PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Project Management

Project Management

Introduction

The report deals with the case study of a new road scheme, where we have been appointed as the Engineer in charge of a new road scheme linking Pontypridd to Cardiff. As part of the cost control tool at the pre-tender stage, and to help our firm plan borrowing, and to show how much surplus cash our organization is likely to have at a given time for the project, we have been asked by our Managing Director (MD) to prepare a to cash flow forecast. In addition, our MD wants us to create a contract document using the New Engineering Contract (NEC3) for all sub-contractors. However, in order to do that, we first need to know the basics of S-curve and what purpose it serves in order to get into its realities and devise one for the current project at hand.

S-curve concept

The S-curve concept is an instrument of strategic innovation management. The model is based on the assumption that technology in terms of their potential for further development always comes to technical limits. Thus, it is used to detect possible technical jumps and helps companies decide to switch to a new technology or to develop such. The S-shape of the curve refers to the context of the performance of a technology with the associated research and development (or alternatively, the time or the sales volume are possible). The slope of the curve describes the gain in efficiency by an additional effort on research and development work, so the productivity of research and development.

Based on the S-curve concept

The S-curve concept is based on the technology life cycle model by Arthur D. Little, which is an ideal-typical life cycle of technologies, products similar to the product life cycle , develop. Using this model, the competitive potential of technology as a function of time are removed. It is assumed that technologies evolve over time in different phases. Divided in this context:

•the development phase (research and development),

•the growth phase,

•the maturity stage and

•the phase of aging and the levy.

Features of the technology life cycle

It is important between the technological and the strategic life-cycle phases of an industry to distinguish. It is possible, for example, that a particular industry has reached the maturity stage, while its key technology is still in the growth phase. Ideally, however, the technology goes through the phases in the order. The development of technology is characterized by:

•their capacity during the term of use and

•its strategic importance in the individual industries.

However, it is possible that technologies do not go through the entire life cycle, since it displaces market during their use or abandoned. This occurs, inter alia, because:

•they represent a reduced role for the competition and their initial performance was overestimated or

•they are not required by the economic environment or

•other technologies are recognized as powerful and thus their practical applicability comes to the fore.

Also possible are different characteristic values of technologies in the various industries. For example, it may happen that the same technology in an industry already as ...