2.1.5.3 Initial Operational Capability Milestone

The focus of the Construction phase is to develop the system to the point where it is ready for deployment. Emphasis shifts now to prioritizing requirements and completing their specification, analyzing them, designing a solution to satisfy them, and coding and testing the software. If necessary, early releases of the system are deployed, either internally or externally, to obtain user feedback. At the end of this phase you must hold the Initial Operational Capability (IOC) review, whereby your stakeholders assess the state of the project and must agree that:

1. Software and supporting documentation are acceptable to deploy.
2. Stakeholders (and the business) are ready for the system to be deployed.
3. Risks are continuing to be managed effectively.
4. Current expenditures are acceptable, and reasonable estimates have been made for future costs and schedules.
5. Detailed iteration plans for the next few Transition iterations, as well as a high-level project plan, are in place.

These are the goals of the Construction phase of the project. Please see the Construction phase iteration plan.