Business Rule Concepts

Transcription

Business Rule Concepts
The New Basics of
Smarter Processes
Den Norske Dataforeningen
May 19-21, 2015
by Ronald G. Ross
Co-Founder & Principal, Business Rule Solutions, LLC
BRSolutions.com
Executive Editor, Business Rules Journal
BRCommunity.com
© Business Rule Solutions, LLC
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About Ronald G. Ross
Ronald G. Ross is Co-Founder and Principal of Business Rule Solutions, LLC
(BRSolutions.com). BRS provides consulting, training and methodology
supporting business analysis, business rules, decision analysis, business
vocabulary, and rule management. His popular seminars, the first on business
rules (starting 1996) and the longest-running in the industry, are given through
AttainingEdge in North America and IRM-UK in Europe.
Mr. Ross co-develops IPSpeak™, BRS’s landmark methodology, featuring
numerous innovative techniques including the popular DecisionSpeak™,
TableSpeak™ and RuleSpeak® (free on RuleSpeak.com, now also in Spanish,
German and Dutch). These are the latest offerings in a 40-year career that has
consistently featured creative, business-driven solutions.
Mr. Ross is also Executive Editor and regular columnist of BRCommunity.com
and its flagship on-line publication, Business Rules Journal. Sponsored by
BRS, BRCommunity.com is a non-commercial vertical community for
professionals working in the field. Mr. Ross was formerly Editor of the Data
Base Newsletter from 1977 to 1998.
Mr. Ross is recognized internationally as the ‘father of business rules.’ He has served as Chair of the annual
Business Rules & Decisions Forum Conference since 1997, now part of the BBC Conference. He was a charter
member of the Business Rules Group (BRG) in the 1980s, and an editor of the two landmark BRG papers, “The
Business Motivation Model: Business Governance in a Volatile World” (2000) and the “Business Rules Manifesto”
(2003). He is also active in OMG standards development for business rules and business models, including SBVR.
Mr. Ross is the author of ten professional books. His newest: Business Rule Concepts: Getting to the Point of
Knowledge (2013), a 4th edition of his popular handbook, and Building Business Solutions: Business Analysis
with Business Rules, 2nd edition, with Gladys S.W. Lam (2015), an IIBA Sponsored Handbook. An earlier work,
The Business Rule Book (1994, 1997), was the seminal work in the field. Mr. Ross received his M.S. in information
science from Illinois Institute of Technology, and his B.A. from Rice University.
© Business Rule Solutions, LLC
follow Ron’s tweets @Ronald_G_Ross and his blog via RonRoss.info
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case study
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case study:
Approve Leave Requests



employees submit leave requests
for approval
relevant business policies need to
be followed
one such policy requires two
levels of approval
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case study: original version
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Employee requests leave
Gather
Approvals
all needed
approvals
gathered
Confirm
Leave
leave is
confirmed
Notify
Employee
leave cannot be
confirmed
leave is not approved
business rule …
A leave request must be approved by all the following:
 a line manager.
 an HR administrator if approved by a line manager.
case study: first iteration
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simplify business process models
by an order of magnitude or more
example …
a pharmaceutical client reduced a
business process model from 28+
pages to ~4
Reference: Building Business Solutions: Business Analysis with Business Rules,
by Ronald G. Ross and Gladys S.W. Lam, 2011, Chapter 7
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new business policy:
3rd approval by VP
required
case study: original version
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Employee requests leave
Gather
Approvals
all needed
approvals
gathered
Confirm
Leave
leave is
confirmed
Notify
Employee
leave cannot be
confirmed
leave is not approved
business rule …
A leave request must be approved by:
 a line manager.
 an HR administrator if approved by a line manager.
 a VP if approved by
666an HR administrator.
case study: first iteration
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Employee requests leave
Gather
Approvals
all needed
approvals
gathered
leave is
confirmed
Confirm
Leave
Notify
Employee
leave cannot be
confirmed
leave is not approved
what purpose do diamonds serve?
 make business decisions
 enforce behavioral rules
case study: first iteration
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Employee requests leave
Gather
Approvals
all needed
approvals
gathered
Confirm
Leave
leave is
confirmed
Notify
Employee
leave cannot be
confirmed
leave is not approved
case study: second iteration
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in this session …
 what business rules are
 how business rules can improve processes
 what operational business decisions are
 how decision engineering can improve processes
 the real value-add going forward
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what are business rules?
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Is this a business rule?
If ACT-BL LT 0 then set OD-Flag to ‘yes’.
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Is this a business rule?
An account must be considered overdrawn
if the account balance is less than $0.
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definition
business rule:
criterion used in business operations to

guide behavior

shape judgments

make decisions
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where do business rules
come from?
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“Use cases (in the classic definition)
contain quite high-level information
and do not drill down to the level of
the business rules.”
senior software engineer
where business rules come from
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(collectively and individually, as the context requires, "Apple"), and, on the other hand, the legal entity associated with the iTunes
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through iTunes Connect (the "Effective Date").
 laws
 acts
 statutes
In consideration of mutual promises, Apple and Publisher (each a "Party" and collectively, "Parties") hereby
agree as follows:
1. Definitions. The following terms shall have the following meanings for purposes of this Agreement:  regulations
(a) "Artwork" means book covers, photos, drawings, and illustrations associated with Publisher Content,including
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 agreements
Artwork provided to Apple shall have been cleared for Apple's use for the purposes of performing its functions
under this
Agreement.
 business deals
(b) "Commissionaire" means that a non-risk bearing agent acts in its own name but on the account of a principal.
 business policies
 licenses
 certifications
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 etc. updates etc.)
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copies.
where business rules come from
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what kinds of business
rules are there?
Reference: Business Rule Concepts
4th ed, 2013, Chapter 2 & Part 3
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business
vocabulary
(concept
model)
noun concepts (terms)
e.g., customer: one that purchases
some commodity or service
verb concepts (wordings)
e.g., customer places order
business vocabulary
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library concept model
is used to check-out
library
card
is authorized for
library
works
for
holds
is charged
against
borrower
librarian
owns
is owned
by
makes
kind
person
organization
assessment
is made for
book
fee amount
business rule …
A library card may be used to check-out a book
only if the book is owned by a library for
which the card is authorized.
business vocabulary
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definitions …
ASSESSMENT: a specific monetary charge against a Library Card for abuse of books or
borrowing privileges
BOOK: any document, publication or work in any media that is held by or available
through a Library
BORROWER: a party of interest to a Library that can potentially borrow Books
KIND (OF BORROWER): whether a Borrower is a Person or Organization
FEE AMOUNT: the total amount of an Assessment
LIBRARIAN: a certified professional who can work in a Library in an official capacity
LIBRARY: a repository of Books and/or a lender of Books to Borrowers.
LIBRARY CARD: an agreement between a Borrower and a Library indicating that the
parties agree to abide by the Library’s book-lending rules
ORGANIZATION: a legal entity that can act independently of particular persons
PERSON: an individual who acts in his own behalf
business vocabulary
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definitional rules
are always about
knowing things …
business
rules
business
vocabulary
(concept
model)
definitional rules
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definitional rules
are always about
knowing things …
business
rules
1. knowing the
proper way to
calculate
something
business
vocabulary
(concept
model)
definitional rules
computation rules
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business rule: The net profit must be
computed as the gross sales amount
minus the overhead amount.
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definitional rules
are always about
knowing things …
business
rules
2. knowing the
proper way to
derive something
business
vocabulary
(concept
model)
definitional rules
derivation rules
© Business Rule Solutions, LLC
business rule: A customer must be
considered inactive if the customer
has not placed any order in the past
three years.
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definitional rules
are always about
knowing things …
business
rules
decision tables
3. knowing the
proper way to
decide something
business
vocabulary
(concept
model)
customer level
definitional rules
decision rules
© Business Rule Solutions, LLC
location
What delivery
method should
be used for a
customer?
normal
gold
domestic
3-day
overnight
international
5-day
3-day
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behavioral rules
behavioral rules are
always rules that
people can violate …
business
rules
business
vocabulary
(concept
model)
© Business Rule Solutions, LLC
behavioral rule: A customer must have
an assigned agent if the customer:
 has placed an order, and
 is not inactive.
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definitional rules
behavioral rules
example …
example …
A customer is always considered a
gold customer if the customer places
more than 12 orders during a
calendar year.
A gold customer must be allowed
access to the warehouse.
this rule might be ill-conceived,
misunderstood, or misapplied …
… but it cannot be directly
violated.
this rule can be violated!
violating business rules
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what kind of business rules are each of these?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Santa must not operate sleigh during daylight hours.
Daylight hours are 6:00 to 18:00.
Each household member must receive at least one gift.
A person must be considered a child if the person is less than
16 years of age.
5.
kinds of business rules: exercise
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business processes and
business rules
Reference: Building Business Solutions:
Business Analysis with Business Rules,
by Ronald G. Ross & Gladys S.W. Lam,
2nd edition, 2015, Chapters 6-7
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definition
business process:
the business tasks required for an
enterprise to satisfy a planned response
to a business event from beginning to
end with a focus on the roles of actors,
rather than the actors’ day-to-day job
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Claimant
Claims
Clerk
if response
makes claim
Take Claim
Information
Verify Basic
Claim
Information
if invalid claim
if valid claim
if no response
Adjudicate
Claim
if fraud suspected
if claim approved
Claims
Payment
System
Claimant
Request
Additional
Information
if insufficient
information
Adjudicator
Notify
Claimant
if claim
denied
Notify
Claimant
Claimant
Upon
suspicion
of fraud
if no fraud detected
Make
Payment
Claimant
Process Claims
sample: business process model
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‘process’ - business perspective
 is triggered by an external event involving a




stakeholder
is comprised of all the actions necessary to
provide the appropriate business outcomes
transforms inputs into outputs according to
guidance (policies, standards, procedures,
rules, etc.) employing resources of all types
contains logical steps which usually cross
functions and often organizational units
delivers a product or service to an external
stakeholder or other internal process
acks Roger Burlton
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Santa: exercise 1
develop …
 high-level business process model for the
business process ‘Deliver Gifts’
 business rules (3-5) pertaining to Santa’s
activities before going down any chimneys
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enforcing behavioral rules
A leave request must be
approved by:
 a line manager.
 an HR administrator
if approved by a line
manager.
 a VP if approved by
an HR administrator.
the ‘watcher’
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business vocabulary
(concept models)
Reference: Business Rule Concepts
4th ed, 2013, Chapter 1 & Part 2
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example
are we communicating?
‘load’ … business meaning
context of business usage
1. a network component that uses
energy
… physical facilities that use energy
2. the operating level of a network
component that uses energy
… amounts of energy that physical
facilities use
3. a party that owns a network
component that uses energy
… organizations participating in the
energy marketplace
4. a state of a network component
… resources that can sometimes use
energy (“net”)
5. a part of the output of a
generating resource
… measurements of energy production
6. constancy (“firmness”) of
energy usage
… projections of energy production
and usage
7. demand for energy
… aggregate network estimates
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person
work status
employee
contractor
categories: employee [person] and contractor [person]
categorization scheme: work status
categories
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vehicle
owns
person
‘wording’ of the verb concept: person owns vehicle
binary verb concepts
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owns
is owned by
leases
is leased by
vehicle
drives
person
is driven by
rides in
transports
binary verb concepts
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vehicle
owns
year
color
person
name
date of birth
SSN
property: a quality or trait of something
property association: a binary verb concept in which one thing is
closely tied to the meaning or understanding of another
properties
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best practice: don’t use the verb ‘to have’ for anything except properties
has
owns
vehicle
person
year
color
has
name
date of birth
SSN
the implicit verb for a property association is ‘has’
properties
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[destination]
city
arrives at
flight
role: the part that a concept plays in the context of a verb concept
roles
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best practice: treat terms that simply reflect wordings as roles
is insured by
[insured]
policy
owns
vehicle
[owner]
party
person
roles
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business rule: A briefing may be only for a product that
is being actively marketed.
unary verb concepts
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uses
currency
Euro
U.S. $
CN $
Pound Sterling
~
~
country
United Kingdom
The Netherlands
United States
Canada
Switzerland
general-concept-to-instance connection
general-concept-to-instance connections
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Santa: exercise 2
develop …
 first-cut concept model covering all terms highlighted
in blue in the business rules handout
 definitions for ‘gift’, ‘visit schedule’, and ‘manufacturer
certified speed capacity’
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expressing business rules
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examples

These items may or may not be available
at all times, and sometimes not at all, and
other times all the time.
menu item in restaurant
Ft. Bragg, NC

No driving without a license.
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example
If an employee does not have a name, then [do something].
business rule
An employee must have a name.
“Business people don’t set variables and they don’t
call functions.”
Don Baisley
how not to express business rules
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declarative: no sequencing required
If A + B = C, then F
If D and not E, then A
If not G then B
If 90% x J > 100, then C
procedural: sequencing important
1.
2.
3.
4.
If D and not E, then A
If not G then B
If 90% x J > 100, then C
If A + B = C, then F
declarative vs procedural
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example …
Not to be used in case of fire.
business rule …
An elevator must not be used to exit a multi-floor
building if a fire is reported in the building.
no implied context(!)
best practice for writing business rules
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Santa: exercise 3
using the concept model and RuleSpeak …
 revise business rules (2) pertaining to Santa’s
activities before going down any chimneys
 develop business rules (3-5) pertaining to
entering houses and afterwards
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RuleSpeak
®
… for business-friendly business rules in structured natural language
… in English (2.0), Dutch, Spanish & German … released 2009
… Polish & Norwegian released 2014
… free on www.RuleSpeak.com
origin …
 developed by Business Rule Solutions, LLC (BRS)
starting in 1996

we’ve applied it in 100’s of projects since then
standardization …
 one of three reference notations used in the
creation of SBVR
 fully consistent with that standard
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analysis of behavioral rules
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breach questions
for business rules
1. How strictly should each
business rule be enforced?*
2. What message is appropriate
when a breach occurs?
3. What business response is
needed when a breach occurs?
*applies only to behavioral rules
Reference: Building Business Solutions:
Business Analysis with Business Rules,
by Ronald G. Ross & Gladys S.W. Lam,
2nd edition, 2015, Chapter 15
© Business Rule Solutions, LLC
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business
rule
• A claim center must not
process claims over
$1,000,000.
enforcement • override by preauthorized actor
level
enforcement level
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sample
enforcement
levels
description
strictly enforced
violations disallowed in all cases – achieving some
new state successfully always prevented
override by preauthorized actor
the behavioral rule is enforced, but an actor with
proper before-the-fact authorization may override it
override with
explanation
guideline
the behavioral rule may be overridden simply by
providing an explanation
suggested, but not enforced
enforcement level
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what message is
appropriate when
a breach occurs?
guidance message
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business
rule
• An active healthcare insurance
plan must be assigned to a
member.
guidance
messages
• for Walmart: “An active
healthcare insurance plan must
be assigned to an employee.”
• for JCPenney: “An active
healthcare insurance plan must
be assigned to an associate.”
guidance message
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business
rule
breach
action
• The total number of
hours worked by an
employee during a 24hour period must not
exceed 18 consecutive
hours.
• Notify Manager
breach response
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Santa: exercise 4
Specify the following …
 enforcement level
 guidance message
 breach response
for Rule 2017:
A sleigh may be parked on the roof of a
house only if the slant of the roof of the
house is 45 degrees or less.
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your business rule space
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business rules
business rules
for making
operational
business decisions
business rules for operational business
decisions involve …
 answering the question, “What’s the
best or optimal outcome for this case?”
decision
made here
 lots of decision tables
business rules about business activity
involve …
business
process
business
tasks
 applying specialized expertise and
accumulated practical skill
business rules for
coordinating dayto-day business
activity
 answering the question, “Are we doing
things best for the business process as
a whole?”
 coordinating collective activity,
applying sound business practices,
and monitoring for violations
 lots of individual (one-off) business
rules
your business rules space
© Business Rule Solutions, LLC
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business rules
business rules
for making
operational
business decisions
decision
made here
decision rules
business
process
business
tasks
business rules for
coordinating dayto-day business
activity
behavioral rules
your business rules space
© Business Rule Solutions, LLC
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operational business
decision made here
 identify decision
tasks
 analyze each
decision directly
 off-load the
decision logic as
business rules and
decision tables
Claimant
Claims
Clerk
if response
makes claim
Verify Basic
Claim
Information
Take Claim
Information
if invalid
claim
Request
Additional
Information
if insufficient
information
if valid claim
Adjudicator
Adjudicate
Claim
if claim
denied
if fraud suspected
if claim approved
Claims
Payment
System
Notify
Claimant
Notify
Claimant
Claimant
if no
response
Claimant
Upon
suspicion
of fraud
if no fraud detected
Make
Payment
Claimant
Process Claims
© Business Rule Solutions, LLC
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decision structure …
question chart (Q-Chart )
TM
cases in scope:
 auto insurance
 USA
 under $1 million
Is the applicant’s
driving status
acceptable?
Is an applicant
eligible for auto
insurance?
Has the applicant
given acceptable
evidence of
insurance?
overall
applicant
eligibility
decision
specific
applicant
eligibility
decisions
Is the applicant’s
Insurance Risk
Score O.K.?
Reference: DecisionSpeak (free download)
http://www.brsolutions.com/b_ipspeakprimers.php
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analyzing decisions
Reference: DecisionSpeak – free on
http://www.brsolutions.com/b_ipspeakprimers.php
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definition
decision:
a determination requiring knowhow or expertise … the resolving
of a question by identifying some
correct or best choice
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real world case
decision task
the outcome
make decision
potential outcomes
some particular matter
or situation requiring a
decision
the result or conclusion (from
among potential outcomes)
deemed appropriate for the case
e.g., an average Joe
applies for auto
insurance
e.g., average Joe is deemed eligible
for auto insurance … but could have
been deemed ineligible
decision logic
the elements of decisions
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decision task
… naturally procedural
real world case
i.e., a business task (e.g., in a
business process) for making
a decision
the outcome
make decision
potential outcomes
decision logic
the elements of decisions
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the goal: simplified, agile, ‘thin’ processes!
real world case
the outcome
decision task
make decision
potential outcomes
decision logic
 from now on, assume the decision task
 our focus is on analysis and quality of
the decision
the elements of decisions
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should make no difference whether the
decision logic is applied (evaluated) by a
machine or a human
real world case
the outcome
decision task
make decision
potential outcomes
decision logic
the elements of decisions
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DecisionSpeak:
guidelines for forming
the question
Reference: DecisionSpeak – free on
http://www.brsolutions.com/b_ipspeakprimers.php
© Business Rule Solutions, LLC
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avoid the word ‘how’
instead of …
write this instead …
How should an order be filled?
What method should be used
to fill an order?
DecisionSpeak: guidelines
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avoid the word
‘must’ in favor of ‘should’
instead of …
write this instead …
What sales tax must be charged What sales tax should be
on an order?
charged on an order?
DecisionSpeak: guidelines
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avoid conversational
shortcuts
instead of …
write this instead …
What coat should I wear today? What coat should be worn?
How should we price this
order?
How much should an order be
priced?
DecisionSpeak: guidelines
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avoid
‘and’s’ and ‘but’s’
instead of …
write this instead …
What is wrong with this
machine and what approach
should be used for fixing it
1.
What is wrong with this
machine?
2.
What approach should be
used for fixing it?
DecisionSpeak: guidelines
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examples of
well-formed questions



Should an insurance claim be
accepted?
Which resource should be
assigned to a task?
Which service should be used
to ship a package?
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Santa: exercise 5
Identify and write-out 3 decisions that
Santa needs to make.
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analyzing decisions
Reference: DecisionSpeak – free on
http://www.brsolutions.com/b_ipspeakprimers.php
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Q-COE: question, considerations, outcomes, exceptions
Considerations
Outcomes
Question
Exceptions
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What decision needs to be made?
problem statement: I never know what coat to grab in the
morning. If it rains, the one I have on is not waterproof. If
it’s cold, I didn’t take one. I need an organized scheme to
help me decide.
decision: What coat should be worn?
Considerations
Outcomes
Question
What coat
should be
worn?
© Business Rule Solutions, LLC
Exceptions
84
What are all the potential outcomes?
problem statement: I never know what coat to grab in the
morning. If it rains, the one I have on is not waterproof. If
it’s cold, I didn’t take one. I need an organized scheme to
help me decide.
decision: What coat should be worn?
potential outcomes: lined raincoat, wool overcoat, unlined
raincoat, none
Considerations
Outcomes
Question
What coat
should be
worn?
© Business Rule Solutions, LLC
lined
raincoat
 wool
overcoat
 unlined
raincoat
 none

Exceptions
85
What considerations should I base
the decision on?
problem statement: I never know what coat to grab in the
morning. If it rains, the one I have on is not waterproof. If
it’s cold, I didn’t take one. I need an organized scheme to
help me decide.
decision: What coat should be worn?
potential outcomes: lined raincoat, wool overcoat, unlined
raincoat, none
considerations:
1. Is it rainy?
2. Is it cold?
Considerations
Question
What coat
should be
worn?
© Business Rule Solutions, LLC

rainy?

cold?
Exceptions
Outcomes
lined
raincoat
 wool
overcoat
 unlined
raincoat
 none

86
What exceptions are within scope?
problem statement: I never know what coat to grab in the
morning. If it rains, the one I have on is not waterproof. If
it’s cold, I didn’t take one. I need an organized scheme to
help me decide.
decision: What coat should be worn?
potential outcomes: lined raincoat, wool overcoat, unlined
raincoat, none
considerations:
1. Is it rainy?
2. Is it cold?
exceptions:
1. Halloween
Considerations
Question

rainy?

cold?
What coat
should be
worn?
Exceptions

© Business Rule Solutions, LLC
Halloween
Outcomes
lined
raincoat
 wool
overcoat
 unlined
raincoat
 none

87
what are Q-COEs for?

brainstorming

help in getting started on analyzing
more complex decision(s) …
… especially in facilitated sessions

goal: move toward decision tables as
steadily and confidently as possible
Considerations
Question

rainy?

cold?
What coat
should be
worn?
Exceptions

© Business Rule Solutions, LLC
Halloween
Outcomes
lined
raincoat
 wool
overcoat
 unlined
raincoat
 none

88
what is the scope of the decision logic?
problem statement: I never know what coat to grab in the
morning. If it rains, the one I have on is not waterproof. If
it’s cold, I didn’t take one. I need an organized scheme to
help me decide.
decision: What coat should be worn?
scope:
1. person: Gladys
2. city: Vancouver
Considerations
Question

rainy?

cold?
What coat
should be
worn?
Exceptions

© Business Rule Solutions, LLC
Halloween
Outcomes
lined
raincoat
 wool
overcoat
 unlined
raincoat
 none

89
to decide the outcome for a case
within scope you need considerations
real world case
the outcome
decision logic
e.g., an ordinary
applicant applies for
auto insurance
potential outcomes
considerations
 driving history
 evidence of insurability
 insurance risk score
 credit rating
 state/province
 etc.
considerations
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90
definition
consideration:
a factor or grounds for making a
decision
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91
ordinary applicant
considerations
 driving history
 evidence of insurability
 insurance risk score
 credit rating
 state/province
 etc.
case: JoeBob Taylor
… 1 accident
… FAX of current coverage card
… O.K.
… good
… Texas
…
JoeBob Taylor is a standard or typical case because …
 his application can be decided on the basis of the
usual considerations
 there is nothing exceptional about JoeBob’s case
example
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normal case
exception (exceptional case )
a case that is regular and
common
a case that is irregular or
uncommon
uses some or all of the usual
considerations
uses none of the usual
considerations
cannot be excluded from normal can be excluded from normal
treatment or rejected out of hand treatment or rejected out of hand
exceptions
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exception
considerations
 driving history
 evidence of insurability
 insurance risk score
 credit rating
 state/province
 etc.
applicant: SallySue Cox, a felon
… doesn’t matter
… doesn’t matter
… doesn’t matter
… doesn’t matter
… doesn’t matter
…
SallySue Cox has been convicted of a felony
 our policy is to reject felons out-of-hand
 there is no need to evaluate the usual considerations
example
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exception business rule
An applicant for ‘auto’ insurance must be
considered ineligible if convicted of a
felony involving a motor vehicle.
SallySue Cox is an exception (exceptional case )
 we have a business rule that rejects felons out-of-hand
 exceptions don’t use any of the usual considerations
example
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95
exception
considerations
 driving history
 evidence of insurability
 insurance risk score
 credit rating
 state/province
 etc.
applicant: SlickWilly Jones , 13
… doesn’t matter
… doesn’t matter
… doesn’t matter
… doesn’t matter
… doesn’t matter
…
SlickWilly Jones is only 13 years old
 our policy is to reject anyone under 18 out-of-hand
 there is no need to evaluate the usual considerations
example
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exception business rule
An applicant for ‘auto’ insurance must be
considered ineligible if younger than 18
years old.
SlickWilly Jones is an exception (exceptional case )
 we have a business rule that rejects applicants under
18 out-of-hand
 exceptions don’t use any of the usual considerations
example
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is case in scope?
real world case
the outcome
yes
ye
standard cases:
decision logic
potential outcomes
80%
exceptions:
20%
the 80-20 rule applies
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question charts (Q-Charts)
Reference: DecisionSpeak – free on
http://www.brsolutions.com/b_ipspeakprimers.php
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Should we
launch?
Is weather
a go?
Is fuel a go?
Is recovery
a go?
Q-Charts
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definition
sub-decision:
a decision on which another
decision logically depends
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a checklist is not a business process(!)
Should we
launch?
Is weather
a go?
Is fuel a go?
Is recovery
a go?
Q-Charts
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the top question is the one you
ultimately want to answer …
dependent decision
… but it depends on an outcome from
the bottom question
so the decision on top is always the
more dependent
the bottom question provides some
grounds for the top question …
more basic decision
… it’s always more basic than the top
question
so the decision on bottom is always the
more independent
hitch point always goes at the bottom
Q-Charts
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dependent decision
X
more basic decision
horizontal lines can
be mistaken for
flows or sequence …
avoid them!
dependent decision
more basic decision

vertical lines are
more readily seen as
simply logical
dependencies
Q-Charts
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basis
kind
relevance
dependency
effect
1
question
2
consideration consideration
dependency
the outcome from one
question provides or
supports a
consideration for
another question
3
outcome
the outcome from one
question can restrict
the outcomes of
another question
outcome
dependency
Q-Chart
connector
the outcome from one
question can preempt
another question
three fundamental forms of decision dependency …
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What means should I
use to pay my taxes?
relevance dependency …

What taxes do I owe?
the top decision depends on the outcome of
the bottom decision …
… If you don’t actually owe any taxes
(doubtful?), you don’t need to ask about what
means to pay them(!)
© Business Rule Solutions, LLC

so the top, more dependent decision might not
be needed at all … i.e., might be pre-empted

always asks a yes/no question ...
e.g., do I owe taxes?
106
What premium should an
applicant be charged?
be sure you know what relevance
dependency does and doesn’t mean!
Is an applicant eligible
for ‘auto’ insurance?

to be as user-friendly as possible the sequence
might be optionally reversed in some actual
processes … e.g., customer-facing, self-service,
GUI-based applications over the web

if so, you probably want a (legal) disclaimer!
Important: Q-Charts address only logical dependency!
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107
Considerations
Question

rainy?

cold?
What coat
should be
worn?
Exceptions

Halloween
Outcomes
lined
raincoat
 wool
overcoat
 unlined
raincoat
 none

Considerations
Question
temperature?
 wind?
 humidity?

consideration dependency …

the upper decision depends
on the outcome of the lower
decision

specifically, one of its
considerations is provided
by the lower decision
Outcomes
cold
warm
 hot

Is it cold?
Exceptions
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
108
the sub-decisions:


may be evaluated …
(a) separately, and
(b) in parallel or in any
sequence
are assumed to have
distinct outcomes and
largely non-overlapping
considerations
Is the applicant’s
driving history
acceptable?
© Business Rule Solutions, LLC
Is an ordinary
applicant
eligible?
Has the applicant
given acceptable
evidence of
insurance?
Is the applicant’s
Insurance Risk
Score O.K.?
109
Considerations
Question
What
should be
charged
for
shipping
an order?
Outcomes
zip code?
 weight
 kind of service
 season

shipping
cost
Exceptions
outcome dependency …


both decisions must have
the same kind of outcome
the set of considerations of
the less dependent (lower)
decision must be the same
as, or a subset of, the set of
considerations of the more
dependent (upper) decision
© Business Rule Solutions, LLC
Considerations
Question
What
special
shipping
charges
are there?
zip code?
 season?

Exceptions
Outcomes
fixed
shipping
charge
110
•zip code
•weight
What •kind of service
should be •season
charged for
shipping an
order?
What
method
should be
used to
ship an
order?
•priority level of
customer
•destination region
•kind of packaging
•perishable
•holidays
•hazardous
materials
shipping
cost
•normal
service
•express
service
•special
service
What set
charges
are there
for
shipping
an order?
•zip code
•season
fixed
shipping
charge
•years as customer
•total value of orders
What is •frequency of orders
the priority
level of a
customer? •employees
Can an
order be
shipped?
Are orders
shipped to a
destination?
•yes
•no
© Business Rule Solutions, LLC
•gold
•silver
•bronze
•yes
•no
Is a
customer
high-risk?
•yes
•no
Does a
product
have to be
built onsite?
•yes
•no
Can orders
of this
weight and
size be
shipped?
•yes
•no
111
Santa: exercise 6
Develop Q-Chart for
 What gift should a child receive?
 Is a child naughty or nice?
 Does a child believe in Santa?
Develop Q-COE for “What gift should a child
receive?”
… the gift might depend on:
 age
 gender
 is the child naughty or nice?
 etc.
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112
cell phone insurance fraud
• less than 100 business rules; ROI within 6 months
• think: fraud detection
taxation
• US, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand
• think: calculations – tariffs, commissions, rates
customer management
• global customers, eCustomer
• think: identity, merging and matching
eligibility
• membership, coverage, service
• think: yes/no decisions
business rules projects
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target marketing
• who to send what, and when and where
• think: repeating patterns of behavior
regulatory compliance
• interpret and operationalize legislation, policies, contracts, agreements
• think: results not necessarily to be automated
reverse engineering
• mine business rules from application code, Excel, databases
• think: business intent of implemented rules
insurance product configuration
• “the Dell Computer of insurance products”
• think: customization based on inventory of components & templates
business rules projects
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Building Business Solutions
Business Rule Concepts
Primer Trio
Business Analysis with Business Rules
Getting to the Point of Knowledge
2nd edition, 2015
4th edition, 2013
Decision Analysis
Decision Tables
RuleSpeak® 3.0
brsolutions.com
(free)
An IIBA ® Sponsored Handbook
© Business Rule Solutions, LLC
115
find out more
S
Business Rule Solutions, LLC
www.BRSolutions.com
Business Rules & Decisions Forum 2013 conference

Aug 24 – Aug 26 … Sydney, Australia

Nov 4 – Nov 6 … Las Vegas, Nevada
Rules Say Must Not!
© Business Rule Solutions, LLC
116
business rules & decisions …
the new basics of smarter processes
~~
thank you!
Ronald G. Ross
Business Rule Solutions, LLC
[email protected]
follow me:
Twitter: @Ronald_G_Ross
Blog: www.RonRoss.info
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117