Tool Mentor: Customizing the RUP Project Guide

Purpose

This tool mentor describes how to tailor the RUP Project Guide to suit your own organization or project.

Overview

The RUP Project Guide is a tailored version of the default Project Guide content supplied by Microsoft.

Rational has tailored the following components:

You can further tailor the content and structure of the pre-defined contents of the guide by modifying the file  RUP Project Guide.mpt.

Furthermore, if the user wishes to make behavioral changes to the RUP Project Guide and related wizards, all of the source implementation files have been supplied within the directory MS Project RUP Template/files.

For information on the non-tailored portion of the guide, and programmer notes for the Microsoft Project Guide framework, please refer to Microsoft's documentation.

The RUP Content File (RUP Project Guide.mpt)

The RUP Content File is located in the RUP Project Guide installation directory, and is called RUP Project Guide.mpt.

It is a standard Microsoft Project 2002 format file, which defines much of the content portion of the Plan RUP Phases and Plan RUP Iterations wizards.

The Hyperlink Address field contains hyperlinks to RUP references corresponding to each activity.

The Phase Tag (Text25) field is used to identify the phase groupings, and the naming scheme for iterations contained in the Phase.

The artifact/roleset/activity (Text24) field is used to distinguish discipline based tasks, artifact-based tasks and role set based tasks.

For more information on RUP Disciplines, Artifacts and Roles please see RUP references:

*   Rational Unified Process: Disciplines

*  Rational Unified Process: Artifacts

*  Rational Unified Process: Roles and Activities

The first/middle/last (Text26) field is used to identify whether an activity can apply to the first, middle, or last iteration of a phase.

The Resource Names field contains Generic RUP resources which are allocated to the task.

Tool Steps

  1. Using different versions of the RUP Content Files
  2. Changing the iteration naming scheme
  3. Changing the discipline-based groupings of tasks
  4. Changing the artifact-based and role set-based groupings of tasks
  5. Changing resources assigned to the tasks
  6. Changing task attributes

1.   Using different versions of the RUP Content Files

The RUP Project Guide always looks for a file called RUP Project Guide.mpt for the RUP content.

To use different versions of RUP Content Files:

1.      Create copies of the default RUP Project Guide.mpt and re-name accordingly (eg. myRUP Project Guide.mpt).

2.      Modify each copy of the RUP Content File to suit.

3.      Activate a particular RUP Content File by opening your own version of RUP ProjectGuide.mpt

2.   Changing the iteration naming scheme

To change the iteration naming scheme:

  1. Using Microsoft Project, open the RUP Content File (RUP Project Guide.mpt) that you wish to modify.
  2. Modify the Phase Tag value for the Inception Tasks item accordingly.
  3. Repeat this for each of Elaboration Tasks, Construction Tasks, and Transition Tasks items.
  4. Click on File->Save to save the RUP Content File.

3.   Changing the discipline-based groupings of tasks

The discipline-based groupings and contained tasks are distinguished by a blank artifact/roleset/activity (Text24) field.

  1. Using Microsoft Project, open the RUP Content File (RUP Project Guide.mpt) that you wish to modify.
  2. Click on Insert->New Task to insert a new discipline grouping task under Inception Tasks,  Elaboration Tasks, Construction Tasks, or Transition Tasks.
  3. Enter the Task Name to suit.
  4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 as required for each discipline grouping.  Existing discipline groupings may be edited as required.
  5. Click on Insert->New Task to insert a new activity task under the grouping
  6. Enter the Task Name for the activity task.
  7. Enter the first/middle/last value for the activity task according to whether the task applies to the first, middle and/or last iteration of the phase.
  8. Repeat steps 5 through 7 for each activity.  Existing activity tasks may be edited as required.
  9. Click on File->Save to save the RUP Content File.

For more information on planning RUP Disciplines, please see the following RUP reference:

*  Rational Unified Process: Disciplines

4.   Changing the artifact-based and roleset-based groupings of tasks

The artifact-based and role set-based groupings are distinguished by a value of “artifact”, “roleset”, or “activity” in the artifact/roleset/activity (Text24) field.

  1. Using Microsoft Project, open the RUP Content File (RUP Project Guide.mpt) that you wish to modify.
  2. Click on Insert->New Task to insert a new artifact level task under Inception Tasks,  Elaboration Tasks, Construction Tasks, or Transition Tasks.
  3. Enter the artifact name under Task Name.
  4. Enter “artifact” in the artifact/roleset/activity (Text24) field.
  5. Enter the first/middle/last value for the artifact level task activity task according to whether the task applies to the first, middle and/or last iteration of the phase.
  6. Repeat steps 2 through 5 as required for each artifact task.  Existing artifact tasks may be edited as required.
  7. Click on Insert->New Task to insert a new role set task under the artifact task.
  8. Enter the Task Name for the role set task.
  9. Enter “roleset” in the artifact/roleset/activity (Text24) field.
  10. Enter the first/middle/last value for the role set task according to whether the task applies to the first, middle and/or last iteration of the phase.
  11. Repeat steps 7 through 10 as required for each role set task.  Existing role set tasks may be edited as required.
  12. Click on Insert->New Task to insert a new activity task under the role set task.
  13. Enter the Task Name for the activity task.
  14. Enter “activity” in the artifact/roleset/activity (Text24) field.
  15. Enter the first/middle/last value for the activity task according to whether the task applies to the first, middle and/or last iteration of the phase.
  16. Repeat steps 12 through 15 as required for each activity task.  Existing activity tasks may be edited as required.
  17. Click on File->Save to save the RUP Content File.

For more information on RUP Artifacts and Role Sets please see RUP references:

*  Rational Unified Process: Artifacts

*  Rational Unified Process: Roles and Activities

5.   Changing resources assigned to the tasks

To change the resources assigned to the tasks in the RUP Content File:

  1. Using Microsoft Project, open the RUP Content File (RUP Project Guide.mpt) that you wish to modify.
  2. Enter the Resource Name for the resource you wish to assign to each task.
  3. Click on View->Resource Sheet to display the Resource Sheet
  4. Click on Project->Resource Information to display the Resource Information window.
  5. Check the Generic checkbox.
  6. Click Ok to close the Resource Information window.
  7. Repeat steps 2 through 6 as required for each task.  Existing resource assignments may be edited as required.
  8. Click on File->Save to save the RUP Content File.

For more information on RUP Roles please see RUP reference:

*  Rational Unified Process: Roles and Activities

9.               Changing task attributes

The following task attributes are copied over onto the tasks which are created form the RUP Content File:

·        Task Name

·        Task Duration

·        Task Priority

·        Text24 (artifact/roleset/activity)

·        Text25 (Phase Tag)

·        Text26 (first/middle/last)

·        Hyperlink Address

To change these task attributes in the RUP Content File:

  1. Using Microsoft Project, open the RUP Content File (RUP Project Guide.mpt) that you wish to modify.
  2. Click on View->Gantt Chart to display the Gantt Chart View.
  3. Edit the task attribute(s) by editing directly on the Gantt Chart View, or click on Project->Task Information to display the Summary Task Information window.
  4. Repeat steps 2 through 6 as required for each task. 
  5. Click on File->Save to save the RUP Content File.