Rup vs Scrum

Major differences between RUP and SCRUM Rup and Scrum both provide guidance on software development teams in an iterative way. An obvious difference among the aforementioned methodologies is that in RUP the first thing that the development team investigates is if the project worth investing. They estimate the costs, possible profits and define the Business Case, which is re-examined during projects lifecycle. Scrum assumes that from the time the customer wants this product, then it should be done. It focus mostly on how to organize the development and achieve the best possible quality.

We can still make an absolutely perfect product regarding its features, its internal quality and architecture, but if there is no room for it in the market it has no business value. Furthermore, it is pretty clear that Scrum is mainly focused on day-to-day tasks in contrast with RUP which approach the project as a whole from the beginning. Scrum uses a backlog where all the desirable features are gathered after several discussions and brainstorming with the Product Owner. This procedure happens before every Sprint and defines the next Spring backlog.

Scrum is mostly concerned with team management and a little bit with requirements. Hence, there is no longterm project scope and estimations for project duration and costs are difficult. Scrum does not say much about releases or a project as a whole. Its main concern are the current and the next Sprints. On the other hand, RUP methodology has a clear formal definition of scope and major project deadlines are associated with specific dates. In RUP the project lifecycle is divided into 4 main phases. These are the Inception, elaboration, Construction and Transition phase.

Requirements are pre-defined in contrast with Scrum, however they are called Vision. Despite the fact that the so called Vision, requests definition of requirements, RUP remains fully aware of their evolving nature and can adjust them anytime. Because all of the above statements, RUP’s documentation is heavy compared to Scrums. One more difference between the two methodologies is that project features are prioritized in Scrum according to Products Owner and Scrums team judgment. Ergo, the planning is mainly based in this prioritization.

In contrast, iteration planning in RUP is also based on risk in addition to priority. Lastly, the formal profile of RUP make it suitable for really big projects which are tight on deadlines. On the other hand Scrum is more suitable for small and medium sized projects , although it can be applied on larger projects as well. The formalistic nature of RUP refers to the developers as “workers” in its manifesto. Scrums manifesto refers to them as team members and promotes a more team oriented environment. We could say that RUP is more bureaucratic and SCRUM is more democratic.