RUP

RUP -Rational Unified Process based on UML Software. RUP organises the development of software into four phases each consisting of one or more executable iterations of the software at that developement stage.

1. Inception: Here the project business case is stated and the team deciedes if the project is worth doing or if it is even possible. It is important to the process to first formulate the scope of the project and also determine what resource will be needed
2. Elaboration: In this stage, the developer take a closer look at the project to deterimine it architecture foundation and to evaluate the architecture in relation to the project. This stage is important to the RUP because it is here that the developers analyze the risks associated with changing the scope of the project or adding new techonolgies along the way.
3. Construction: In this stage the development of the project is completed. The application design is finished and the source code is written. It is in this stage that the software is tested to determins if the project has met its goal laid out in the inception phase.
4. Transit: In this stage any fine tuning is performed and final adjustments can be done based on users feedback, usability or installation issue.

RUP is similear in cocept to Extreme Programming in that only what is useful and required is produced and the development plan is updated throughtout the process. Both methods seek to develop a system of best practices in software development.