Activities

An activity is something that one or more roles do. Activities support the nesting and logical grouping of related process elements, forming the hierarchical breakdown structures that organize project work.

What is an Activity?

In the Unified Method Architecture (UMA), an activity is a breakdown element that:

• Groups related work together
• Can contain sub-activities (nesting)
• References tasks through descriptors
• Forms the building blocks of processes

An activity is a breakdown element which supports the nesting and logical grouping of related process elements such as descriptors and sub-activities, thus forming breakdown structures.

Activity Hierarchy

Activities organize work in a hierarchical structure:

Example: Development Activity Structure

Activities vs Tasks

NUP Activities by Phase

NUP defines specific activities for each of its seven phases. Each activity contains tasks that roles perform to produce artifacts.

1. Strategy Phase Activities

Define Project

• Conduct Market Research
• Initial Project Scoping

Define OKR

• Identify and Document Objectives and Key Results (OKRs)
• Align OKRs with Business Goals

Plan and Manage Iteration

• Plan Iteration
• Manage Iteration

2. Envision Phase Activities

Develop Intellectual Property Strategy

• IP Assessment and Planning

Define and Establish Architecture Capability

• Define and Establish Enterprise Architecture Team
• Confirm Governance and Support Frameworks
• Identify and Establish Architecture Principles
• Implement Architecture Tools
• Scope Enterprise Organizations Impacted
• Tailor Architecture Framework

Develop Architecture Vision

• Establish Architecture Project
• Identify Stakeholders, Concerns, and Business Requirements
• Confirm and Elaborate Business Goals, Drivers, and Constraints
• Evaluate Business Capabilities
• Assess Readiness for Business Transformation
• Define Scope
• Develop Architecture Vision
• Identify Business Transformation Risks and Mitigation Activities

Develop Business Architecture

• Select Reference Models, Viewpoints, and Tools
• Develop Baseline Business Architecture Description
• Develop Target Business Architecture Description
• Perform Gap Analysis
• Define Candidate Roadmap Components
• Resolve Impacts Across Architecture Landscape
• Conduct Formal Stakeholder Review
• Finalize Business Architecture
• Create Architecture Definition Document

Develop Data Architecture

• Data Architecture Development Tasks

Develop Application Systems Architecture

• Application Architecture Development Tasks

Develop Technology Architecture

• Technology Architecture Development Tasks

Generate Architecture Roadmap

• Roadmap Planning and Documentation

Develop Migration Plan

• Migration Strategy Development

Manage Architecture Change

• Architecture Change Management

Establish Implementation Governance

• Governance Framework Implementation

3. Inception Phase Activities

Initiate Project

• Plan Project
• Initial Planning Activities

Plan and Manage Iteration

• Plan Iteration
• Manage Iteration

Understand User Experience

• Understand Users and Their Needs
• Identify User Personas
• Use Customer Journey Maps

Identify and Detail Requirements

• Find and Outline Requirements
• Detail Requirements
• Create Test Cases

Ensure DevOps Involvement

• Involve DevOps Team Early
• Initial Infrastructure Planning

4. Elaboration Phase Activities

Identify and Detail Requirements

• Find and Outline Requirements (expanded)
• Detail Requirements
• Create Test Cases

Plan and Manage Iteration

• Plan Iteration
• Manage Iteration

Develop the Architecture

• Outline the Architecture
• Refine the Architecture

Develop Solution Increment

• Design the Solution
• Implement the Solution
• Code Review
• Implement Developer Tests
• Run Developer Tests
• Integrate and Create Build
• Create Style Guide

Test Solution

• Implement Test Scripts
• Integrate
• Run Tests

Ongoing Tasks

• Request Change
• Ensure Artifact Versioning

5. Construction Phase Activities

Identify and Detail Requirements

• Find and Outline Requirements
• Detail Requirements
• Create Test Cases

Plan and Manage Iteration

• Plan Iteration
• Manage Iteration

Develop Solution Increment

• Create a Style Guide
• Design the Solution
• Ensure DevOps Involvement
• Implement the Solution
• Code Review
• Implement Developer Tests
• Run Developer Tests
• Integrate and Create Build

Test Solution

• Implement Test Scripts
• Integrate and Create Build
• Run Tests

Ongoing Tasks

• Request Change
• Ensure Artifact Versioning

6. Transition Phase Activities

Plan and Manage Iteration

• Plan Iteration
• Manage Iteration

Develop Solution Increment

• Design the Solution
• Ensure DevOps Involvement
• Implement Developer Tests
• Implement the Solution
• Code Review
• Run Developer Tests
• Integrate and Create Build

Test Solution

• Implement Test Scripts
• Integrate and Create Build
• Run Tests
• Software Validation

Set up the Demo Environment

• Create and Update Demo Environment

Ongoing Tasks

• Request Change
• Ensure Artifact Versioning

Plan for Deployment and Release

• Plan Project (deployment-focused)

7. Production Phase Activities

Handle the Move into Production

• Ensure DevOps Involvement
• Maintenance

Plan and Manage Iteration

• Plan Iteration
• Manage Iteration

Activity Categories

Iteration Activities

Activities that recur each iteration:

• Plan Iteration
• Manage Iteration
• Development Work
• Iteration Review
• Retrospective
• Assess Results

Cross-Phase Activities

Activities that span multiple phases:

• Plan and Manage Iteration
• Request Change
• Ensure Artifact Versioning
• Quality Planning

Milestone Activities

Activities focused on milestone achievement:

• Milestone Preparation
• Milestone Review
• Milestone Assessment
• Go/No-Go Decision

Activity Descriptors

Activities reference content elements through descriptors. A descriptor is an abstract generalization that references one concrete content element, enabling separation of process from method content.

Why Descriptors?

• Reusability: Same task can be used in different activities
• Customization: Process can modify how a task is performed
• Flexibility: Different projects can use tasks differently

Descriptor Properties

Breakdown Structures

Activities form breakdown structures - hierarchical decompositions of work:

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

Organizes work by deliverable:

Product
    └── Component A
        └── Feature 1
            └── Design Feature 1
            └── Implement Feature 1
            └── Test Feature 1

Team Allocation Structure

Organizes work by team:

Development Team
    ├── Backend Development
    │   └── API Development Activity
    └── Frontend Development
        └── UI Development Activity

Responsibility Assignment

Maps roles to activities:

Activity: "Design Solution"
    ├── Responsible: Software Architect
    ├── Accountable: Technical Lead
    ├── Consulted: Business Analyst
    └── Informed: Project Manager

Activity Patterns

Capability Pattern

A reusable activity structure that can be applied in different processes:

Example: "Develop Component"

• Can be used in any phase
• Includes standard tasks for development
• Customizable per project

Delivery Process

A complete process with all activities defined:

• Includes all phases
• Defines activity sequence
• Specifies milestones

Planning Activities

Iteration Planning Process

1. Review Backlog: Identify candidate work items
2. Estimate Effort: Size tasks within activities
3. Allocate Resources: Assign roles to activities
4. Define Acceptance: Specify done criteria
5. Commit to Plan: Team agreement on iteration scope

Activity Estimation

Tracking Activity Progress

Activity States

Progress Indicators

• Task Completion: % of tasks done
• Artifact Completion: % of artifacts produced
• Test Passing: % of tests passing
• Review Status: Approvals obtained

Best Practices

Activity Definition

• Keep activities focused and cohesive
• Define clear entry and exit criteria
• Identify dependencies between activities
• Estimate realistically

Activity Execution

• Work on one activity at a time when possible
• Complete activities before starting new ones
• Track blockers immediately
• Communicate progress daily

Activity Review

• Review completed activities promptly
• Document lessons learned
• Update estimates based on actuals
• Improve activity definitions

Related Resources

• Agile Development
• Backlog Management
• Microsoft Playbook: Ceremonies

Compliance

This section fulfills ISO 13485 requirements for planning of product realization (7.1), control of production (7.5.1), and monitoring and measurement (8.2.4), and ISO 27001 requirements for documented procedures (A.5.37) and information security in project management (A.5.8).

View full compliance matrix