Conclusion

We discussed that the Rational Unified Process, or the RUP, denotes three very different things:

• The RUP is an approach for developing software, which is iterative, architecture-centric , and use-case-driven . It is described in whitepapers and books, and the most complete set of information about the RUP approach can be found in the RUP product itself.

• The RUP is a well-defined and well-structured software engineering process. It clearly defines project milestones, who is responsible for what, how things are done, and when you should do them.

• The RUP is also a process product that provides you with a customizable process framework for software engineering. You can configure the RUP product to support small or large teams and disciplined or less-formal approaches to development. It also allows you to add your own best practices and to share experiences and artifacts with peers and experts.

Now that we have a better idea of what the RUP is, let us go deeper to understand its essence and its spirit, that is, the fundamental principles behind the RUP.