Unified Process
Unified Process (UP) is also known as Unified Software Development Process, it is architecture-centric, iterative and incremental development framework that customers can make changes based on the needs for the project.
It makes extensive use of the Unified Modeling Language (UML). At the core of the UML is the model, which in the context of a software development process is a simplification of reality that helps the project team understand certain aspects of the complexity inherent in software.
There has been several changes of Unified process, The popular ones are Rational Unified Process (RUP) and Open Unified Process (OpenUP). Some of the characteristics of UP:
- It is an iterative and incremental development framework.
- It is architecture-centric with major work being done to define and validate an architectural design for most coding is done.
- It is risk-focused and emphasizes that highest-risk factors be addressed in the earliest deliverables possible.
- It is use-case and UML model driven with nearly all requirements being documented in one of those forms.
Unified Software Development Process has following components:
- Cycles
- Phases
- Iterations
- Disciplines (also known as Workflows)
- Activities
- Artifacts
- Workers
There are 4 phases of UP:
- Inception phase:
In this phase, creates definition, requirements, features and constraints, stakeholders gets to an agreement on business case, how much the project will cost and the schedule. - Elaboration phase:
Elaboration phase is similar to the inception phase but with more detailed analysis and planning in order to understand the problem such as high-risk element and to establish a solid architectural foundation for the software to be developed. - Construction phase:
Construction phase is focused on the software development, integration and testing, also user manual is created in this phase. - Transition phase:
In transition phase, users start to use the application in order to verify if the system meets every specification of the customer and to detect any bug or error, we can say that this phase is for the maintenance.
The Rational Unified Process (RUP), its goal is to ensure the production of high-quality software that meets the needs of its end-users, within a predictable schedule and budget. The engineers works closely with the customer to make sure that the process is continuously updated and improved upon to reflect recent experiences and evolving and proven best practices.
The phase of the Rational Unified Process is the same as the UP; Inception phase, Elaboration phase, Construction phase, Transition phase.
References:
Learning Analysis and modeling software 