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S Curve - to - Schedule Status

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S Curve

A display of cumulative costs, labor hours or other quantities plotted against time.
Editor's Note: The name derives from the S-like shape of the curve, flatter at the beginning and end and steeper in the middle, which is typical of most activities (and whole project). The beginning represents a slow, deliberate but accelerating start, while the end represents a deceleration as the work runs out. [D01832]

A plot of cumulative progress against time, which, in practice, typically follows the shape of the letter "S". [D01754]

The curve of cumulative project cost plotted against time. [D01755]

S Curve Tracking

A graphical display of the accumulated costs, labor hours or quantities, plotted against time for both actual and budgeted amounts to show actual progress versus planned. [D01756]

SA-CMM

Software Acquisition Capability Maturity Model, a framework against which acquirers of software can measure their corporate competence. It is in contrast to the Capability Maturity Model (CMM) which is a corresponding framework for software developers. Both frameworks consist of five progressive maturity levels. [D05221]

Safety

The condition of being safe from undergoing or causing hurt, injury, or loss. Protection against failure, breakage, or accident. [D03251]

Safety Plan

The standards and methods which minimize to an acceptable level the likelihood of accident or damage to people or equipment. [D04520]

Salary Administration

The formal system by which an organization manages its financial commitments to its employees. It includes man-hour accounting and the development of a logical structure for compensation. [D01757]

Sales

Either

1. A department responsible for selling, or
2. The collective amount sold, typically in a given period.

[D02993]

Salvage

Property that, because of its worn, damaged, deteriorated, or incomplete condition or specialized nature, has no reasonable prospect of sale or use as serviceable property without major repairs, but has some value in excess of its scrap value. [D03566]

Sample

One or more units of product drawn from a lot or batch, the units of the sample being selected at random without regard to their quality [D01758]

Sample Plan, Multiple

A specific type of attributes sampling plan in which a decision to acceptor reject an inspection lot maybe reached after one or more samples from that inspection lot have been inspected, and will always be reached after not more than a designated number of samples have been inspected. [D01759]

Sample Size

The number of units of product in the sample selected for inspection. [D01760]

Sample Unit

A unit of product selected to be part of a sample. [D01761]

Sample, Representative

The number of units selected in proportion to the size of sub-lots or sub-batches, or parts of the lot or batch, identified by some rational criterion. When representative sampling is used, the units from each part of the lot or batch shall be selected at random. [D01762]

Sampling

The technique of selecting a representative part of a population for the purpose of determining parameters or characteristics of the whole population. A small part selected as a sample for inspection or analysis. [D02999]

Sampling Frequency ("f")

The sampling frequency, f, is the ratio between the number of units of product randomly selected for inspection at an inspection station to the number of units of product passing the inspection station. [D01763]

Sampling Plan

A statement of the sample size or sizes to be used and the associated acceptance and rejection criteria. [D01764]

Sampling Plan, double

A specific type of attributes sampling plan in which the inspection of the first sample leads to a decision to accept, to reject, or to take a second sample. The inspection of a second sample, when required, then leads to a decision to accept or reject. [D01765]

Sampling Plan, multi-level

Continuous. A specific type of sampling plan in which the inspection periods of 100 percent inspection and two or more levels of sampling inspection are alternated with the sampling frequency remaining constant or changing on the basis of the inspection result. [D01766]

Sampling Plan, sequential

A specific type of sampling plan in which the sample units are selected one at a time. After each unit is inspected, the decision is made to accept, reject, or continue inspection until the acceptance or rejection criteria is met. Sampling terminates when the inspection results of the sample units determine that the acceptance or rejection decision can be made. The sample size is not fixed in advance, but depends on actual inspection results. [D01767]

Sampling Plan, single

A specific type of sampling plan in which a decision to accept or reject an inspection lot is based on a single sample. [D01768]

Sampling Plan, single-level

Continuous) A specific type of sampling plan in which the inspection periods of 100 percent inspection and sampling inspection are alternated with the sampling rate remaining constant. [D01769]

Sampling, biased

Sampling procedures which will not guarantee a truly representative or random sample. [D01770]

SAR

See Subsequent Application Review

Satisfaction

Fulfillment of a need or want; acceptability. [D03000]

SC

See Scheduled Cost

Scanning

Investigating or examining thoroughly by checking point-by-point and often repeatedly. [D03252]

Scenario

A hypothetical sequence of events in the future. [D05113]

A described use-case instance, a subset of a use case. [D04878]

Scenario Planning

The planning of responses, i.e. possible courses of action, to sets of imaginary events, typically for purposes of mitigating project risks. [D03253]

Schedule

A time sequence of activities and events that represent an operating timetable. The schedule specifies the relative beginning and ending times of activities and the occurrence times of events. A schedule may be presented on a calendar framework or on an elapsed time scale. [D01772]

A display of project time allocation. [D01771]

See also Project Schedule. [D01773]

The timing and sequence of tasks within a project, as well as the project duration. The schedule consists mainly ,of tasks, dependencies among tasks, durations, constraints, and time-oriented project information. [D01774]

The timetable for a project. It shows how project tasks and milestones are planned out over a period of time. [D01785]

A series of things to be done in sequence of events within a given period. A timetable. The result of Scheduling. [D03687]

Schedule Analysis

See Network Analysis. [D01775]

Schedule Compression

See Duration Compression. [D01776]

Schedule Control

Controlling schedule changes. [D01777]

Schedule Dates

The start and finish dates calculated by the resource scheduling program, having regard to resource constraints as well as project logic. [D01778]

Schedule Development

Developing a project schedule based on activity sequences, activity durations and resource requirements. [D01779]

Schedule Management

The management or rearrangement of the activities in a project schedule to improve the outcome based on the latest available information. [D03254]

Schedule Performance Index ("SPI")

The ratio of work performed to work scheduled (BCWP/BCWS). See Earned Value. [D01781]

Ratio of work accomplished versus work planned, for a specified time period. The SPI is an efficiency rating for work accomplishment, comparing work accomplished to what should have been accomplished. [D01780]

The planned schedule efficiency factor representing the relationship between the value of the initial planned schedule and the value of the physical work performed, earned value. [D04656]

Schedule Refinement

The rework, redefinition or modification of the logic or data that may have previously been developed in the planning process as required to properly input milestones, restraints and priorities. [D01782]

Schedule Revision

In the context of scheduling, a change in the network logic or in resources which requires redrawing part or all of the network. [D01783]

Schedule Risk

The potential problems the team might encounter in meeting the deadlines for the final deliverable. [D02207]

Schedule Status

See Scope Reporting. [D01784]