Rational Unified Process（统一软件开发过程）:  Overview

The Rational Unified Process® or RUP（统一软件开发过程）® product is a software engineering process. It provides a disciplined approach to assigning tasks and responsibilities within a development organization. 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 preceding figure illustrates the overall architecture of the RUP, which has two dimensions:

• The horizontal axis represents time and shows the lifecycle aspects of the process as it unfolds. This first dimension illustrates the dynamic aspect of the process as it’s enacted and is expressed in terms of phases, iterations, and milestones.
• The vertical axis represents disciplines that logically group activities by nature. This second dimension portrays the static aspect of the process-how it’s described in terms of process components, disciplines, activities, workflows, artifacts, and roles (see Key Concepts).

The graph shows how the emphasis varies over time. For example, in early iterations you spend more time on requirements; in later iterations you spend more time on implementation.