How to Fail with the Rational Unified Process: Seven Steps to Pain and Suffering - Essay Example

The first step the authors outline in failing to implement a RUP approach is to superimpose “waterfall” thinking. The Waterfall approach mentioned here is the antiquated, methodical, approach to software development. This is where the requirements are given to the developer and deadlines are laid out for when the software is to be completed. The iterative approach is one that takes into consideration the need for constant change. It requires that the project is, in part, initiated before any sort of requirements or deadlines can be accurately assessed.

So to effectively initiate a RUP approach all previous “waterfall” ideals must be foregone. The next step outlined in the essay is to apply the RUP as a heavy, predictive process. The whole idea behind the RUP is that it is built to allow for the flexibility and change needed to successfully complete software development. The third step is to avoid object technology skills. This step refers to the training that a company must undergo before implementation of a RUP approach to software development.

The training must be thorough and followed by mentorship. The fourth step outlined is to undervalue adaptive iterative development. Iterative development embraces change and allows for issues to arise and be overcome before one has gone too far in the development process. To undermine this is to undermine the whole of what the RUP is about. The fifth step discusses mentorship and how if it is avoided the iterative processes will be impossible.. So to affectively initiate an RUP approach all previous “waterfall” ideals must be foregone.

The next step outlined in the essay is to apply the RUP as a heavy, predictive process. The whole idea behind the RUP is that it is built to allow for the flexibility and change needed to successfully complete software development. The third step is to avoid object technology skills. This step refers to the training that a company must undergo before implementation of a RUP approach to software development. The training must be thorough and followed by mentorship. The forth step outlined is to undervalue adaptive iterative development.

Iterative development embraces change and allows for issues to arise and be overcome before one has gone too far in the development process. To undermine this is to undermine the whole of what the RUP is about. The fifth step discusses mentorship and how if it is avoided the iterative processes will be impossible. This is due to the fact that iterative is mostly a try and fail approach so mentorship helps guide the developers along in the process of arriving and the best possible solutions. The sixth step mentioned is to adopt the RUP in a big bang, or at the same time.

This is unadvisable because RUP is a learning process that takes time and practice before it can be successful. If a company was to try to switch over simultaneously it would be doomed to fail. The seventh and final step is to take advice from misinformed sources. There are many out there who believe that they are following the RUP approach and yet still go by many of the rigid waterfall practices because they create the illusion of stability and predictability. So it is therefore important when learning about the RUP approach to insure