Milestone: Lifecycle Architecture

Overview > Lifecycle > Elaboration > Milestone

At the end of the elaboration phase is the second important project milestone, the Lifecycle Architecture Milestone. At this point, you examine the detailed system objectives and scope, the choice of architecture, and the resolution of the major risks.

Evaluation Criteria

The product Vision and requirements are stable.
The architecture is stable.
The key approaches to be used in test and evaluation are proven.
Test and evaluation of executable prototypes have demonstrated that the major risk elements have been addressed and have been credibly resolved.
The iteration plans for the construction phase are of sufficient detail and fidelity to allow the work to proceed.
The iteration plans for the construction phase are supported by credible estimates.
All stakeholders agree that the current vision can be met if the current plan is executed to develop the complete system, in the context of the current architecture.
Actual resource expenditure versus planned expenditure are acceptable.

The project may be aborted or considerably re-thought if it fails to reach this milestone.

Artifacts

Essential Artifacts (in order of importance)	State at milestone
Risk List	Updated and reviewed. New risks are likely to be architectural in nature, primarily relating to the handling of non-functional requirements.
Software Architecture Document	Created and baselined, including detailed descriptions for the architecturally significant use cases (use-case view) and identification of key mechanisms and design elements (logical view).
Design Model (and all constituent artifacts)	Defined and baselined. Use-case realizations for architecturally significant scenarios have been defined and required behavior has been allocated to appropriate design elements. Components have been identified and the make/buy/reuse decisions sufficiently understood to determine the construction phase cost and schedule with confidence. The selected architectural components are integrated and assessed against the primary scenarios. Lessons learned from these activities may well result in a redesign of the architecture, taking into consideration alternative designs or reconsideration of the requirements.
Implementation Model (and all constituent artifacts, including Components)	Initial structure created and major components identified and prototyped.
Vision	Refined, based on new information obtained during the phase, establishing a solid understanding of the most critical use cases that drive the architectural and planning decisions.
Iteration Plan	Iteration plan for the construction phase completed and reviewed.
Use-Case Model (Actors, Use Cases)	A use-case model (approximately 80% complete)—all use cases having been identified in the use-case model survey, all actors having been identified, and most use-case descriptions (requirements capture) have been developed.
Supplementary Specifications	Supplementary requirements capturing the non functional requirements are documented and reviewed.