A Delivery Process is a special process describing a complete and integrated approach for performing a specific project type. It provides a complete lifecycle model that has been detailed by sequencing Method Content in breakdown structures. It describes a complete project lifecycle end-to-end and is used as a reference for running projects with similar characteristics.
Aprocess engineer can define alternative Delivery Processes for software development projects that differ in the scale of the engagement and staffing necessary, the type of the software application to be developed, the development methods and technologies to be used, etc. Although, the Delivery Process aims to cover a whole project it keeps certain decision that are too project specific open.For example, the breakdown structure defines which Breakdown Elements have multiple occurrences or are repeatable via its specific attributes, but does not say how many occurrences and how many repeats/iterations it will have. These decisions have to be done by a project manager when planning a concrete project, project phase, or project iterations.
Example
In software engineering, the goal is to build a software product or to enhance an existing one. The Delivery Process for software could be an iterative process, where the product is built incrementally over time, or it could be a traditional waterfall Delivery Process in which all requirements are specified up front, followed by design, implementation, and test phases.
