loaded project:

To give you a perspective of a front-loaded and back-loaded s-curve vs. a typical s-curve, I have put all
three curves in one graph:

You need to be careful with either front-loaded or back-loaded curves. You should verify the basis of the
project plan and ensure both the schedule and the available resources are realistic.

With the understanding of s-curves and their various shapes, now the question is “what kind of
information are plotted in an s-curve?”
Well, the x-axis is “time”. The time unit should coincide with the project status update intervals (e.g.
monthly, bi-weekly, or even weekly). The smaller the time unit, the “smoother” the s-curve will be and
easier to use for analyzing trends.

The y-axis of an s-curve varies according to the information that you like to plot. It might be the cost ($),
man-hours (Mhrs), manpower (FTE), progress (%), quantities, resources, etc.

Common Types of S-curves

The most common types of S-curves are man-hours vs. time and cost vs. time. The cost vs. time S-curves
are useful for developing project’s overall “cash flow”.

Another common type of S-curves is the ones generated using units/quantities vs. time. These kinds of s-
curves are useful for comparison.

In summary,

An s-curve is a project management graphical tool that displays cumulative data ( e.g. project’s costs,
hours, progress, or quantities) against time.

The term S-Curve denotes the tendency of the cumulative curve to form a shallow ‘S’ shape; flatter at
the start, steeper in the middle, and flattening off again towards the end.

Although the s-curve drives from the S-like shape of the curve, don’t be surprised if your s-curve is not in
the shape of an “S”. The shape of an s-curve depends on the nature of your project.