Understanding Business Rules is key to understanding business analysis. Business Analysts must have an in-depth understanding of what business rules are and how to identify them accurately and completely when performing their business analysis tasks. Failing to accurately identify a business rule will result in a software defect that may be very costly to fix. In this seminar, Robin Grace will explore the relationship between business rules and requirements, outlining a systematic approach to be used for the identification of business rules.

1. Lifting The Lid On Business Rules
Robin Grace
Principal Consultant
Business Analysis Practice
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2. At the end of a project what do
we deliver to the business?

3. Business Rules
We Change and, or Automate Business
Rules.
We Deliver Business Rules Wrapped in a
Given Technology.

4. Business Rules
A business rule is a rule of a business,
company, or corporation. It is a rule that
defines or constrains some aspect of
business and always resolves to either
true or false. Business rules are intended
to assert business structure or to
control or influence the behaviour of the
business.
Business Rules Group, Defining Business Rules
What Are They Really?

5. Types of Business Rules
• Definitions of business terms
• Facts relating terms to each other
• Constraints (also called "action
assertions")
• Derivations
Business Rules Group

6. OK, now we know what we are looking for
but how do we go about finding them and
documenting them?

7. Surround and Conquer
The art of using troops is this:
When ten to the enemy's one, surround
him;
When five times his strength, attack him;
If double his strength, divide him
Sun Tzu, the Art Of War

8. The Surround 1 2 3
1 Define a Boundary
2 Name The Area Inside
3
Establish What’s Outside

9. Establish What’s Outside (Scope)
External
Agent
Business Area of the
Problem or Opportunity

10. Establish What’s Outside
Delegate
Delegate Registration

11. Divide
Delegate
Delegate Registration
Lift the Lid and Look Inside
4

12. Divide
Delegate Delegate
Registration
Triggers
Work

13. Process Identification
1 Delegate Registered
Register
2 Delegate
Last Name
Company Name Delegate
Lift the Lid and Look Inside
3
4

14. Reject Registration
Business Rules
• If the seminar is fully booked reject the
booking.
• Must have a delegate name and company
to complete the booking.
Venue Capacity
Booking Total

15. Business Rules And Data
• Data exists only to support Business Rules
• Business Rule use, change, create and delete
data
• Business Rules are embedded in the Logical
Data Model
Works For
DELEGATE COMPANY
Has Working For It
Delegate First Name
Delegate Last Name (M)

16. Delegate Registered
Register
Last Name
Delegate
Delegate
Company Name
Venue Bookings
Business Rules
If the seminar is fully booked reject the booking.
Must have a delegate name and company to complete the
booking.

17. During The Project
ProblemOpportunity

18. Technology Boundary
1) Draw A Boundary
2) Name The Area
3) Establish What’s Outside
4) Lift The Lid
Register Online
Delegate
Delegate Online
Registration System

19. Lift the Lid on Register Online
Business Rules
• If the seminar is fully booked reject the
booking.
How do you want the system to do this?
Error Message X
This Seminar is fully booked
Close

20. Business Rules
• Must have a delegate name and company to
complete the booking
How do you want the system to do this?

21. Grace’s First Law Of Bugs
A missed or miss defined business rule
equals a BUG.

22. Questions
The IndigoCube Business Analysis
Practice is committed to assisting
clients to perform Business Analysis
better through solutions in
Business Analyst Assessment
Methodology Provisioning Contact information
BA Skills Development info@indigocube.co.za
robin@indigocube.co.za