Process Structure
The Basic Elements of RUP 
Click on an item in this image to get more information about that key process element in RUP.
Software Engineering Process
A process is a set of partially ordered steps intended to reach a goal. In software engineering, the goal is to build a software product or to enhance an existing one. In process engineering, the goal is to develop or enhance a process. In RUP, these are organized into a set of disciplines (shown in the following figure) that further define the workflows and other process elements.
Expressed in terms of business modeling, the software development process is a business process; RUP is a generic business process for object-oriented software engineering. It describes a family of related software engineering processes that share a common structure and a common process architecture. RUP 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. RUP captures many of the best practices in modern software development in a form that can be tailored for a wide range of projects and organizations.
When a software system is developed from its outset, the process is one of creating a system from requirements. But once the systems have taken form—or, in RUP terms, once the system has passed through the initial development cycle—any further development is the process of conforming the system to the new or modified requirements. This applies throughout the system's lifecycle.
The software-engineering process is the process of developing a system from requirements, either new (initial development cycle) or changed (evolution cycle).
