Construction Phase

Definition

Construction Phase

the application development cycle phase during which the development organization completes construction of the single initial version of an system and its associated deliverable work products

Goals

The typical goals of the Construction Phase are to:

• Complete the construction of the initial current version of the system.
• Ready it for initial:
  • Delivery to the customer organization.
  • Deployment to the production environments.
  • Usage by the user organization(s).
• Thereby prepare for the following delivery phase.

Objectives

To meet these goals, the typical objectives of the construction phase are to:

• Complete the associated tasks of the following activities:
  • Requirements Engineering.
  • Architecting.
  • Design.
  • Implementation.
  • Testing (except for launch testing).
• Ensure that the application fulfills its specified requirements:
  • Operational requirements.
  • Quality requirements.
  • Informational requirements.
  • External API requirements.
  • Design constraints.
• Ensure that the application conforms to its documented system architecture including:
  • Database architecture
  • Hardware architecture
  • Information architecture
  • Software architecture
  • User interface architecture
• Complete all associated work products (especially development documentation).
• Minimize the associated project:
  • Costs.
  • Schedule.
  • Risks.
• Determine if the application should be delivered (i.e., advance to the next phase) or be abandoned (e.g., due to major changes in market trends, major changes in the business’ mission, or cost and schedule overruns).

Preconditions

The following preconditions should typically be satisfied before the construction phase can successfully begin:

• The initiation phase has been successfully completed.
• Therefore, all of its milestones have been passed including especially:
  • An end-to-end functioning executable software architecture prototype of the application was developed and validated.
  • Initial schedule and cost estimates exist for the following construction phase.
• The decision has been made to continue development with the construction phase.

Postconditions

The construction phase is typically complete when the following postconditions have been met:

• All requirements are completed and baselined.
• All architectures are completed and baselined.
• The entire design is completed and baselined.
• All application components are implemented and integrated.
• The application has passed developer testing.
• The following delivery phase is scoped and planned.

Milestones

The typical milestones of the construction phase include:

1. Requirements and Architecture Frozen
2. Application Implemented
3. Construction Phase Complete

Work Products

During the construction phase, the following primary work products are typically produced (or reused or acquired) and delivered to the customer organization:

• Requirements Set:
  • Application Vision Statement (updated)
  • Domain Model Document (completed)
  • External API Specification (completed)
  • Glossary (updated)
  • Requirements Executive Summary (completed)
  • System Requirements Specification (completed)
• Architecture Set:
  • Contact Center Architecture Document (completed)
  • Data Center Architecture Document (completed)
  • Information Architecture Document (completed)
  • Software Architecture Document (completed)
  • Software Architecture Prototype (updated)
  • System Architecture Document (updated)
• Design Set:
  • Database Design Document (completed)
  • Hardware Design Document (completed)
  • Human Interface Design Document (completed)
  • Human Interface Prototype (completed)
  • Javadoc (completed if applicable)
  • Software Design Document (completed if applicable)
• Implementation Set:
  • Data Center (started if applicable, but not delivered)
  • Data Center (started if applicable, but not delivered)
  • Data Components (completed)
  • Hardware Components (completed)
  • Software Components (completed)
• Integration Set:
  • Application (completed but not delivered)
  • Integration Plan (completed)
• Test Set:
  • Master Test List (updated)
  • Project Test Plan (updated)
  • Test Case (applicable test cases completed)
  • Test Data (applicable test data completed)
  • Test Harness (applicable test harnesses completed)
  • Test Procedures (applicable test procedures completed)
  • Test Reports (applicable test reports completed)
  • Test Script (applicable test scripts completed)
  • Test Suite (applicable test suites completed)
  • Test Summary Report (applicable test summary reports completed)
  • Usability Testing:
    • Usability Test Screening Questionnaire (applicable questionnaires completed)
    • Usability Test Orientation Script (applicable scripts completed)
    • Usability Test Observations Form (applicable forms completed)
    • Usability Pretest Questionnaire (applicable questionnaires completed)
    • Usability Posttest Questionnaire (applicable questionnaires completed)
• Environments Set:
  • Production Environments (completed)
• Deployment Set:
  • Deployment Plan (started)
• Content Management Set:
  • Initial Content (started but not delivered)
  • Content Management Plan (started but not delivered)
  • Initial Content Metadata (started but not delivered)

Secondary Work Products

During the construction phase, the following secondary work products are typically produced and delivered:

• Management Set:
  • Budget (updated)
  • Component Schedule (completed)
  • Contract (maintained)
  • Documentation Plan (updated)
  • Interview Checklist (updated)
  • Interview Report (completed)
  • Job Description (updated)
  • Management Plan (updated)
  • Master Schedule (updated)
  • Mission Statement (updated)
  • Organization Chart (updated)
  • Personnel Evaluation (completed)
  • Statement Of Work (maintained)
  • Status Report (completed)
  • Team Schedule (completed)
  • Work Breakdown Structure (updated)
• Configuration Managment Set:
  • CCB Meeting Minutes (completed)
  • Change Request Form (completed)
  • Configuration Audit Report (completed)
  • Configuration Identification Report (updated)
  • Configuration Managment Plan (updated)
  • Configuration Status Report (completed)
• Risk Managment Set:
  • Risk Management Plan
  • Risk Analysis
  • Risk Monitoring Report
• Quality Set:
  • Construction Audit Report (completed)
  • Endeavor Debrief Report (completed only if last phase of project)
  • Inspection Summary Report (completed)
  • Inspection Report (completed)
  • Process Inspection Checklist (updated)
  • Quality Plan (updated)
  • Construction Review Materials (completed)
  • Construction Review Report (completed)
• Process Set:
  • Conventions (updated) for each work product
  • Process Needs Assessment (completed only if first phase of project)
  • Process Description (updated)
• Metrics Set:
  • Estimation Report (completed)
  • Metrics Plan (updated)
  • Metrics Report (completed)
• Environments Set:
  • Development Environments (updated)
  • Project Environment Design Document (updated)
  • Product Selection Report (completed)
• Training Set:
  • Training Materials (completed)
  • Training Needs Assessment (completed for customer, operations, maintenance, and user support organizations)
  • Training Plan (updated)
  • Training Schedule (updated)
  • Training Status Report (completed)
  • Training Vendor Assessment (updated)

Teams

The following teams typically collaborate during the construction phase:

• Endeavor Teams:
  • Enterprise Team
  • Program Team
  • Project Team
• Management Teams:
  • Change Control Board
  • Configuration Management Team
  • Program Management Team
  • Project Management Team
• Engineering Teams:
  • Architecture Team
  • Database Team
  • Deployment Team
  • Environments Team
  • Independent Test Team
  • Integration Team
  • Metrics Team
  • Pair Programming Team
  • Process Team
  • Quality Team
  • Requirements Team
  • Reuse Team
  • Security Team
  • Software Development Team
  • Training Team
  • User Experience Team
• Post-Development Teams:
  • Content Management Team
• Inspections Teams:
  • Architecture Inspection Team
  • Center Inspection Team
  • Configuration Management Inspection Team
  • Content Management Inspection Team
  • Database Inspection Team
  • Deployment Inspection Team
  • Environments Inspection Team
  • Hardware Inspection Team
  • Integration Inspection Team
  • Management Inspection Team
  • Requirements Inspection Team
  • Software Inspection Team
  • Test Inspection Team
  • Training Inspection Team
  • User Experience Inspection Team
• Quality Assurance Teams:
  • Construction Review Team

Activities And Tasks

The following application development engineering activities and associated tasks are typically performed during the construction phase in an iterative, incremental, parallel, and timeboxed manner:

• Requirements Engineering Activity:
  • Application Visioning (finalized)
  • Requirements Analysis (completed)
  • Requirements Identification (completed)
  • Requirements Reuse (completed)
  • Requirements Specification (completed)
• Architecting Activity:
  • Architectural Mechanism Production (completed)
  • Architectural Patterns Selection (completed)
  • Architecture Documentation (completed)
  • Architecture Integrity Assurance (completed)
  • Architecture Prototyping (completed)
  • Logical Architecture Production (completed)
  • Physical Architecture Production (completed)
  • Architecture Reuse (completed):
    • Technology Partner Selection
    • Technology Vendor Selection
• Design Activity:
  • Design Documentation (completed)
  • Design Production (completed)
  • Design Prototyping (completed)
  • Design Refactoring (completed)
  • Design Reuse (completed)
• Implementation Activity:
  • Acquisition (completed)
  • Debugging (completed)
  • Fabrication (completed)
  • Implementation Reuse (completed)
  • Programming (completed)
  • Software Internationalization (completed)
• Integration Activity:
  • Integration Planning
  • Component Integration
  • Installation
  • Configuration
  • Integration Reporting
• Testing Activity:
  • Test Planning
  • Test Reuse
  • Test Design
  • Test Implementation
  • Test Execution
  • Test Reporting
• Environments Engineering Activity:
  • Vendor and Tool Evaluation
  • Vendor and Tool Selection
  • Tool Acquisition
  • Environments Design
  • Environments Production
  • Environments Maintenance
  • Data Center Design
  • Data Center Production
  • Data Center Maintenance (initial)

Administrative Activities and Associated Tasks

The following administrative activities and associated tasks are typically performed during the construction phase in an iterative, incremental, parallel, and timeboxed manner:

• Management Activity:
  • Cost Management
  • Communications Management
  • Delivery Management
  • Management Planning
  • Personnel Management
  • Relationship Management
  • Resource Management
  • Schedule Management
  • Scope Management
• Configuration Management Activity:
  • Configuration Management Planning
  • Configuration Identification
  • Version Control
  • Configuration Control
  • Configuration Status Reporting
  • Configuration Auditing
• Risk Management Activity:
  • Risk Analysis
  • Risk Control
  • Risk Identification
  • Risk Management Planning
  • Risk Monitoring
• Training Activity (primarily customers and users):
  • Training Planning
  • Training Needs Assessment
  • Training Vendor Selection
  • Training Materials Production
  • Training Scheduling
  • Training Delivery

General Engineering Activities and Associated Tasks

The following general engineering activities and associated tasks are typically performed during the construction phase in an iterative, incremental, parallel, and timeboxed manner:

• Process Engineering Activity:
  • Process Needs Assessment
  • Process Framework Extension
  • Process Framework Iteration
  • Process Construction
  • Process Tailoring
  • Process Documentation
  • Process Consulting
  • Process Mandating
• Quality Engineering Activity:
  • Quality Needs Assessment
  • Quality Planning
  • Quality Assurance
  • Quality Control
• Metrics Engineering Activity:
  • Metrics Needs Assessment
  • Metrics Planning
  • Metrics Collection
  • Metrics Analysis
  • Metrics Reporting
• Reuse Engineering Activity:
  • Endeavor Support
  • ReusableWork Product Certification
  • ReusableWork Product Evaluation
  • Reusable Work Product Identification
  • ReusableWork Product Preparation
  • Reuse Repository Production

Guidelines

• The primary focus of this phase are:
  • Evolving the executable architectural prototype developed during the initiation phase into the deliverable application.
  • Performing the design, implementation, and testing tasks.
• Some of the tasks (especially requirements engineering and architecting tasks) that are primarily performed during this phase were actually started during the previous initiation phase.
• Similarly, some of the tasks of the following delivery phase (e.g., deployment planning) are typically started during this phase due to the complexity of deployment.
• Tasks (e.g., digital branding, customer analysis, etc.) that are normally performed during the business strategy phase may be completed during the construction phase if there was not business strategy phase and they were not completed during the initiation phase.