Introduction

OpenUP/Basic is an iterative software development process that is minimal, complete, and extensible. It is governed by four core principles:

• Balance competing priorities to maximize stakeholder value.
• Collaborate to align interests and share understanding
• Evolve to continuously obtain feedback and improve
• Focus on articulating the architecture

Roles perform tasks which consume and produce artifacts. OpenUP/Basic describes the minimal set of roles, tasks and artifacts involved in software development:

• Roles
• Tasks (organized by disciplines)
• Artifacts (organized by domains) 

Software Development Lifecycle

OpenUP/Basic is an iterative process distributed throughout four phases: Inception, Elaboration, Construction and Transition. Each phase formally ends at a major milestone where phase objectives are met. Phases are further divided into one or more iterations, where stable, executable versions of the software are developed and released.

The following diagram depicts the OpenUP/Basic lifecycle.