The RUP Is a Software Engineering Process

Many organizations have slowly become aware of just how important a well-defined and well-documented software development process is to the success of their software projects. The development of the CMM (Capability Maturity Model) by the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) has become a beacon, a standard to which many organizations look, when
they aim at attaining level 2, 3, or higher. Over the years, these organizations have collected their knowledge and shared it with their developers. This collective know-how often grows out of design methods, published textbooks, training programs, and small how-to notes amassed internally over several projects. Unfortunately, in practice, these internally developed processes often end up gathering dust in nice binders on a developer's shelf -- rarely updated, rapidly becoming obsolete, and almost
never followed. Other software development organizations have no process at all, and need a starting point, an initial process to jump-start them on the path of faster development of better quality software products.

The RUP can help both kinds of organizations, by providing them with a mature, rigorous, and flexible software engineering process.