Business rules are the controls an organization puts in place to ensure the:
· consistent behavior of its business processes across all channels
· validity of its knowledgebase
Business rules are expressed using the vocabulary of the business.
Business rules need to be directly associated with the business processes they control.
Business rules are supported by the organization’s information technology.
Business rules need to be expressed in a grammar that structures rule statements in a manner that allow them to be analysis and reporting on as a set, whether or not they are enforced through information technology.
Business rules need to be shared across the organization and with its partners, customers and regulating authorities.
Technical rules (the expressions of how business rules are supported within the information technology) need to be shared across the organization’s application portfolio and with its partners, customers and regulating authorities.
Business rules need to be managed through its own suite of information systems.
A standard for expressing business rules from both the business and information technology perspective will be an important component of solutions that address both needs:
· a consistent grammar
· ability to share business rules at the business and technical level.
OWL already provides coverage for most of the knowledgebase validity business rules. It should be used as the foundation for developing the standard for the business process behavioral business rules.
Terry Moriarty has been a leading proponent of the business rules approach for managing an organization’s business policies and procedures since its inception in the early ‘90s. Her first business rules classification scheme was published in 1993. She has incorporated business rules into the Inastrol Dynamic Business Models, which have been used as the basis for enterprise models within several financial services organizations. Her primary focus has been applying the business rules approach to Customer and Partner Relationship Management initiatives.
Ms. Moriarty has been the co-chair of the Business Rules Forum, the premier
industry conference focused on business rules, since 2000.
In the absence of any widely accepted business rule standards, Inastrol provides its clients with a Business Rules Classification Scheme and Grammar that they can use until an industry standard becomes available.
OWL provides coverage for the majority of the Inastrol Integrity business rule categories. What is needed is a standard that addresses the Behavioral business rule categories.
|
Inastrol Category |
Business Rule Type |
Examples |
Alternate Terms |
|
Eligibility |
Integrity |
·
What
am I considered to be? What Customer; Preferred Customer; in the ·
What
do I qualify for? Products; Pricing Plans; Tax Rates; Marketing Programs |
Inference |
|
Validation |
Integrity |
·
Am I
in a valid State? Complete, Accurate, Consistent, Correct ·
Bill
of Materials; “Part Of” · Domain Constraints (“Data Rules”) |
Constraint |
|
Computation |
Behavior |
·
Compute
Me; Configure Me Set values to ensure that the enterprise’s knowledgebase is always
rational, in a valid business state · Pricing; Discounts; Taxes; Metrics; Product Configurations |
Calculation |
|
Process |
Behavior |
·
Here’s
the What Do I Do Next? |
Event-Condition-Action
(ECA) Action Enablers/ Disablers |
|
Authority |
Behavior |
·
Do I
have access to this information? ·
Am I
allowed to perform this process? ·
Are
there limits on how often I can perform a process or on the
what I can approve (e.g. monetary signing authority)? |
Policies |