RUP Summary

Table of contents
1 2 3

Methodology Description......................................................................................2 Project Lifecycle................................................................................................... 3 Phases................................................................................................................. 4

3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5

Inception.......................................................................................................... 4 Elaboration...................................................................................................... 4 Construction.................................................................................................... 4 Transition.........................................................................................................4 Milestones....................................................................................................... 4

4 5

Iterations.............................................................................................................. 5 Planning and Evaluation...................................................................................... 5

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RUP Summary

1. Methodology Description
The Rational Unified Process (RUP) is a software development approach that is described (Jacobsen et al 1999) as iterative, architecture-centric, and use-case driven. Iterative development has been described above. Architecture-centric means that there is a focus on the architecture of the application from an early stage in the project. A working system is created in the early iterations so that problems with the architecture can be addressed earlier in the project when they present less risk. Use-case driven means that all the functionality of the system is derived from use cases, simple descriptions of the interactions between the system and its users. This ensures that only features of value to users are developed. RUP provides a well-defined structure for the lifecycle of a project and includes essential milestones where major decisions can be made about the project.

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RUP Summary

Figure 1: The RUP Lifecycle

2. Project Lifecycle
The lifecycle of a RUP project is divided into four named phases. 1. Inception 2. Elaboration 3. Construction 4. Transition A phase consists of one or more iterations and concludes with a milestone where project progress is assessed and major decisions made. Iterations in each phase focus on producing technical deliverables that meet the objectives of the phase.

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RUP Summary

3. Phases
Each phase has specific objectives.

3.1. Inception
The Inception Phase is concerned with launching the project. The business case for the project is built by developing a good understanding of the requirements and scope of the system and getting buy-in from the project stakeholders. At the end of the Inception Phase the project team will know whether or not to proceed with the project

3.2. Elaboration
The Elaboration Phase is concerned with addressing the major technical risks of the project. The focus of the work is to create a bare bones system which answers all of the major technical questions. At the end of the Elaboration Phase the project team will know that they can successfully build a working system.

3.3. Construction
The Construction Phase is concerned with moving from the executable architecture created in the Elaboration Phase to an operational system. At the end of the Construction Phase the project team will have a beta version of the system ready for evaluation.

3.4. Transition
The Transition Phase is concerned with ensuring that the software meets the needs of its users. The system is evaluated and refined based on user feedback. This is a fine-tuning exercise as the system will already meet the needs of its users because of the use-case-driven nature of the project. At the end of the Transition Phase the system is released and the project evaluated.

3.5. Milestones

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RUP Summary

A milestone marks the point at which the project team and stakeholders decide whether the project has achieved the criteria to pass to the next phase.

4. Iterations
The work of each iteration includes some or all of the development workflows. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Requirements Capture Analysis Design Implementation Testing

As the project phases progress, the relative amount of work in each workflow will vary. For example, In the Inception Phase, most of the work will be focused on requirements capture, whereas in the Construction Phase, most of the work will be focussed on Implementation. Each iteration focuses on implementing specific use cases or addressing specific technical questions.

5. Planning and Evaluation

The project plan includes Phase and Iteration plans. The project plan starts out course-grained and uncertain and is refined as the project progresses and feedback from phase and iteration evaluation is included. Evaluation is an inherent part of the RUP process. Each RUP Phase, and iteration within it, will have linked evaluative and QA components, plus a review at the end of each. In SUNIWE, each partner and cooperating college maintained an ongoing record of all aspects of its involvement. Partners gave feedback and reviewed each others progress at project meetings. All aspects of the project were under evaluation including the development outputs, the tools and environment, the methods of communication and the project management and software development approach itself.

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RUP Summary

Initial user evaluation and testing prior to the pilot was planned to be made up of: 1. 2. 3. 4. Demonstration to small target stakeholder group Trial by group Observation of trial Focus group and/or interviews

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