AN OVERVIEW OF THERATIONAL UNIFIED PROCESS (RUP)Eric VillagomezTS5130 - System Development Theory and Practice

What is RUP?

RUP was originally developed by Rational Software (now part of IBM). It is a Software engineering process It is a process product It enhances team productivity It creates and maintains models It is a guide to effectively use the Unified

Modeling Language Its goal is to delivery a high quality

product that the customer actually wants.

Why not use Waterfall instead? The Waterfall method follows a sequential

approach to software development. This limits the ability to react to any change

or correct problems in a timely matter. Assumptions:

Requirements never change. All information is known upfront. The customer will be satisfied with the end

results. Technology will not change when it comes

time to integrate.

The RUP Lifecycle

The Four Phases of RUP

1. The Inception Phase The goal is to obtain buy-in from key

stakeholders.

2. The Elaboration Phase Objective is to specify requirements in greater

detail and define the architecture for the system.

3. The Construction Phase The focus here is to develop the application to

the point where it is ready for deployment.

4. The Transition Phase We can now delivery the system into production.

The Six Disciplines of RUP

1. Business Modeling The goal is to understand the business of

the organization.2. Requirements

The goal is to define Scope: What is and is not to be built.

3. Analysis and Design The goal is to analyze the requirements

and design the solution.4. Implementation

The goal is to execute the code based on the design.

The Six Disciplines of RUP (Cont.)5. Test

The goal is to verify all aspects of the system to ensure quality.

6. Deployment The goal is plan and deliver a working

system to the customer.

Best Practices of the RUP

Adapt the process Adapt RUP appropriately based on the

development needs. Balance competing stakeholders

Take an evolutionary approach by keeping stakeholders as active participants.

Collaborating Across Teams Keep an open communication process

Demonstrate Value Iteratively Deliver working software early and

regularly

Best Practices of the RUP (Cont.) Elevate the level of Abstraction

Adapt modeling tools, reuse existing code, and focus on architecture

Focus continuously on Quality This is done by testing at every major part

of the project.

Disadvantages of RUP

The process may be too complex to implement

Development can get out of control It is a heavyweight process You need an expert to fully adopt this

process

Advantages of RUP

Regular feedback from and to stakeholders

Efficient use of resources You deliver exactly what the customer

wants Issues are discovered early in your

project Improved control Improved risk management

References

Rational Unified Process: Best Practices for Software Development Teams http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/rational/library/

content/03July/1000/1251/1251_bestpractices_TP026B.pdf

A Manager’s Introduction to the Rational Unified Process (RUP) http://www.ambysoft.com/downloads/

managersIntroToRUP.pdf The Rational Unified Process

http://www.menloinnovations.com/freestuff/whitepapers/Rational%20Unified%20Process.pdf