OpenUP/Basic is an iterative software development process that is minimal, complete, and extensible. It is governed by four core principles:

• Balance competing priorities to maximize stakeholder value.
• Collaborate to align interests and share understanding
• Evolve to continuously obtain feedback and improve
• Focus on articulating the architecture

Roles perform tasks that consume and produce artifacts. OpenUP/Basic describes the minimal set of roles, tasks, and artifacts involved in software development:

• Roles
• Tasks (organized by disciplines)
• Artifacts (organized by domains) 

Software development lifecycle

OpenUP/Basic is an iterative process distributed throughout four phases: Inception, Elaboration, Construction, and Transition. Each phase consists of one or more iterations, where stable, working versions of the software are developed and released, with the completion of each iteration representing a minor milestone for the project and contributing to the successful achievement of the Phase's major milestone where phase objectives are met.

The following diagram depicts the OpenUP/Basic lifecycle.

Figure 1: The OpenUP/Basic lifecycle

Organization of content

The content is organized around four major areas:

• Collaboration and Communication
• Intent
• Management
• Solution

Figure 2: Four areas of content organization for OpenUP/Basic