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Use-case driven and architecture-centric are two of the three keys to the Unified Process. They have a clear technical impact on the product of the process. Being use-case driven means that every phase in the drive to the eventual product refers back to what users actually do. It drives developers to assure that the system meets users’ real needs. Being architecture-centric means that development work focuses in the early phases on achieving the architectural pattern that will guide system construction, assuring a smooth progression to not only the current product release, but to the whole product life.

 

To achieve the right balance between these two keys, use cases and architecture, is similar in nature to balancing function and form in the development of any product. The balance between them grows up over time. Which one comes first is a chicken and egg problem. The chicken and the egg came about through almost endless iterations during the long process of evolution. Similarly, in the shorter process of software development, developers consciously work out this balance (use cases-architecture) through a series of iterations. Thus, the iterative-and-incremental development approach constitutes the third key area in the Unified Process.