Hello everyone,
I'm trying to find the best approach for writing business rules that cover multiple scenarios.
For example, i need to write a rule for rendering buttons on a particular page within the system. When the buttons are visible/ hidden.
Ideally the rule is a one stop shop for this one page. The visibility of the buttons are impacted by:
The workflow
The type of user
The user security rights
The users companies security rights
The Group the company is part of's security rights
Currently i am using a excel, with a row for each available buttons, a column for each workflow and each cell indicating Visible/Hidden
And i identify the rule as a comment within the cell... i.e a button only visible for X type of user with XYZ rights
It's not easy for the developers/ QA to interpret and a comment might get missed. Any suggestions for writing rules with so many factors?
There could be several ways to write requirements of such kind. And I understand your quandary. In this case your end goal should be that your Dev/QA to understand and picture the requirement without much effort.
Use Perspectives and flow charts.
1. Title the requirement "Button(s) Visibility and State"
2. Choose one of the rule influencing factors, say, workflow since it is easier to draw as a series of steps. Your flow diagram will honor this as the perspective.
3. Start drawing and when you reach a point where you have to implement the rule, branch the possibilities out (this is the cumbersome part :)).
4. If the possibilities are many and you cant fit it all in lucidly, combine more than one perspective (workflow+ user type) and start from there. The branching will be lesser, You can also have a separate chart for each branch to break it down better.
It is easier said than done but I assume the requirement is not too complicated and having views/perspectives as a part of requirements helps Dev/QA to appreciate the system better. Let us know how it goes,
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