# Understanding the solution development lifecycle

> A **solution** automates a business process. Although we use the term "solution" across the entire lifecycle, the solution is represented by different artifacts at each stage. It starts as an idea, it is built and structured in UiPath Studio, published as a Solution Package, and is finally deployed to the UiPath Platform where users can run and manage it. Depending on the scenario, you can also **assemble a Solution Package directly in Orchestrator** by combining existing, already deployed artifacts into a deployable package.

A **solution** automates a business process. Although we use the term "solution" across the entire lifecycle, the solution is represented by different artifacts at each stage. It starts as an idea, it is built and structured in UiPath Studio, published as a Solution Package, and is finally deployed to the UiPath Platform where users can run and manage it. Depending on the scenario, you can also **assemble a Solution Package directly in Orchestrator** by combining existing, already deployed artifacts into a deployable package.

:::note
Before **Studio Web** introduced a dedicated solution design experience, assembling a **Solution Package in Orchestrator** was the primary option for putting a solution together from deployed building blocks.
:::

Looking forward, the recommended approach is to build solutions in **Studio Web**, because solution design is primarily an **authoring** activity: it benefits from fast iteration, collaboration, and proximity to the developer workflow (defining structure, dependencies, and configuration in one place). **Package management** and **deployment management** will continue to be performed in **Orchestrator**, because they are **operational** activities: they require controlled distribution, environment governance, consistent versioning, and administrative oversight to ensure solutions are promoted and consumed safely across tenants and environments.

The diagram below summarizes the solution lifecycle and shows how the main artifacts and responsibilities flow across **design**, **packaging or publishing**, and **deployment**.

![Solution development lifecycle](https://dev-assets.cms.uipath.com/assets/images/solutions-management/solution-management-lifecycle-f425cd47.png)

The diagram below illustrates the two deployment scenarios available to a Solution Admin: deploying with all resources created during deployment, or deploying with some resources created during deployment while others are linked to already-existing ones.

![Solution deployment scenarios](https://dev-assets.cms.uipath.com/assets/images/solutions-management/solutions-2-diagram-a3400acc.png)