Hi,
I'm wondering if there are any standards on how to define policies vs business rules ( are they the same ? ) vs guidelines etc... ? I've noticed that the business rules group does define a policy differently than a business rule but I'm wondering in practice what most people / companies are doing. For example would it make sense to define the business policies in a formal document as a deliverable for the business but out of that could be multiple business rules per policy which could then be used/referenced in any systems development going forward.
Thanks In Advance
Quick Answer.... Business Policies are the source of Business Rules. Policies are statements of guidance for an organization, but are not specific to a task or decision that is done in everyday work.
One thing most organizations are good at is writing Policies and making them available to staff. So, I don't think you need to gather them up in a new document, just refer to the policy when needed as the drive or source when you write a specific rule. And yes, one Policy may generate many Rules, going from general to specific.
David Wright
www.about.m/dwwright99
Thanks for the answer. I think where I struggle is determining what is a policy vs what is a business rule. I can determine the business rule easily but when reviewing a list of policies and trying to determine if they are really policies or business rules isn't as straightforward. There doesn't seem to be a set of criteria that can be used to make that distinction.
Can you give an example of a policy with multiple rules which fits your description ?
Ah, then I recommend visiting businessrulesgroup.org, it will fill you in on just what is a rule.
I would say a rule is a statement that restricts an action taken by a business. They are based on Facts.
Example - I sell cars to people, or more specific " A person can buy a car" is a fact about my business.
But "A person can buy a car, only if they are 16 years old or older." is a rule, because it restricts what I do, the "only if" describing the constraint.
The policy for this, if it exists, would be more general; my fave would be "it is my policy to sell cars for a profit without breaking the law." Good to have decided this, but does not tell me what I should do or not do to comply with the policy.... ;Selling to a person under 16 could be against the law in some places, so that is a rule driven from the policy. A company will have a number of policies, but there will be many, many rules in a typical business,.</p>
Since a policy is just more general it's hard to fit criteria/rule around what is/isn't a policy. Thus would you say it would be easier to find the rules and then determine based on them if it's not a rule then perhaps it could be a policy ? We are going to be reviewing documents to determine if the rules / policies are still valid or need adjustments. The documents could contain policies , rules or a combination of both ( they may even contain guidelines ).
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