HKSM

A lightweight, easy-to-grasp method for building business application software using agile practices, delivered as a streamlined version of the Rational Unified Process (RUP).

Key Points

• Iterative, incremental lifecycle with frequent stakeholder feedback and demos.
• Retains RUP phases (Inception, Elaboration, Construction, Transition) but with just-enough modeling and minimal ceremony.
• Emphasizes early, risk-driven architecture plus continuous testing, integration, and deployment.
• Simplified roles and artifacts suited to small and mid-sized teams delivering business applications.

Example

A retailer building a new point-of-sale system adopts AUP: the team runs 2-week iterations, starts with a brief inception to align vision and risks, sketches a lean architecture, implements the highest-risk features first, continuously tests and integrates, and delivers a working increment to store managers at the end of each iteration.

PMP Example Question

Which statement best describes the Agile Unified Process (AUP)?

1. A set of Scrum ceremonies with no documentation or architecture.
2. A streamlined, agile-focused variant of RUP used to develop business applications.
3. A predictive method for managing large construction and infrastructure projects.
4. A scaling framework for coordinating multiple Scrum teams without lifecycle guidance.

Correct Answer: B — A streamlined, agile-focused variant of RUP

Explanation: AUP simplifies RUP and applies agile practices to deliver business software iteratively; it is not pure Scrum, predictive, or solely a scaling approach.